Castles in Spain

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Castles in Spain 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.
• Tableau: Deal 13 tableau piles (columns), each with 4 cards. All cards are dealt face-up; there is no stock or reserve in this variant.
• Foundations: Four foundation piles are placed to the side. These start empty and are filled with Aces as they become available during play.
• Play Areas Defined:
• Tableau: The main play area with 13 columns of 4 face-up cards each.
• Foundations: Four piles where cards are built up by suit, starting with Aces.

Castles in Spain Solitaire Rules:

• Card Movement:
• Cards in the tableau are built downward in alternating colors (i.e., a red card on a black card, and vice versa), one rank at a time (e.g., a 9♠ can be placed on a 10♥).
• Only the topmost card of each tableau pile is available for play.
• Foundation Building:
• Foundations are built up by suit, starting with Ace and ending with King (e.g., Ace♣, 2♣, 3♣, … King♣).
• Any Ace may be moved to any empty foundation pile as soon as it becomes available.
• Moving Cards:
• Only one card may be moved at a time.
• Empty tableau piles can be filled with any card.
• "Power moves" allow moving sequences, but only if there are enough empty tableau piles to permit moving cards one at a time (i.e., you may move a sequence by using empty spaces as intermediate steps).
• No Stock or Reserve: There is no draw pile or reserve; all cards are in play from the start.

Gameplay:

• Sequence of Play:
• Identify and move Aces to the foundation piles as soon as they are available.
• Build down in alternating colors in the tableau to reveal and access buried cards.
• Move cards to the foundations in ascending order by suit whenever possible.
• Fill empty tableau spaces with any available card to create new opportunities for movement.
• Introducing New Cards:
• No new cards are introduced; all cards are dealt face-up at the start and remain in play throughout.
• When No Moves Remain:
• If no legal moves are possible (no cards can be moved to the foundations or built in the tableau), the game ends and is considered lost or unwinnable.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning Condition:
• The game is won when all 52 cards have been successfully moved to the foundations, each built up by suit from Ace to King.
• Losing Condition:
• The game is lost (or unwinnable) if no further legal moves can be made and not all cards have been moved to the foundations.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Spaces:
• Any card may fill an empty tableau pile; there are no restrictions (e.g., Kings-only) on what can be placed in empty spaces.
• Moving Sequences:
• Only one card may be moved at a time. However, sequences can be moved using "power moves" if there are enough empty tableau piles to facilitate the move (i.e., by moving cards individually and using spaces as temporary holding areas).
• Face-Up Cards:
• All cards are dealt and played face-up. There are no face-down cards in this variant.
• No Redeal or Stock:
• There is no redeal, stock, or reserve pile; all cards are accessible from the start.
• Edge Cases:
• If a tableau pile becomes empty, it can be filled immediately with any card, which may allow for strategic repositioning and sequence movement.

Note: These rules are based on the most widely accepted sources and official documentation for Castles in Spain Solitaire. Minor variations may exist, but the above guide reflects the standard gameplay mechanics.