Lady Palk

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Lady Palk Solitaire is to move all cards from the tableau, stock, and waste to the eight foundation piles, building each foundation up in suit from Ace to King.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Two standard 52-card decks are used, totaling 104 cards.
• Foundations:
• Eight foundation piles are created.
• Each foundation starts with an Ace (remove all eight Aces from the decks and place them as the initial cards of the foundations).
• Tableau:
• Eight tableau columns are dealt, each with four cards, all dealt face-up and overlapping for visibility.
• Stock:
• The remaining cards (after dealing the tableau and setting up the foundations) form the stock pile, placed face-down.
• Waste:
• An empty waste pile is prepared to receive cards from the stock.

Key Play Areas Defined:

• Foundations: Where cards are built up by suit from Ace to King.
• Tableau: Eight columns where cards are built down regardless of suit.
• Stock: The pile containing undealt cards, drawn one at a time.
• Waste: Receives cards from the stock; only the top card is playable.

Lady Palk Solitaire Rules:

• Foundations:

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

• Only Aces may be placed on empty foundations at the start; subsequent cards must follow suit and sequence.

• Tableau:

• Build down by rank, regardless of suit (e.g., 10♠ on J♥, 9♦ on 10♣).

• Any sequence of cards built down by rank (regardless of suit) may be moved together as a group.

• Only a King may be moved to an empty tableau column; no other card or sequence may fill an empty tableau.

• The top card (or a valid sequence) of any tableau column is available for play to another tableau or to the foundations.

• Stock and Waste:

• When no further moves are possible, deal one card at a time from the stock to the waste pile.

• Only the top card of the waste is available for play to the tableau or foundations.

• No redeals are permitted; once the stock is exhausted, it cannot be replenished.

Gameplay:

1. Move available cards from the tableau to the foundations whenever possible, following the suit and sequence rule (Ace to King).
2. Within the tableau, build cards down by rank regardless of suit. Move single cards or entire sequences as allowed.
3. When a tableau column becomes empty, only a King (or a sequence starting with a King) may be moved into the space.
4. If no moves are possible, deal one card from the stock to the waste pile. The top card of the waste may be played to the tableau or foundations if legal.
5. Continue play, moving cards between tableau, foundations, and from the waste as permitted, until all cards are moved to the foundations or no more legal moves remain.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Win:

• The game is won when all 104 cards are moved to the eight foundations, built up in suit from Ace to King.

• Lose/Unwinnable State:

• The game is lost if no further legal moves are possible and the stock is exhausted (i.e., cards remain in the tableau and/or waste that cannot be moved to the foundations).

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Tableau Spaces:

• Only a King (or a sequence with a King at its head) may be moved to an empty tableau column.

• No other card or sequence may fill an empty tableau space.

• Moving Sequences:

• Sequences built down by rank (regardless of suit) may be moved together as a unit between tableau columns.

• Any portion of a valid sequence may also be moved.

• Stock and Waste:

• Only one card at a time is dealt from the stock to the waste.

• Only the top card of the waste is playable.

• No redeals: once the stock is depleted, it cannot be reused.

• No Reserve or Cells:

• There are no reserve piles or free cells in Lady Palk Solitaire.

• No Building by Color or Suit in Tableau:

• Tableau building is strictly by descending rank, regardless of suit or color.

• Multiple Moves:

• Multiple cards can be moved as a sequence if they are in correct descending order.

• Edge Case—No Kings Available:

• If all tableau spaces are empty and no Kings are available in the tableau, waste, or stock, the empty spaces cannot be filled, potentially blocking further play.

This ruleset reflects the unique mechanics and restrictions that distinguish Lady Palk Solitaire from other solitaire variants, emphasizing careful management of tableau spaces and strategic use of Kings.