Beleaguered Fortress

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Beleaguered Fortress Solitaire is to move all cards from the tableau onto 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 your play area. These serve as the starting cards for the four foundations.
• Tableau: Deal the remaining 48 cards into eight tableau piles (also called "fans"), with six cards in each pile. Arrange the tableau piles in two columns (wings) of four piles each, flanking the central column of foundations.
• Card Orientation: All cards are dealt face up and are fully visible throughout the game.
• Key Play Areas:
• Foundations: Central column, each starting with an Ace.
• Tableau: Eight piles (fans) of six cards each, all face up.

Beleaguered Fortress Solitaire Rules:

• Card Movement:
• Only the top card of each tableau pile is available for play at any time.
• Building on Foundations:
• Foundations are built up by suit in ascending order (Ace, 2, 3, …, King).
• Building on Tableau:
• Tableau piles are built down in rank, regardless of suit or color (for example, any 6 can be placed on any 7).
• Only single cards can be moved at a time; sequences cannot be moved as a unit.
• Empty Tableau Piles:
• Any available card may be moved to fill an empty tableau pile.
• No Stock or Reserve:
• There is no stock or reserve pile; all cards are dealt at the start.

Gameplay:

• On each turn, the player may:
• Move a top card from any tableau pile to a foundation, provided it is the next in ascending order and of matching suit.
• Move a top card from one tableau pile to another, provided it is one rank lower than the destination card (suit and color do not matter).
• Move any available card to fill an empty tableau pile.
• No new cards are introduced during play, as the entire deck is dealt at the start.
• If no legal moves are available (i.e., no cards can be moved to foundations or between tableau piles), the game is at a standstill.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning: The game is won when all cards have been moved to the four foundations, each built up in suit from Ace to King.
• Losing: The game is lost (unwinnable) if no legal moves remain and not all cards have been transferred to the foundations.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Tableau Piles: Any single available card may be placed into an empty tableau pile, regardless of rank or suit.
• No Redeal: There is no redeal; once all moves are exhausted, the game ends.
• No Multi-Card Moves: Only one card may be moved at a time, even if a descending sequence is present.
• No Suit or Color Restriction in Tableau: Building down in the tableau ignores suit and color; only rank matters.
• All Cards Visible: Since all cards are dealt face up, the game is entirely open information with no hidden cards.
• No Stock, Reserve, or Cells: Unlike some solitaire variants, there are no extra piles for drawing or holding cards.

Summary of Unique Features:
Beleaguered Fortress Solitaire is characterized by its open layout (all cards face up), the absence of a stock or reserve, and the flexibility of building down in the tableau without regard to suit or color, but with the restriction that only single cards are moved at a time. The strategic use of empty tableau piles is critical for maneuvering cards and achieving victory.