Forty Thieves (4 deck)

Game Objective

The primary goal of Forty Thieves (4 deck) Solitaire is to move all 208 cards into sixteen foundation piles, each built up by suit from Ace to King. The player wins when every card is successfully placed in the correct foundation pile.

Setup & Layout

• Decks Used: Four standard 52-card decks (208 cards total).
• Tableau: Deal 14 tableau piles, each containing 6 cards, all dealt face-up and fanned downward for visibility.
• Foundations: Sixteen foundation piles (one for each suit in each deck), initially empty.
• Stock: The remaining 124 cards (208 total minus 84 dealt to the tableau) form the stock pile, placed face-down.
• Waste: One waste pile, initially empty. Cards drawn from the stock are placed face-up here.

All tableau cards are dealt face-up. The stock and waste piles are the only areas with face-down cards at the start.

Forty Thieves (4 deck) Solitaire Rules

• Foundation Building: Foundations must be built up by suit, starting with the Ace and ending with the King (e.g., Ace♠, 2♠, 3♠, …, King♠).
• Tableau Building: Tableau piles are built down by suit. For example, a 5♠ may be placed on a 6♠, and a 5♥ on a 6♥. Only the top card of each tableau pile is available for play.
• Card Movement: Only one card at a time may be moved between tableau piles or from the tableau to a foundation. Partial or complete sequences cannot be moved as a group, even if they are in descending order by suit.
• Empty Tableau: Any legally playable card may be placed in an empty tableau pile.
• Stock & Waste: The stock is dealt one card at a time to the waste pile. Only the top card of the waste pile is available for play to the tableau or foundations. There is no redeal; the stock may be run through only once.
• No Reserve or Cells: This variant does not use reserve piles or free cells.

Gameplay

1. Initial Moves: Examine the tableau for Aces and movable cards. Move Aces to foundations as they become available.
2. Tableau Management: Attempt to create empty tableau piles by moving cards to foundations or other tableau piles. Use empty tableau piles to temporarily hold cards and facilitate further moves.
3. Stock Usage: When no more moves are possible in the tableau, begin dealing cards from the stock to the waste pile one at a time. Play the top card of the waste to the tableau or foundations if possible.
4. Sequence of Play: Continue alternating between moving cards within the tableau, to foundations, and from the waste pile until the stock is exhausted.
5. Blocked Moves: If no legal moves remain and the stock is exhausted, the game ends in a loss.

Winning & Losing Conditions

• Winning: All 208 cards are moved to the sixteen foundation piles, each complete from Ace to King by suit.
• Losing: The game is lost if it becomes impossible to move all cards to the foundations before the stock is exhausted and no further legal moves remain in the tableau or waste.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Empty Tableau Piles: Any card may fill an empty tableau pile, providing flexibility for maneuvering cards.
• No Redeal: The stock may be run through only once; there is no option to redeal or recycle the stock.
• Single Card Moves: Only one card may be moved at a time, even if a sequence is present in a tableau pile. This differs from some other solitaire games where sequences can be moved together.
• No Reserve/Cells: Unlike FreeCell or other variants, there are no reserve piles or free cells to hold cards temporarily.
• All Cards Face-Up: The initial deal places all tableau cards face-up, allowing for strategic planning from the start.

Summary Table: Key Areas and Rules

| Area | Cards | Build Direction | Movable Cards | Special Rules | |--------------|---------------|-----------------|--------------------|-------------------------------| | Tableau | 14 piles, 6 each | Down by suit | Top card only | Any card to empty pile | | Foundations | 16 piles | Up by suit | Next in sequence | Start with Ace | | Stock | 124 cards | N/A | Top to waste | No redeal | | Waste | 1 pile | N/A | Top card only | From stock, no redeal |

Forty Thieves (4 deck) Solitaire is a challenging, skill-based game with a low win rate due to the large number of cards and strict movement rules. Success depends on careful planning, efficient use of empty tableau piles, and timely movement of cards to foundations.