Eighty Thieves

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Eighty Thieves Solitaire is to move all cards to sixteen foundation piles, building each foundation up in suit from Ace to King.

Setup & Layout:

• Decks Used: Four standard 52-card decks (totaling 208 cards).
• Foundations: Sixteen foundation piles (one for each suit per deck).
• Tableau: Ten tableau columns, each dealt eight cards face-up (totaling 80 cards in the tableau).
• Stock: The remaining cards after dealing the tableau are placed face-down as the stock pile.
• Waste: One waste pile, which receives cards dealt from the stock.

Key Play Areas Defined:

• Foundation: Where cards are built up by suit from Ace to King.
• Tableau: Ten columns where cards are built down by suit.
• Stock: The draw pile for undealt cards.
• Waste: Receives cards from the stock; only the top card is available for play.

All tableau cards are dealt face-up. Cards in the stock are face-down until drawn to the waste.

Eighty Thieves Solitaire Rules:

• Foundations:

• Only an Ace may be moved to an empty foundation.

• Foundations are built up by suit (e.g., 2♠ on Ace♠, 3♠ on 2♠, etc.).

• Only the next higher card of the same suit may be played on a foundation.

• Tableau:

• Only the top card of each tableau column is available for play.

• Tableau columns build down by suit (e.g., 7♣ on 8♣).

• Any single card may be moved to an empty tableau column.

• Only one card may be moved at a time; sequences cannot be moved as a group.

• Stock & Waste:

• Cards are drawn one at a time from the stock and placed face-up on the waste.

• Only the top card of the waste pile is available for play.

• There is no redeal; the stock is gone once all cards have been drawn.

Gameplay:

• Turn Sequence:

• Move any available Aces from the tableau or waste to empty foundation piles.

• Build foundations up by suit whenever possible.

• Move tableau cards to other tableau columns, building down by suit, or to the foundations.

• Fill empty tableau columns with any available single card.

• When no moves are possible in the tableau or to the foundations, draw one card from the stock to the waste.

• Use the top card of the waste as you would a tableau card: move it to the tableau or to the foundations if legal.

• No Moves Left:

• If no moves are possible and the stock is depleted, the game ends.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning: The game is won when all 208 cards are moved to the sixteen foundation piles, each built up from Ace to King in suit.
• Losing: The game is lost if you cannot make any more legal moves and there are cards remaining in the tableau, waste, or stock.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Tableau Columns: Any single card from the tableau or waste may be placed in an empty tableau column.
• Card Movement Restrictions: Only one card may be moved at a time; you cannot move a sequence of cards together, even if they are in order and of the same suit.
• Stock Usage: The stock is dealt one card at a time to the waste. There is no redeal; you only get one pass through the stock.
• Waste Pile: Only the top card of the waste pile is available for play at any time.

Note: The game is considered highly challenging, with a low probability of winning, and requires careful planning and skillful management of tableau spaces and stock usage.

Definitions of Key Terms:

• Foundation: A pile where cards are built up by suit from Ace to King.
• Tableau: The main play area where cards are arranged in columns and built down by suit.
• Stock: The pile of undealt cards, drawn one at a time.
• Waste: The pile where cards from the stock are placed face-up and from which only the top card is playable.