Love a Duck

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Love a Duck Solitaire is to build up the foundation piles by moving cards from the tableau, arranging them in ascending order according to alternate colors, until all cards from the deck are placed in the foundations.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Uses a standard 52-card deck.
• Tableau:
• Deal nine cards in a row (Row 1).
• Deal ten cards in a second row, overlapping the previous row (Row 2).
• Deal eleven cards in a third row, overlapping the previous two rows (Row 3).
• Deal twelve cards in a fourth row, overlapping all previous rows (Row 4).
• Deal ten cards in a fifth and final row, overlapping the previous four rows (Row 5).
• All cards are dealt face-up; there are no face-down cards in the tableau.
• Foundations: No cards are placed in the foundations at the start. Foundations are created during play by moving eligible cards from the tableau.
• Stock/Reserve: There is no stock or reserve pile in this variant; all cards are dealt into the tableau at the beginning.

Love a Duck Solitaire Rules:

• Card Movement:
• Cards are moved from the tableau to the foundations.
• Foundations are built in ascending order (Ace to King), but by alternate colors (red-black-red-black), not by suit.
• Tableau Building:
• There is no building within the tableau; cards in the tableau are only moved to the foundations, not rearranged among tableau piles.
• Moving Cards:
• Only the topmost exposed card in each tableau pile may be moved to a foundation.
• Empty Spaces:
• Empty spaces in the tableau cannot be filled; once a card is moved and a space is created, it remains empty for the rest of the game.
• Sequence Building:
• Foundations must be built by alternating colors (e.g., red Ace, black 2, red 3, etc.), regardless of suit.

Gameplay:

• On each turn, examine the tableau and move any eligible cards (topmost cards) to the foundations, following the alternate color sequence rule.
• There is no drawing of new cards; all cards are available from the start.
• If no cards can be moved to the foundations, and no further moves are possible, the game ends.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Win Condition: The game is won when all 52 cards have been successfully moved from the tableau to the foundations, built in ascending order and alternating colors.
• Loss/Unwinnable State: The game is lost or becomes unwinnable if no further legal moves to the foundations are possible and cards remain in the tableau.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Spaces: Empty tableau spaces cannot be filled under any circumstances.
• Unique Restrictions:
• There is no tableau building (no moving cards within the tableau).
• Foundations are built by alternating colors, not by suit.
• All cards are visible from the start, eliminating uncertainty and reliance on hidden cards or drawing piles.
• Edge Cases:
• If multiple cards are eligible for foundation placement, any may be chosen, but only the topmost card of each tableau pile may be moved at a time.
• If a sequence in the foundation cannot be continued due to lack of an appropriate color, play halts until the required card becomes available.

Definitions:

• Tableau: The main play area where all cards are initially dealt and from which cards are moved to the foundations.
• Foundation: Four piles where cards are built in ascending order by alternating colors.
• Alternate Colors: Red cards (Hearts, Diamonds) and black cards (Clubs, Spades) must alternate in sequence.

This guide is based on official rulesets and authoritative sources for Love a Duck Solitaire.