Courtyard

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Courtyard Solitaire is to move all cards from the tableau, stock, and waste to the foundations, building each foundation pile up in suit from Ace to King.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Two standard 52-card decks (104 cards total) are used.
• Foundations: 8 foundation piles, all initially empty. Foundations are built up by suit from Ace to King.
• Tableau: 12 tableau piles. At the start, deal one card face-up to each tableau pile (12 cards total).
• Stock: The remaining 92 cards form the stock, placed face-down.
• Waste: A single waste pile, initially empty, placed near the stock.
• Dealing: All tableau cards are dealt face-up. The stock is face-down. The waste pile receives cards face-up from the stock as play progresses.

Key Play Areas:

• Foundations: Where cards are built up by suit (Ace to King).
• Tableau: 12 piles where cards are built down by suit.
• Stock: Supplies new cards, dealt one at a time to the waste.
• Waste: Receives cards from the stock; only the top waste card is available for play.

Courtyard Solitaire Rules:

• Building on Foundations: Cards are built up by suit from Ace to King (e.g., Ace, 2, 3, …, King of Hearts).
• Building on Tableau: Cards are built down by suit (e.g., 9♥ can be placed on 10♥).
• Moving Cards:
• Only the top card (or a correctly sequenced group) of each tableau pile can be moved.
• Sequences of cards in descending order and of the same suit can be moved as a group between tableau piles.
• Stock to Waste: When you cannot play from the tableau, turn over one card from the stock to the waste. Only the top card of the waste is available for play.
• Empty Tableau Piles: Whenever a tableau pile becomes empty, it is immediately filled with the top card from the stock (if any remain).
• No Redeals: The stock can only be gone through once; there are no redeals unless a specific variation allows it.

Gameplay:

• On each turn, perform any of the following actions:
• Move cards from tableau to foundations if they follow the building rules (up by suit).
• Move cards (or valid sequences) between tableau piles, building down by suit.
• Move the top card of the waste to either the tableau or the foundations if legal.
• If no moves are possible, deal one card from the stock to the waste.
• Introducing New Cards:
• Each time a tableau pile is emptied, immediately fill it with the top card from the stock.
• The stock is only used to fill tableau gaps and to supply the waste pile, one card at a time.
• No More Moves:
• When all cards are in the foundations, you win.
• If the stock is exhausted and no further moves are possible, the game ends in a loss.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Win: All 104 cards are successfully moved to the eight foundation piles, built up by suit from Ace to King.
• Loss: If no legal moves remain and the stock is depleted, the game is lost. The game is also unwinnable if cards become blocked in the tableau or waste such that no further progress can be made.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Tableau Piles: Any empty tableau pile is immediately filled from the stock. If the stock is empty, the tableau pile remains empty.
• Moving Sequences: Only sequences of cards in strict descending order and of the same suit may be moved together between tableau piles.
• Stock and Waste Restrictions: Only the top card of the waste is available for play. The stock may only be dealt once; there are no redeals unless a variation is specified.
• Foundation Start: Foundations begin empty; Aces must be played to start each foundation pile.
• Automatic Moves: In some implementations, moves to foundations or filling empty tableau piles may occur automatically, but this is not required by the core rules.
• No Reserve or Cells: Courtyard Solitaire does not use reserve piles or free cells.

Note: These rules are based on the most authoritative online sources and may vary slightly in digital implementations. Always refer to the specific version's in-game help for minor rule variations.