Chameleon

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Chameleon Solitaire is to move all 52 cards from the deck to the four foundation piles, building each foundation up in suit from a designated starting rank, wrapping around from King to Ace as needed.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Standard 52-card deck.
• Foundations: 4 piles. One card is dealt face up to the first foundation pile; this card determines the starting rank for all foundations. The other three foundations begin empty.
• Tableau: 3 piles, each with one card dealt face up.
• Reserve: 12 cards dealt in a single column; the bottom card is face up, the rest are face down. Only the top (face-up) card is accessible.
• Stock: Remaining 36 cards form the stock pile, placed face down.
• Waste: Initially empty. Cards from the stock are dealt one at a time to the waste pile, face up.
• Face-up/Face-down: All tableau and foundation cards are face up. Only the top card of the reserve is face up; the rest are face down. The stock is face down; waste is face up.

Chameleon Solitaire Rules:

• Foundations:

• Build up by suit, starting from the initial foundation card’s rank (e.g., if the starting card is 7♣, build 7♣, 8♣, …, K♣, A♣, …, 6♣).

• Building wraps around from King to Ace (“around the corner”).

• Only cards of the same suit and in the correct sequence may be placed.

• Empty foundation piles can only be filled with a card of the same starting rank as the initial foundation card.

• Tableau:

• Build down regardless of suit (e.g., 5♠ may be placed on 6♣, 6♥, or 6♦).

• Sequences built down (regardless of suit) may be moved together as a unit.

• Only the top card or a valid sequence may be moved.

• When a tableau pile becomes empty, it is automatically filled with the top card from the reserve. If the reserve is empty, any card or valid sequence may fill the space.

• Reserve:

• Only the top (face-up) card can be played to the tableau or foundations.

• When a reserve card is moved, the next card beneath is turned face up.

• Once the reserve is empty, it remains empty for the rest of the game.

• Stock and Waste:

• The stock deals one card at a time to the waste pile, face up.

• Only one pass through the stock is allowed (no redeals).

• The top card of the waste pile is available for play to the tableau or foundations.

• Once the waste is empty, it remains empty until more cards are dealt from the stock.

Gameplay:

• On each turn, the player may:

• Move the top card of the reserve, waste, or tableau to a foundation if legal.

• Move the top card or a valid sequence from one tableau pile to another if legal.

• Move the top card from the reserve or waste to a tableau pile if legal.

• Fill empty tableau spaces from the reserve automatically; if the reserve is empty, fill with any card or valid sequence.

• Deal one card from the stock to the waste if no other moves are possible or desired.

• Play continues until all cards are moved to the foundations or no further legal moves are possible and the stock is exhausted.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Win: All 52 cards are successfully built onto the four foundations in correct ascending suit order, starting from the initial foundation rank and wrapping around as needed.
• Loss: The game is lost if no further legal moves are possible and the stock is exhausted before all cards are placed on the foundations.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Tableau Spaces:

• Automatically filled with the top card from the reserve.

• If the reserve is empty, any card or valid sequence may be moved to fill the space.

• Foundation Start Rank:

• All foundation piles must start with the same rank as the initial foundation card.

• Building “Around the Corner”:

• Foundations may be built from King to Ace (e.g., Q♣, K♣, A♣, 2♣, …).

• No Redeals:

• Only one pass through the stock is allowed; once the stock is exhausted, it cannot be reshuffled.

• Reserve Depletion:

• Once all reserve cards are used, the reserve pile remains empty for the remainder of the game.

• Sequence Movement:

• Only sequences built down regardless of suit may be moved together within the tableau.

• Waste Pile:

• Only the top card is playable; cards remain in the waste until played or the game ends.

This guide captures the unique mechanics and rules of Chameleon Solitaire as defined by official and authoritative sources.