Double Sea Towers

Game Objective:

The objective of Double Sea Towers Solitaire is to move all cards from the tableau and cells to the eight foundation piles, building each foundation up in suit from Ace to King.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Two standard 52-card decks are used (total 104 cards).
• Tableau: Eleven tableau columns are created, each containing nine cards dealt face-up.
• Foundations: Eight foundation piles, initially empty, are positioned to receive cards built up by suit from Ace to King.
• Cells: Nine free cells are available; each cell can hold only one card at a time and starts empty.
• Face Orientation: All cards in the tableau and cells are dealt face-up, ensuring all cards are visible at all times.

Key Play Areas:

• Tableau: The main play area where cards are arranged in columns and manipulated during play.
• Foundations: The target area where cards must be moved in ascending order by suit.
• Cells: Temporary holding spaces for single cards to facilitate movement and strategy.

Double Sea Towers Solitaire Rules:

• Foundations:

• Each foundation pile must start with an Ace.

• Foundations are built up by suit in ascending order (Ace, 2, 3, …, King).

• Tableau:

• Tableau columns are built down by the same suit (e.g., 7♠ on 8♠).

• Only the top card of each tableau column may be moved at any time.

• Any card may be moved to an empty tableau space.

• Cells:

• Each cell can hold only one card.

• Any single card may be moved to an empty cell.

• Cards in cells can be played back to the tableau or to the foundations.

• Card Movement:

• Only one card may be moved at a time, whether from tableau to tableau, tableau to cell, cell to tableau, or tableau/cell to foundation.

• Sequences of cards cannot be moved together as a group; only individual cards are moved.

Gameplay:

• On each turn, the player may:

• Move the top card of any tableau column to another tableau column (if it follows the building-down-by-suit rule).

• Move the top card of any tableau column or a card from a cell to a foundation (if it follows the building-up-by-suit rule).

• Move a card to an empty cell (if the cell is vacant).

• Move a card from a cell back to the tableau or foundation, as allowed by the rules.

• No Stock or Reserve: There is no stock or reserve pile; all cards are in play from the start.

• No Redeal: Once cards are moved, there is no redeal or reshuffling.

• When No Moves Are Possible: If no legal moves remain (no cards can be moved to foundations, tableau, or cells), the game is blocked and cannot be won unless a move is undone or a new strategy is found.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Win Condition: The game is won when all 104 cards have been moved to the eight foundation piles, each built up in suit from Ace to King.
• Loss/Unwinnable Condition: The game is lost or becomes unwinnable if no legal moves remain and not all cards are in the foundations.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Tableau Columns: Any card may be moved into an empty tableau column; there is no restriction (such as only Kings) for filling empty tableau spaces in Double Sea Towers Solitaire.
• Filling Empty Cells: Any single card may be placed into an empty cell at any time.
• No Sequence Moves: Unlike some FreeCell variants, you cannot move a sequence of cards together, even if there are enough empty cells; all moves must be performed one card at a time.
• All Cards Face-Up: Since all cards are dealt face-up, there is perfect information and no hidden cards.

Note: Double Sea Towers Solitaire is distinct from the single-deck Sea Towers/Seahaven Towers variants, which typically use 10 tableau columns, 4 cells, and stricter rules for filling empty tableau spaces (often only Kings allowed). Double Sea Towers specifically uses two decks, 11 tableau columns, 9 cells, and allows any card to fill empty tableau columns.