Lucky Thirteen

Game Objective:

The primary objective of Lucky Thirteen Solitaire is to move all cards from the tableau to the four foundation piles, building each foundation up in ascending order by suit from Ace to King.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Use a standard 52-card deck.
• Tableau: Deal all 52 cards into 13 tableau piles (also called columns), with 4 cards in each pile.
• Foundations: Reserve space for 4 foundation piles above or beside the tableau.
• Card Orientation: All cards are dealt face up in the tableau; there are no face-down cards.
• Play Areas Defined:
• Tableau: The main play area with 13 piles, each containing 4 face-up cards.
• Foundations: Four piles to be built up by suit from Ace to King.
• No Stock or Reserve: There are no separate stock or reserve piles in this variant.

Lucky Thirteen Solitaire Rules:

Card Movement Principles:

• Only the top card of each tableau pile is available for play at any time.
• Foundations:
• An Ace can be moved to any empty foundation pile to start it.
• Foundations are built up by suit in ascending order (Ace, 2, 3, …, King).
• Example: Only the 2♣ can be placed on the Ace of Clubs, followed by the 3♣, etc.
• Tableau:
• Build down by rank, regardless of suit (e.g., a 9♠ can be placed on a 10♣, 10♦, 10♥, or 10♠).
• Only one card may be moved at a time; sequences or groups of cards cannot be moved together.
• Example: Place a 7♦ on any available 8 of any suit.

Movement Between Areas:

• The top card of any tableau pile may be moved either:
• Onto a foundation (if it is the next card in sequence and suit), or
• Onto another tableau pile (if it is one rank lower, regardless of suit).

Gameplay:

• On each turn, examine the tableau and move any available top card to either a foundation or a valid tableau pile.
• Whenever an Ace is available, move it to start a foundation.
• Continue building up the foundations and building down the tableau piles as permitted by the rules.
• There is no redeal and no stock to draw from; all cards are in play from the start.
• If you cannot make any further legal moves (no tableau card can be played to a foundation or another tableau pile), gameplay ends.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Win: The game is won if all 52 cards are successfully moved to the four foundations, each built up by suit from Ace to King.
• Lose: The game is lost if no more legal moves are possible and not all cards have been moved to the foundations. This is a common outcome, as the game is considered very difficult to win.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Empty Tableau Piles: If a tableau pile becomes empty, it may not be filled; no card can be moved into an empty tableau space.
• No Sequence Moves: Only single cards may be moved at a time; you cannot move a sequence or group of cards together.
• No Stock or Redeal: There is no stock pile and no opportunity to redeal or cycle through the cards again.
• No Suit Restriction in Tableau: Building down in the tableau is regardless of suit; any card one rank lower may be played on any top card, regardless of color or suit.

Key Terms Defined:

• Foundation: A pile where cards are built up by suit from Ace to King.
• Tableau: The main play area with 13 piles, each containing 4 face-up cards.
• Top Card: The uppermost card of a tableau pile, the only card eligible for movement.

This ruleset reflects the standard and most widely accepted version of Lucky Thirteen Solitaire as described in official and reputable sources.