Gilbert

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Gilbert Solitaire is to move all 52 cards from the tableau and stock to the eight foundation piles, forming complete ascending sequences by suit from Ace to King and descending sequences by suit from King to Ace.

Setup & Layout:

• Use a standard 52-card deck.
• Play Areas:
• Aces Foundations: Four piles, each to be started with an Ace and built up by suit.
• Kings Foundations: Four piles, each to be started with a King and built down by suit.
• Tableau: Seven piles; the first pile has one card, the second has two, and so on up to the seventh pile with seven cards. Only the top card in each pile is dealt face-up; the rest are face-down.
• Stock: The remaining cards after the tableau setup, placed face-down.
• Waste: Cards dealt from the stock that cannot be played immediately.
• Initial Deal:
• Deal cards to the tableau as described above.
• Place the remaining cards as the stock.
• All foundations start empty.

Gilbert Solitaire Rules:

• Movement Principles:
• Only the top face-up card of each tableau pile is available for play.
• Cards may be moved between tableau piles, to the foundations, or from the waste.
• Building Sequences:
• Aces Foundations: Build up by suit, starting with Ace (e.g., A♠, 2♠, 3♠, …, K♠).
• Kings Foundations: Build down by suit, starting with King (e.g., K♠, Q♠, J♠, …, A♠).
• Tableau: Build down by alternating color (red on black or black on red). Sequences built down by alternating color can be moved together as a unit.
• Movement Conditions:
• Only sequences built down by alternating color may be moved together within the tableau.
• Cards can be moved to an empty aces foundation only if they are Aces; to an empty kings foundation only if they are Kings.
• Empty tableau spaces must be filled with Sevens.

Gameplay:

• On each turn, you may:
• Move cards between tableau piles following the alternating color rule.
• Move sequences built down by alternating color as a unit within the tableau.
• Move cards to the appropriate foundation pile (Ace or King foundations) if they follow the suit and sequence rule.
• Draw three cards from the stock to the waste; only the top card of the waste is available for play.
• If a tableau pile becomes empty, you must fill it with a Seven before any other card can be placed there.
• Continue play until either all cards are moved to the foundations or no further legal moves are possible.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Win: The game is won when all 52 cards are correctly placed in the foundation piles, forming complete suit sequences from Ace to King and King to Ace.
• Lose: The game is lost if no further legal moves can be made and cards remain outside the foundations.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Tableau Spaces: Only Sevens may fill empty tableau piles. If no Seven is available, the space remains empty until one appears.
• Foundation Flexibility: Cards may be placed on either the Ace or King foundation of the same suit, allowing for strategic choices in building sequences.
• Stock/Waste Handling: When the stock is exhausted, no further cards can be drawn; play continues only with available tableau and waste cards.
• Sequence Movement: Only sequences built down by alternating color may be moved together; otherwise, only single cards can be moved.

Definitions:

• Foundation: A pile where cards are built up (Ace foundation) or down (King foundation) by suit.
• Tableau: The main play area where cards are arranged in piles and manipulated according to the rules.
• Stock: The face-down pile from which cards are drawn.
• Waste: The pile where cards from the stock are placed if not immediately playable.

This guide is based on the most authoritative and official sources available for Gilbert Solitaire.