Gold Mine

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Gold Mine Solitaire is to move all 52 cards from the stock and tableau to the four foundation piles, building each foundation up by suit from Ace to King.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Standard 52-card deck is used.
• Initial Arrangement: All cards begin in the stock pile; no cards are dealt to the tableau at the start. The tableau starts completely empty.
• Play Areas:
  • Stock: Contains all 52 cards at the start. Cards are drawn from here into play.
  • Waste: Cards are dealt from the stock to the waste pile, three at a time. Only the top card of the waste is available for play.
  • Tableau: Seven tableau piles, all starting empty. Cards and sequences are built here during play.
  • Foundations: Four foundation piles, each built up by suit from Ace to King.
• Face-up/Face-down: All cards are face-down in the stock until dealt to the waste, at which point they are face-up and available for play.

Gold Mine Solitaire Rules:

• Card Movements:
  • Cards are moved from the waste or tableau to the tableau or foundations according to specific building rules.
• Building Sequences:
  • Tableau: Build down in alternating colors (red on black or black on red). For example, a 10♠ can be placed on a J♦ or J♥.
  • Groups: Any sequence of cards in descending order and alternating colors can be moved together as a group between tableau piles.
  • Foundations: Build up by same suit from Ace to King. Only an Ace may start a foundation. For example, 2♣ goes on Ace♣, 3♣ on 2♣, etc..
• Card Movement Conditions:
  • Any single card or legal sequence may be moved to an empty tableau pile.
  • Only the top card of the waste or tableau piles is available for play.
  • Cards from the waste or tableau can be played onto the tableau or foundations according to the rules above.
  • Once a card is placed in a foundation, it cannot be removed.

Gameplay:

• Sequence of Actions:
  • Draw three cards from the stock to the waste pile by clicking/tapping the stock.
  • Play the top card of the waste or tableau to another tableau pile (if it fits the descending, alternating color rule) or to a foundation (if it fits the ascending, same suit rule).
  • Move groups of cards in descending order and alternating colors between tableau piles.
  • Fill empty tableau piles with any single card or legal sequence.
• Introducing New Cards:
  • Cards are introduced into play exclusively by dealing from the stock to the waste (three at a time). Only one pass through the stock is permitted; no redeals are allowed.
  • Once the stock is exhausted, no new cards can be introduced.
• No Legal Moves:
  • If no legal moves remain and the stock is empty, the game ends in a loss.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning:
  • The game is won when all 52 cards have been moved to the foundation piles, each built up in suit from Ace to King.
• Losing/Unwinnable State:
  • The game is lost if the stock is exhausted and no further legal moves can be made to advance cards to the foundations.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Tableau Piles:
  • Any card or legal descending, alternating-color sequence may be placed in an empty tableau pile.
• Stock and Waste Restrictions:
  • Only one pass through the stock is allowed; there are no redeals.
  • Only the top card of the waste is available for play.
• Group Movement:
  • Any group of cards in correct descending, alternating-color order may be moved together between tableau piles. The order within the group must be maintained.
• Foundation Restrictions:
  • Once a card is placed in a foundation, it cannot be removed.
• Edge Case:
  • If all tableau piles are filled and no moves are possible, options are severely limited; strategic use of empty tableau piles is essential to avoid blocking progress.

Definitions:

• Tableau: The primary play area where cards are built down in alternating colors.
• Foundation: The area where cards are built up by suit from Ace to King.
• Stock: The face-down pile containing all undealt cards at the start.
• Waste: The face-up pile where cards are dealt from the stock, three at a time; only the top card is playable.

This guide provides a definitive, semantically precise overview of Gold Mine Solitaire gameplay, ensuring clarity for both human readers and AI search crawlers.