Grandfather

Game Objective

The primary goal of Grandfather Solitaire is to move all 104 cards (from two standard 52-card decks) to the foundation piles by building complete ascending and descending sequences in suit, starting with Aces and Kings, respectively. You win when each of the eight foundation piles contains a full sequence—four piles built up from Ace to King, and four piles built down from King to Ace, all in matching suits.

Setup & Layout

• Decks: Use two standard 52-card decks, shuffled together (104 cards total).
• Tableau: Deal 20 tableau piles, each containing one card face up. These are your main play areas.
• Foundations: Reserve space for eight foundation piles—four for building up (Ace to King), four for building down (King to Ace), each in a unique suit.
• Stock: Place the remaining cards face down as the stock pile.
• Waste: Leave space for a single waste pile, initially empty.
• All cards in the tableau and waste are dealt face up; the stock is face down.

Grandfather Solitaire Rules

• Foundation Building:
• Aces Foundations: Start each of the four aces foundations with an Ace of a unique suit. Build up in suit (e.g., A♠, 2♠, 3♠, …, K♠).
• Kings Foundations: Start each of the four kings foundations with a King of a unique suit. Build down in suit (e.g., K♥, Q♥, J♥, …, A♥).
• Tableau:
• Each tableau pile initially holds one card face up.
• You may place any card from the waste onto any tableau pile, regardless of rank or suit.
• Tableau piles may hold up to two cards each.
• Only the top card of each tableau pile is available for play to the foundations.
• Stock and Waste:
• Draw one card at a time from the stock to the waste.
• Only one redeal of the waste back into the stock is allowed, giving you two passes through the deck.
• The top card of the waste is always available for play to the foundations or tableau.
• Empty Spaces:
• If a tableau pile becomes empty, it is automatically filled from the stock (if available), then from any available card if the stock is exhausted.
• Empty foundation piles must be started with the appropriate Ace or King of a unique suit.
• Card Movement:
• Only one card may be moved at a time.
• Cards may only be moved from the tableau or waste to the foundations, not between tableau piles.
• Cards cannot be moved from the foundations back to the tableau or waste.

Gameplay

1. Initial Play: Examine the tableau and waste for cards that can be moved to the foundations.
2. Building Foundations: Move eligible cards to the appropriate foundation piles, building up or down in suit as required.
3. Drawing Cards: If no moves are available, draw a card from the stock to the waste and check for new opportunities.
4. Filling Tableau: If a tableau pile is emptied, immediately fill it from the stock (or any available card if the stock is empty).
5. Redeal: After exhausting the stock, you may redeal the waste pile back into the stock once for a second pass through the deck.
6. Continue: Repeat the process, moving cards to foundations as they become available, until either all cards are moved to the foundations (win) or no more legal moves are possible (loss).

Winning & Losing Conditions

• Win: All 104 cards are moved to the eight foundation piles, each containing a complete sequence in suit—four Ace-to-King and four King-to-Ace.
• Lose: The game is lost if, after exhausting the stock and redealing the waste, no more cards can be moved to the foundations and not all foundations are complete.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Tableau Limits: Each tableau pile may hold a maximum of two cards. Once a card is placed on a tableau, it cannot be moved except to a foundation.
• Automatic Filling: Empty tableau piles are automatically filled, first from the stock, then from any available card if the stock is empty.
• No Tableau-to-Tableau Moves: Cards cannot be moved between tableau piles; they can only be moved to foundations.
• Unique Suits: Each foundation pile must be started with a unique suit; you cannot have two Ace foundations or two King foundations of the same suit.
• Single Redeal: Only one redeal of the waste is permitted, limiting the number of passes through the deck.
• No Undo: Once a card is placed on a foundation, it cannot be moved back to the tableau or waste.

This structure ensures that players understand not only the basic flow of Grandfather Solitaire but also its unique restrictions and strategic considerations, providing a comprehensive and precise reference for both new and experienced players.