Beleaguered Castle

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Beleaguered Castle Solitaire is to move all cards from the tableau to the four foundation piles, building each foundation up in ascending order by suit from Ace to King.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Use a standard 52-card deck.
• Foundations: Remove the four Aces from the deck and place them in a vertical column at the center of the play area. These form the four foundations.
• Tableau: Deal the remaining 48 cards into eight tableau piles (also called "manoeuvre stacks" or "wings"), with four piles on each side of the foundations. Each tableau pile contains six cards, all dealt face-up and fully visible.
• Key Play Areas:
• Foundations: The central column where Aces are placed and built up by suit.
• Tableau: The eight piles flanking the foundations, where cards are manipulated during play.
• Face-Up/Face-Down: All cards in the tableau are dealt face-up; there are no face-down or hidden cards in this variant.

Beleaguered Castle Solitaire Rules:

• Card Movement:
• Only the top card of each tableau pile is available for movement at any time.
• Move cards from one tableau pile to another, or from the tableau to the foundations.
• Building Sequences:
• Foundations: Build up in ascending order (Ace to King) and by suit (e.g., Ace♠, 2♠, 3♠, …, King♠).
• Tableau: Build down in descending order (e.g., 10, 9, 8, …) regardless of suit or color.
• Movement Restrictions:
• Only one card may be moved at a time; sequences or stacks cannot be moved together as a unit.
• Once a card is placed on a foundation, it cannot be moved back to the tableau.
• Only the exposed (top) card of each tableau pile is eligible for movement.
• Empty Tableau Piles:
• Any single available card may be moved into an empty tableau pile.

Gameplay:

• On each turn, the player may:
• Move an eligible card from a tableau pile to a foundation if it continues the foundation's suit in ascending order.
• Move an eligible card from one tableau pile to another, building down regardless of suit.
• Fill any empty tableau pile with any available card from the tableau.
• There is no stock or reserve; all cards are dealt at the start and are visible.
• Play continues until no more legal moves are possible or all cards have been moved to the foundations.
• If no legal moves remain and not all cards are on the foundations, the game is lost.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning: The game is won when all 52 cards are moved to the foundations, with each foundation built up by suit from Ace to King.
• Losing: The game is lost or unwinnable if no further legal moves can be made and not all cards are on the foundations.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Tableau Spaces:
  Any single available card from the tableau may be moved into an empty tableau pile at any time.
• No Redeal or Stock:
  There is no stock pile or redeal; all cards are in play from the beginning.
• No Sequence Moves:
  Only one card can be moved at a time, even if a descending sequence exists in the tableau.
• Foundation Irreversibility:
  Once a card is placed on a foundation, it cannot be removed under standard rules. Some casual variants allow removing cards from the foundation, but this is not standard.
• Tableau Flexibility:
  Because any card can fill an empty tableau, creating empty spaces is a key strategy for maneuvering cards and freeing blocked sequences.
• No Suit or Color Restriction in Tableau:
  Tableau building is strictly by descending rank, with no requirement for matching suit or alternating color.

Definitions of Key Terms:

• Foundation: A pile where cards are built up by suit from Ace to King.
• Tableau: The main play area consisting of eight piles, where cards are built down in rank without regard to suit or color.
• Exposed Card: The topmost card of a tableau pile, available for movement.

This guide covers the unique mechanics and rules of Beleaguered Castle Solitaire, ensuring precise and actionable instructions for play.