Imperial Guards

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Imperial Guards Solitaire is to move all cards from the tableau and reserve piles to the eight foundation piles, building each foundation up in suit from Ace to King.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Uses two standard 52-card decks (104 cards total).
• Foundations: Eight foundation piles, one for each suit (two of each suit due to double decks). Foundations start empty.
• Tableau: Eight tableau piles, each with one card dealt face up.
• Reserve: One reserve pile, initially empty.
• Stock: The remaining cards form the stock pile, from which cards are dealt during play.
• All tableau cards are dealt face up at the start of the game.

Key Play Areas:

• Foundations: Where cards are built up in suit from Ace to King.
• Tableau: The primary play area, consisting of eight piles.
• Reserve: A holding area for a single card.
• Stock: The undealt cards, used to replenish the tableau.

Imperial Guards Solitaire Rules:

• Building on Foundations: Build up in suit from Ace to King (e.g., Ace♣, 2♣, 3♣, …, King♣).
• Building on Tableau: Cards can be placed on a tableau pile if they are one rank lower than the current top card, regardless of suit (e.g., 7 can be placed on 8 of any suit).
• Moving Cards:
• Only the top card of each tableau pile is available for play.
• Only one card can be moved at a time (no sequences).
• Any card may be moved to an empty tableau pile.
• Reserve Pile: One card at a time may be placed in the reserve pile for later use.
• Stock: When no moves are available, deal one card to each tableau pile from the stock.
• Redeal: When the stock is exhausted, no redeal is permitted.

Gameplay:

1. Play available moves: Move cards from tableau or reserve to the foundations whenever possible.
2. Build on tableau: Move cards between tableau piles, building down by rank (regardless of suit).
3. Use the reserve: Temporarily store a single card in the reserve pile for strategic repositioning.
4. Fill empty tableau piles: Any card can be moved to an empty tableau pile.
5. Deal from stock: When no further moves are possible, deal one card from the stock onto each tableau pile (including empty ones).
6. Repeat: Continue moving cards and dealing from the stock until all cards are moved to the foundations or no moves remain.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Win: The game is won when all 104 cards are moved to the eight foundation piles, built up in suit from Ace to King.
• Lose: The game is lost if, after the stock is exhausted and all possible moves are made, not all cards have been moved to the foundations.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Tableau Piles: Any card (from tableau, reserve, or after a stock deal) may be placed into an empty tableau pile.
• Reserve Usage: Only one card can be in the reserve at any time. Cards can be moved from the reserve to the tableau or foundations as soon as legal.
• No Redeal: Once the stock is exhausted, there is no redeal; play continues only with available tableau and reserve moves.
• Sequence Movement: Only single cards may be moved at a time; sequences cannot be moved as a group.
• Multiple Foundations per Suit: Since two decks are used, there are two foundation piles for each suit.

Note: The above rules are based on the most authoritative sources available for Imperial Guards Solitaire, prioritizing official rule repositories and established solitaire databases.