Citadel

Game Objective:

The primary objective in Citadel Solitaire is to move all cards from the tableau to the four foundation piles, building each foundation in ascending order from Ace to King, and matching suits throughout.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Use a standard 52-card deck. Remove all four Aces before dealing.
• Foundations: Place the four Aces face-up in a central row. These form the starting point for each foundation pile, one per suit.
• Tableau: Deal the remaining 48 cards face-up into eight tableau piles (also called rows or fans), with six cards in each pile.
  • The tableau piles are arranged in two groups of four on either side of the foundations.
  • All cards in the tableau are dealt face-up and fully visible; there are no face-down cards in Citadel Solitaire.
• Special Dealing Rule: While dealing, if a card can be immediately played to a foundation (i.e., the next in sequence and matching suit), place it on the foundation instead of the tableau. Skip to the next tableau pile for the next card.

Key Play Areas:

• Foundations: Four central piles, building up by suit from Ace to King.
• Tableau: Eight piles (fans/rows) of face-up cards, built down in rank regardless of suit.

Citadel Solitaire Rules:

• Building on Foundations: Cards must be added in ascending order (Ace, 2, 3, …, King) and must match the suit of the foundation.
• Building on Tableau: Cards are built down in rank (e.g., 9 on 10), regardless of suit or color.
  • Only the top (uncovered) card of each tableau pile is available for play.
  • Only one card may be moved at a time; sequences cannot be moved as a group.
• Moving Cards: A card may be moved from the top of any tableau pile to:
  • The appropriate foundation pile, if it is the next in sequence and matches suit.
  • The top of another tableau pile, if it is one rank lower (regardless of suit).
• Empty Tableau Piles: Any card may be moved to fill an empty tableau pile.

Restrictions:

• Cards placed on foundations cannot be moved back to the tableau.
• There is no stock, reserve, or redeal in Citadel Solitaire.

Gameplay:

• Turn Sequence:
  1. Examine the tableau for available moves:
     • Move eligible cards to the foundations.
     • Build down on tableau piles using available top cards.
  2. Fill any empty tableau pile immediately with any available top card from another tableau pile.
  3. Continue making moves until no more legal moves are available or all cards are moved to the foundations.
• Introducing New Cards: There is no stock or draw pile; all cards are in play from the start. New cards become available as you uncover them by moving the top cards from tableau piles.
• No More Moves: If you cannot make any further legal moves and not all foundations are complete, the game ends in a loss.

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 further legal moves can be made and not all foundations are complete.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Tableau Piles: Any card may be moved to fill an empty tableau pile at any time.
• During the Deal: As you deal the tableau, if a card can be played to a foundation, do so immediately and skip to the next tableau pile for the next card.
• Uneven Tableau Piles: Due to the special dealing rule, some tableau piles may have fewer than six cards after the initial deal.
• No Redeal: There is no redeal or stock; all cards are dealt at the start and remain in play until the game ends.
• Single Card Moves: Only one card may be moved at a time; you cannot move sequences of cards together.

Note: The initial deal and the ability to play cards to the foundation during dealing are what distinguish Citadel Solitaire from similar variants such as Beleaguered Castle.