Countess

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Countess Solitaire is to build up each foundation pile in ascending order by suit, starting from Ace and ending with King, using all cards in the deck.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Use a standard 52-card deck.
• Tableau: Deal four tableau piles, each with one card, splayed downward. All cards in the tableau are dealt face up.
• Foundations: Reserve four spaces above or beside the tableau for the foundation piles (initially empty).
• Stock: The remaining 48 cards form the stock pile, placed face down.
• Waste Pile: As cards are drawn from the stock, a waste pile is formed for unplayable cards.

Key Play Areas:

• Tableau: The main area where cards are built down in rank.
• Foundations: Where cards are built up by suit from Ace to King.
• Stock: The face-down pile from which cards are drawn.
• Waste: The face-up pile for stock cards that cannot be immediately played.

Countess Solitaire Rules:

• Tableau Building: Cards in the tableau are built down by rank, regardless of suit or color (e.g., a 6 can be placed on a 7 of any suit).
• Moving Cards: Only the top card of each tableau pile is available for play. Cards may be moved individually, not in sequences.
• Foundation Building: Foundations are built up by suit, starting with Ace and proceeding to King (A, 2, 3, …, K).
• Stock and Waste: Cards are drawn one at a time from the stock to the waste pile. The top card of the waste pile is always available for play to the tableau or foundations.
• No Tableau Replenishment: If a tableau pile becomes empty, it cannot be refilled with any card; empty spaces remain empty.
• No Reserve: There is no reserve or holding area in this variant.

Gameplay:

• Turn Sequence:

• Move any available tableau or waste card to the foundations if possible.

• Build down on tableau piles by moving a card of one rank lower onto another tableau pile.

• Draw one card from the stock to the waste pile if no moves are available or desired.

• Continue drawing from the stock and making legal moves until the stock is exhausted.

• Introducing New Cards:

• When the stock is not empty, draw one card at a time to the waste pile.

• Only the top card of the waste pile may be played to the tableau or foundations.

• No Redeals: Once the stock is exhausted, no redeals are allowed. Play continues only with available tableau and waste cards.

• No Moves Available: If no legal moves remain and the stock is exhausted, the game ends.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Win Condition: The game is won when all 52 cards are built onto the four foundation piles in ascending order by suit.
• Lose Condition: The game is lost if no further legal moves can be made and not all cards have been moved to the foundations.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Empty Tableau Piles: Empty tableau piles cannot be filled; once a pile is empty, it remains so for the rest of the game.
• Card Movement Restrictions: Only single cards may be moved at a time; sequences cannot be moved as a group.
• No Suit or Color Restrictions on Tableau: Building down in the tableau does not require alternating colors or matching suits.
• Stock Exhaustion: When the stock is depleted, play continues only with cards in the tableau and waste pile; no redeals are permitted.

Note: These rules are based on the most authoritative available description of Countess Solitaire. If a specific rulebook or official source introduces additional restrictions or allowances, those should take precedence.