Famous Fifty

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Famous Fifty Solitaire is to move all 104 cards (using two standard 52-card decks) to the eight foundation piles, building each foundation in ascending order by suit from Ace to King.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Famous Fifty Solitaire uses two standard decks (104 cards).
• Tableau: Deal 10 tableau columns, each with 5 cards. All cards in the tableau are dealt face-up.
• Foundations: There are 8 foundation piles, one for each suit in both decks. These start empty.
• Stock: The remaining 54 cards form the stock pile, placed face-down.
• Waste: Cards from the stock are turned face-up into a single waste pile.

Key Play Areas:

• Tableau: The main area for building sequences and maneuvering cards.
• Foundations: The target piles for winning the game.
• Stock: Supplies additional cards during play.
• Waste: Holds cards drawn from the stock, available for play.

Famous Fifty Solitaire Rules:

• Card Movement Principles:
  • Only the top card of each tableau pile and the waste pile is available for play.
  • Only one card may be moved at a time.
• Building Sequences:
  • Foundations: Build up in suit from Ace to King (e.g., Ace♠, 2♠, 3♠, …, King♠).
  • Tableau: Build down in suit (e.g., 8♦ on 9♦).
• Moving Cards:
  • Cards can be moved from the tableau or waste to the foundations, or from the tableau to another tableau pile, provided the move follows the in-suit descending sequence rule.
  • Spaces in the tableau (empty columns) may be filled with any available card.

Gameplay:

• Typical Sequence of Actions:
  • Move available cards from the tableau or waste to the foundations when possible.
  • Move cards within the tableau, building down in suit.
  • Draw one card at a time from the stock to the waste pile when no other moves are available.
  • Use the top card of the waste pile for moves to the tableau or foundations.
• Introducing New Cards:
  • Cards enter play by drawing from the stock to the waste pile. There is no redeal; once the stock is exhausted, no more cards can be drawn.
• No More Legal Moves:
  • If no moves are possible and the stock is depleted, the game ends.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning: The game is won when all 104 cards are successfully moved to the eight foundation piles, each built up in suit from Ace to King.
• Losing: The game is lost or becomes unwinnable if no further legal moves are possible and the stock is exhausted, leaving cards stranded in the tableau or waste.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Tableau Spaces: Any available card (from the tableau or waste) may be placed into an empty tableau column.
• No Redeal: Once the stock is depleted, no cards are returned to the stock or reshuffled; play continues only with cards in the tableau and waste.
• Restrictions: Only one card may be moved at a time—sequences or groups of cards cannot be moved together.
• Edge Cases: If all tableau columns become empty except for the waste, only waste cards may be played to fill tableau spaces.

Note: Famous Fifty Solitaire is a variant of the Forty Thieves family, distinguished by its use of 10 tableau columns and 104 cards.