Leap Year

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Leap Year Solitaire is to move all 208 cards (using four standard 52-card decks) onto sixteen foundation piles, building each foundation up from Ace to King, regardless of suit.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Four standard 52-card decks (208 cards total).
• Foundations: Sixteen piles, each starting with an Ace (one Ace per foundation).
• Tableau: Eight tableau piles, each dealt one card face up at the start of the game.
• Stock: The remaining cards form the stock pile, which is used to deal additional cards to the tableau during play.
• Face-up/Face-down: All cards in the tableau and foundations are dealt face up. No cards are dealt face down in this variant.

Key Play Areas:

• Foundations: Where you build sequences from Ace to King.
• Tableau: Holds one face-up card per pile; only the top card is available for play.
• Stock: Supplies new cards to the tableau, one card per tableau pile with each deal.

Leap Year Solitaire Rules:

• Foundations:
• Build up from Ace to King, regardless of suit (any 2 can be placed on any Ace, any 3 on any 2, etc.).
• Only one card may be placed at a time; sequences cannot be moved as a group.
• Tableau:
• No building is allowed on the tableau; you cannot move cards between tableau piles or build sequences within the tableau.
• Only the top card of each tableau pile is available for play to the foundations.
• Stock:
• When activated, deals one card face up to each tableau pile.
• Only one pass through the stock is permitted; there are no redeals.
• Card Movement:
• Only single cards from the tableau may be moved to the foundations.
• Cards cannot be moved from the foundations back to the tableau or stock.

Gameplay:

• On each turn, examine the top card of each tableau pile.
• Move any eligible cards from the tableau to the foundations, following the build-up rule (regardless of suit).
• If no moves are available, activate the stock to deal one new card face up to each tableau pile.
• Repeat the process: move available cards to the foundations, then deal from the stock when stuck.
• Continue until either all cards are moved to the foundations (win) or the stock is exhausted and no more moves are possible (loss).

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning: The game is won when all 208 cards are successfully moved to the sixteen foundations, each built from Ace to King.
• Losing: The game is lost if the stock is exhausted and no further moves can be made from the tableau to the foundations, leaving cards stranded in the tableau.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Empty Tableau Piles: If a tableau pile becomes empty, it remains empty until the next stock deal. Only the stock can refill empty tableau spaces; players cannot manually fill empty spaces.
• No Redeals: Only a single pass through the stock is allowed. Once all stock cards have been dealt, no further cards can be introduced to the tableau.
• No Sequence Moves: Only single cards may be moved at a time; sequences or groups of cards cannot be transferred together.
• No Tableau Building: Cards cannot be moved between tableau piles or built upon within the tableau.
• No Foundation Reversal: Once a card is placed on a foundation, it cannot be moved back to the tableau or stock.

This guide provides a precise and comprehensive overview of the rules and gameplay mechanics specific to Leap Year Solitaire.