Josephine

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Josephine Solitaire is to move all cards from the tableau and stock to the eight foundation piles, building each foundation by suit in ascending order from Ace to King.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Use two standard 52-card decks, totaling 104 cards.
• Tableau: Deal ten tableau piles, each containing four cards dealt face-up. This uses 40 cards.
• Foundations: Reserve space for eight foundation piles (one for each suit: Spades, Clubs, Hearts, Diamonds; two of each suit).
• Stock: Place the remaining 64 cards face-down to form the stock pile.
• Waste: When cards are drawn from the stock, they are placed face-up in a single waste pile.

Key Play Areas:

• Tableau: The main play area with ten columns of cards.
• Foundations: Destination piles for building each suit from Ace to King.
• Stock: Face-down pile for drawing new cards.
• Waste: Face-up pile where drawn cards from the stock are placed.

Josephine Solitaire Rules:

• Foundations:

• Build up by suit, starting with Ace and ending with King (e.g., Ace♠, 2♠, 3♠, …, King♠).

• Only an Ace may be placed on an empty foundation.

• Tableau:

• Build down by suit (e.g., 10♦, 9♦, 8♦, …).

• You may move a single card or a sequence of cards if they are in descending order by suit.

• To move a sequence, the top card of the sequence must be one rank lower and of the same suit as the card it is being placed upon.

• Any card or valid sequence may be moved to an empty tableau column.

• Only face-up cards are available for play; there are no face-down cards in the tableau at the start.

• Stock & Waste:

• Draw one card at a time from the stock to the waste pile.

• The top card of the waste pile is available for play to either the tableau or foundation.

• You may only go through the stock once per game.

Gameplay:

• Typical Turn Sequence:

• Move available face-up cards or sequences within the tableau, following the build-down-by-suit rule.

• Move eligible cards to the foundations, building up by suit.

• If no further moves are possible in the tableau, draw a card from the stock to the waste pile.

• Use the top card of the waste pile in the tableau or foundation if possible.

• Continue rearranging tableau columns and drawing from the stock until all cards are moved to the foundations or no legal moves remain.

• Introducing New Cards:

• Cards are introduced into play by drawing from the stock to the waste pile; only the top waste card is playable.

• No Legal Moves:

• If no moves are possible and the stock is empty, the game ends.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning Condition:

• The game is won when all 104 cards are successfully moved to the eight foundation piles, arranged by suit from Ace to King.

• Losing/Unwinnable Condition:

• The game is lost or becomes unwinnable if no more legal moves are possible and the stock is depleted, leaving cards stranded in the tableau or waste.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Empty Tableau Columns:

• Any card or valid descending sequence by suit may be moved into an empty tableau column.

• Some sources specify only Kings or sequences starting with a King may be moved to empty tableau columns, but most modern implementations allow any card or sequence.

• Sequence Movement:

• You may move groups of cards in descending order by suit within the tableau, not just single cards. This is the main distinction from Forty Thieves, which only allows single card moves.

• Stock Usage:

• The stock may only be traversed once; after all cards are drawn, no redeal is permitted.

• Waste Pile:

• Only the top card of the waste pile is available for play at any time.

• No Reserve or Cells:

• Josephine Solitaire does not use reserve piles or free cells; all play is managed through tableau, foundations, stock, and waste.

Definitions:

• Tableau: The main area where cards are arranged in columns and manipulated during play.
• Foundation: The destination piles where cards are built up by suit from Ace to King.
• Stock: The face-down pile from which new cards are drawn.
• Waste: The pile where drawn cards from the stock are placed face-up and become available for play.

This guide provides a semantically precise, step-by-step reference for playing Josephine Solitaire, optimized for clarity and instructional value.