Flow

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Flow Solitaire is to move all cards from the reserve piles to the foundation piles, organizing each foundation by suit in ascending order from Ace to King.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck Used: Standard 52-card deck.
• Reserve Piles: Eight reserve piles are created.
  • The first four piles each contain seven cards.
  • The next four piles each contain six cards.
• Card Orientation: All cards in the reserve piles are dealt face up.
• Key Play Areas:
  • Reserve Piles: The eight piles where all cards are initially placed.
  • Foundations: Four piles, one for each suit, where cards are built up from Ace to King.
  • No mention of tableau, stock, or cells in official rules for Flow Solitaire.

Flow Solitaire Rules:

• Card Movement Principles:
  • Cards are moved from the reserve piles to the foundation piles.
  • Only the top card of each reserve pile is available for play at any time.
• Building Sequences:
  • Foundations are built up by suit, starting with Ace and ending with King.
  • Example: On the Ace of Spades, place the Two of Spades, then the Three of Spades, continuing up to King.
• Moving Cards:
  • Only one card may be moved at a time from a reserve pile to a foundation.
  • Cards cannot be moved between reserve piles.
  • Once a card is placed on a foundation, it cannot be moved back to a reserve pile.

Gameplay:

• Player Actions:
  • Examine the top card of each reserve pile.
  • Move any eligible card (Ace or next in suit sequence) to its corresponding foundation.
  • Continue moving cards to foundations whenever possible.
• Introducing New Cards:
  • No stock or draw pile exists; all cards are available from the start, face up in reserve piles.
• No More Legal Moves:
  • If no reserve pile top card can be moved to a foundation, the game stalls.
  • The player must analyze all possible moves for suit sequence continuity.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning:
  • The game is won when all cards have been moved from the reserve piles to the foundations, with each foundation complete from Ace to King.
• Losing/Unwinnable State:
  • The game is lost or unwinnable if no further moves can be made and cards remain in the reserve piles.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Spaces:
  • There are no rules for filling empty spaces in reserve piles; once a pile is empty, it remains empty.
• Unique Restrictions:
  • All cards are visible from the start, eliminating hidden information or chance elements.
  • No tableau, stock, or cell play areas are used.
  • No redeals or reshuffles are permitted.
• Edge Case Handling:
  • If multiple cards are eligible for foundation placement, the player may choose the order, potentially affecting future moves.

Definitions:

• Foundation: A pile where cards of the same suit are placed in ascending order, starting with Ace.
• Reserve Pile: A pile of face-up cards from which only the top card is available for play.

This guide is based on the official rules for Flow Solitaire as described in authoritative sources.