Fours Up

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Fours Up Solitaire is to move all cards from the tableau to the foundation piles, building up each foundation in suit starting from a Four, so that each foundation pile is completed from Four up to King and Ace, with only the completed foundations remaining at the end.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Use a standard 52-card deck.
• Foundations: Place the eight Fours (one of each suit) face-up to start eight foundation piles.
• Tableau: Deal one card face-up to each of six tableau piles, arranged in a row. All tableau cards are visible and splayed downward so only the top card of each pile is accessible.
• Stock: The remaining cards form the stock pile, which is used to replenish the tableau as the game progresses.
• Key Play Areas:
• Foundation piles: Where cards are built up by suit, starting from Four.
• Tableau piles: Six piles, each holding a face-up card to start.
• Stock pile: Holds undealt cards for later use.

Fours Up Solitaire Rules:

• Building on Foundations: Foundations are built up by suit, starting from Four and proceeding in ascending rank (Four, Five, Six, …, King, Ace).
• Tableau Movement: A card may be added onto a tableau pile if it is exactly one rank lower than the current top card of that pile, regardless of suit.
• Moving Cards:
• Only the top card of each tableau pile is available for play.
• Cards can be moved from the tableau to the foundations if they are the next required rank and suit for that foundation.
• Cards can be moved between tableau piles if the move follows the "one rank lower" rule.
• Dealing from Stock: When no more moves are possible, deal one card face-up from the stock onto each tableau pile.
• Empty Tableau Spaces: When a tableau pile becomes empty, it may be filled by any card from the tableau or by the next card dealt from the stock.

Gameplay:

• On each turn, examine the tableau and move cards to the foundations whenever possible, following the suit and ascending order requirement.
• Move cards between tableau piles, building down in rank by one (regardless of suit), to uncover and access more cards.
• When no more moves are possible, deal one card from the stock to each tableau pile to replenish them.
• Continue this process—making moves and dealing from the stock—until the stock is exhausted and no more moves can be made.
• If a tableau pile is empty, fill it immediately with any available card from the tableau or from the next stock deal.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning: The game is won when all cards have been moved to the foundations, with each foundation pile built up in suit from Four to Ace.
• Losing: The game is lost (unwinnable) if the stock is depleted and no further legal moves can be made, leaving cards stranded in the tableau.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Spaces: Any card may be moved into an empty tableau pile, either from the tableau or from the next card dealt from the stock.
• Foundation Starting Point: Unlike most solitaire games, foundations start with Fours, not Aces.
• No Redeal: There is only one pass through the stock; once the stock is empty, no redeal is permitted.
• Building in Tableau: Building on the tableau is strictly by descending rank, not by suit or color.
• Multiple Moves: Only one card may be moved at a time; sequences cannot be moved as a unit.

Note: The rules above are based on the most authoritative available sources for "Fours Up Solitaire," which is a distinct variant from "Aces Up" and other similarly named games.