Ceiling Fan

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Ceiling Fan Solitaire is to move all cards from the tableau (fan piles) 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.
• Initial Deal: Deal eighteen fan piles:
• The first sixteen piles each receive three cards.
• The last two piles each receive two cards.
• Play Areas:
• Fan Piles (Tableau): Eighteen piles arranged in a semi-circular “fan” pattern. These are the primary play area.
• Foundations: Four empty piles, one for each suit, where cards are built up from Ace to King.
• Card Orientation: All cards are dealt face-up; every card is visible at the start of play.

Ceiling Fan Solitaire Rules:

• Card Movement:
• Only the top card of each fan pile is available for play.
• Cards are moved to the foundations by suit in ascending order (e.g., 2♠ over A♠).
• Cards may be moved between fan piles by suit in descending order (e.g., 7♣ over 8♣).
• Building Sequences:
• Foundations: Build up by suit (Ace, 2, 3, …, King).
• Fan Piles: Build down by suit (e.g., 9♥ onto 10♥).
• Moving Cards:
• Only single cards (the top card of a pile) may be moved at a time; sequences cannot be moved together.
• When a fan pile becomes empty, it can only be filled with a King.
• Restrictions:
• No cards other than Kings may fill empty fan piles.
• Cards must follow suit for both upward (foundation) and downward (fan pile) movements.

Gameplay:

• Player Actions:
• Examine the tableau and move available Aces to the foundations.
• Build up foundations by moving the next available card of the same suit.
• Move top cards between fan piles in descending order by suit.
• Fill empty fan piles with Kings only.
• Introducing New Cards:
• All cards are available from the start; there is no stock or reserve.
• No Legal Moves:
• If no moves are possible, the game ends. There are no redeals or reshuffles in the standard ruleset for Ceiling Fan Solitaire.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning: The game is won when all 52 cards are successfully moved to the four foundations, built up by suit from Ace to King.
• Losing/Unwinnable State: The game is lost or becomes unwinnable if no further legal moves can be made and cards remain in the tableau.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Empty Fan Piles: Only Kings may be placed in empty fan piles. No other card may fill an empty space.
• All Cards Face-Up: Every card is visible from the start, allowing full strategic planning.
• No Redeals: There are no redeals or reshuffles in the standard variant; play continues until all cards are moved to foundations or no moves remain.
• Sequence Movement: Only the top card of any fan pile may be moved; sequences cannot be transferred as a unit.
• Suit Restriction: All building, both up (foundations) and down (fan piles), must be strictly by suit.

Definitions:

• Foundation: A pile where cards are built up by suit from Ace to King.
• Fan Pile/Tableau: A pile of cards in the tableau area, arranged in a fan shape, where only the top card is playable.
• Top Card: The card at the uppermost position of a pile, available for movement.

This guide reflects the official and most widely accepted ruleset for Ceiling Fan Solitaire, ensuring semantic precision and clarity for optimal gameplay understanding.