Contradance

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Contradance Solitaire is to move all 104 cards (using two standard 52-card decks) onto the sixteen foundation piles by building them according to specific suit-based sequences.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Use two standard 52-card decks (total 104 cards).
• Foundations: Before play begins, remove all Fives and Sixes from the shuffled decks. Arrange these sixteen cards face-up in two rows:
• The eight Fives form the "Fives Foundations."
• The eight Sixes form the "Sixes Foundations".
• Stock: Shuffle the remaining 88 cards and place them face-down as the stock pile.
• Waste: Leave space for a single waste pile, which will start empty.

Summary of Play Areas:

• Fives Foundations: 8 piles, each starting with a Five (face-up).
• Sixes Foundations: 8 piles, each starting with a Six (face-up).
• Stock: 1 face-down pile.
• Waste: 1 face-up pile (initially empty).

Contradance Solitaire Rules:

• Building on Foundations:
• Fives Foundations: Build down in suit from Five → Ace, then wrap to King (King can be placed on Ace), continuing down to Six. Maximum of 6 cards per pile at any time.
• Sixes Foundations: Build up in suit from Six → Queen, then wrap to Ace (Ace can be placed on King), continuing up to Five. Maximum of 7 cards per pile at any time.
• Card Movement:
• Only the top card of the waste or stock is available for play to the foundations.
• Cards must be placed onto foundations following the strict suit and sequence rules as above.
• No tableau or reserve: Cards cannot be moved between foundations or to any area other than the foundations.
• Stock and Waste:
• Cards are dealt one at a time from the stock to the waste pile (face-up).
• Only the top card of the waste is available for play.
• When the stock is exhausted, the waste may be turned over to form a new stock (redeal), with a maximum of one or two redeals allowed depending on the rule set.

Gameplay:

• Sequence of Play:
• Examine the top card of the waste (and stock, if not yet dealt).
• If the card can be placed onto a foundation (according to the building rules), do so.
• If not, deal the next card from the stock to the waste.
• Continue this process, always playing cards to the foundations when possible.
• Introducing New Cards:
• Only the top card of the waste (created by dealing from the stock) is available for play to the foundations.
• When the stock runs out, pick up the waste pile, turn it face-down to become the new stock, and continue play. Only one or two redeals are permitted.
• No More Moves:
• If no cards can be played to the foundations and no redeals remain, play ends.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Win: The game is won when all 104 cards have been built onto the sixteen foundations in the correct suit sequences.
• Loss: The game is lost (unwinnable) if, after all permitted redeals, there are still cards remaining in the stock or waste that cannot be played to the foundations.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Foundations: Only a Five can be placed in an empty Fives Foundation, and only a Six in an empty Sixes Foundation. However, since all foundations start with their respective cards, this is only relevant if a pile is cleared by error or in digital implementations.
• Wrap-around Building: Both foundation types allow "around-the-corner" building:
• For Fives Foundations, you may build from Ace to King (i.e., King follows Ace).
• For Sixes Foundations, you may build from Queen to Ace (i.e., Ace follows King).
• Maximum Cards per Foundation: Fives Foundations may hold up to 6 cards; Sixes Foundations may hold up to 7 cards at a time, reflecting the number of cards in their respective sequences.
• Redeals: Most rule sets allow only one redeal (two passes through the stock in total), though some sources permit two redeals (three passes).
• No Tableau or Reserve: There is no tableau or reserve area in Contradance Solitaire. All play is restricted to the foundations, stock, and waste.

Note: Contradance Solitaire is sometimes referred to as "Cotillion." It should not be confused with similarly named games such as "Royal Cotillion" or "Sixes and Sevens," which have different layouts and rules.