Forty Thieves

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Forty Thieves Solitaire is to move all 104 cards (using two standard 52-card decks) into eight foundation piles, building each foundation up in suit from Ace to King.

Setup & Layout:

• Decks Used: Two standard 52-card decks (total 104 cards).
• Tableau: Deal forty cards face up, arranged in ten tableau columns with four cards each. All tableau cards are dealt face up and fanned so that only the top card of each pile is accessible.
• Foundations: Eight foundation piles, one for each suit (two per suit, since two decks are used), start empty.
• Stock: The remaining 64 cards form the stock pile, placed face down.
• Waste/Discard Pile: As cards are drawn from the stock, they are placed face up in a single waste pile.

Key Play Areas:

• Tableau: Main play area with 10 columns.
• Foundations: Eight piles to build up by suit.
• Stock: Draw pile for undealt cards.
• Waste: Receives cards drawn from the stock.

Forty Thieves Solitaire Rules:

• Card Movement:
• Only the top card of each tableau pile or the waste pile is available for play.
• Only one card may be moved at a time; sequences cannot be moved as a group.
• Building on Tableau:
• Build tableau piles down in suit (e.g., 10♠ on J♠).
• Any available card (from tableau or waste) may be placed on an empty tableau column.
• Foundations:
• Build each foundation up in suit from Ace to King (e.g., A♣, 2♣, 3♣, …, K♣).
• Only cards of the same suit and one rank higher may be played onto a foundation.
• Stock and Waste:
• Cards are drawn one at a time from the stock to the waste pile.
• The top card of the waste pile is always available for play to tableau or foundations.
• No Redeals: Once the stock is exhausted, there are no redeals.

Gameplay:

• On each turn, the player may:
• Move the top card of any tableau pile to another tableau pile (if it builds down in suit), to a foundation (if it builds up in suit), or to an empty tableau space.
• Move the top card of the waste pile to a tableau pile or a foundation, following the same building rules.
• Draw one card from the stock to the waste pile at any time.
• Play continues with the player making any available legal moves.
• When no more moves are possible from tableau or waste, the player may continue drawing from the stock.
• If no moves remain and the stock is empty, play 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/Unwinnable State: The game is lost or becomes unwinnable if the player cannot make any further legal moves and the stock pile is exhausted, with cards still remaining in the tableau or waste.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Tableau Spaces: Any available card (from tableau or waste) may be placed in an empty tableau column; there are no restrictions on which card can fill an empty space.
• No Sequence Moves: Only individual cards may be moved; you cannot move a sequence of cards as a group, even if they are correctly ordered.
• No Redeals: There is only one pass through the stock; once all cards are drawn, no reshuffling or redealing is allowed.
• Duplicate Cards: Since two decks are used, there are two of each card in play. Each foundation for a suit must be completed independently from Ace to King.
• Waste Pile Access: Only the top card of the waste pile is available for play at any time.

Note: These rules are based on the standard and most widely accepted version of Forty Thieves Solitaire, as described in official and reputable sources.