Morehead

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Morehead Solitaire is to move all 52 cards from the tableau onto the four foundation piles, building each foundation up in suit from Ace to King.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Standard 52-card deck.
• Foundations: Four empty piles at the top of the play area. These will be built up in suit starting with Aces as they appear.
• Tableau: Eight empty tableau piles are arranged below the foundations.
• Stock: The remaining deck is placed face down as the stock.
• Dealing: Cards are dealt one at a time from the stock onto any tableau pile. All dealt cards are placed face-up. Once a card is placed on a tableau pile, it cannot be moved to another tableau pile until the stock is empty.

Morehead Solitaire Rules:

• Dealing: Cards are dealt one at a time from the stock onto any tableau pile of the player’s choice. Once placed, cards cannot be moved between tableau piles during the dealing phase.
• Foundations: Only Aces may be moved to an empty foundation pile as they appear. Foundations are built up in suit (e.g., Ace, 2, 3, …, King).
• Building: After the stock is empty, players may move cards from the tableau to the foundations, building up in suit. No building or moving between tableau piles is allowed.
• Movement Restrictions:
• During the dealing phase, cards cannot be moved between tableau piles.
• After the stock is exhausted, only the top card of each tableau pile is available for play to the foundations.
• Sequence Building: Foundations must be built up by suit, one rank at a time (e.g., 2♠ on Ace♠, 3♠ on 2♠, etc.).

Gameplay:

• Dealing Phase:

• Deal cards one at a time from the stock onto any tableau pile of your choice.

• Once placed, a card cannot be moved to another tableau pile until the stock is empty.

• Only Aces may be moved to empty foundation piles as they appear during dealing.

• Building Phase:

• Once the stock is empty, begin moving cards from the tableau to the foundations, building up in suit.

• Only the top card of each tableau pile is available for movement to the foundations.

• No tableau-to-tableau moves are permitted in this phase.

• No More Moves:

• If no further moves to the foundations are possible after the stock is empty and all available tableau cards have been played, the game ends.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Win Condition: The game is won when all 52 cards have been moved to the foundations, each completed in ascending suit order from Ace to King.
• Lose Condition: The game is lost (unwinnable) if, after the stock is empty, there are cards remaining in the tableau that cannot be moved to the foundations because they are blocked by higher cards of the same suit or because the sequence is broken.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Empty Tableau Piles: Once a card is placed on a tableau pile, it cannot be moved to another tableau pile, and empty tableau piles may be filled only during the dealing phase by dealing a new card from the stock.
• Aces: Only Aces may be moved to empty foundation piles as they appear during dealing or after dealing is complete.
• No Tableau Rearrangement: No rearrangement or movement is allowed between tableau piles at any time.
• Strategy Tip: Avoid placing a higher card of a suit on top of a lower card of the same suit within a tableau pile, as this will block the lower card and may make the game unwinnable.

Note: Morehead Solitaire is also known as "Strategy" and was invented by Albert H. Morehead and Geoffrey Mott-Smith. The rules above reflect the most widely cited and official version of the game.