Moving Left

Game Objective:

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

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Two standard 52-card decks are used, totaling 104 cards.
• Tableau: Ten tableau piles are created.
  • Pile 1: 1 card
  • Pile 2: 2 cards
  • Continue in this manner up to Pile 10, which receives 10 cards.
  • Only the top card in each tableau pile is dealt face up; all other cards in each pile are dealt face down.
• Foundations: Eight foundation piles, initially empty, are reserved for building up by suit from Ace to King.
• Stock: All remaining cards after tableau setup form the stock pile, placed face down.
• Waste: Cards from the stock are dealt face up to a single waste pile.

Key Play Areas:

• Tableau: The main area where cards are arranged and manipulated.
• Foundations: The area where completed suit sequences are built.
• Stock: The draw pile for introducing new cards into play.
• Waste: Receives cards from the stock; only the top card is playable.

Moving Left Solitaire Rules:

• Foundations:

  • Foundations are built up by suit, starting with Ace and ending with King (e.g., 2♠ on Ace♠, 3♠ on 2♠, etc.).
  • Only Aces may be moved to an empty foundation.
  • Only the top card of each foundation is available for play.

• Tableau:

  • Building is down by alternating color (e.g., red on black, black on red).
  • Only Kings (or sequences starting with a King) may be moved to an empty tableau pile.
  • Any card or group of cards in sequence (built down by alternating color) may be moved together as a unit.
  • There is no restriction on the rank, suit, or color within a movable stack, but only sequences built down by alternating color can be moved as a group.

• Stock & Waste:

  • Cards are drawn one at a time from the stock to the waste pile.
  • Only the top card of the waste pile is available for play.
  • Only a single pass through the stock is allowed; there are no redeals.

• Unique "Moving Left" Mechanic:

  • When a tableau pile (except the rightmost) becomes empty, it is immediately filled by the face-up card or group of cards from the pile immediately to its right.
  • This process continues, shifting cards leftward as empty spaces are created, until the rightmost tableau pile is reached.
  • The rightmost tableau pile, when empty, can be filled in the usual way by a King or a sequence headed by a King.

Gameplay:

• On each turn, the player may:

  • Move cards or sequences within the tableau, following the building rules (down by alternating color).
  • Move Aces to empty foundation piles, then continue building up by suit.
  • Draw a card from the stock to the waste pile (once per stock card).
  • Move the top card from the waste pile to the tableau or foundation, if legal.
  • Move sequences headed by Kings to empty tableau piles (only the rightmost pile can be filled this way; other empty piles are filled automatically by the "moving left" rule).

• When a tableau pile becomes empty (except the rightmost pile), it is filled automatically by the face-up card(s) from the pile immediately to its right, shifting all cards leftward.

• Play continues until either all cards are moved to the foundations or no further legal moves are possible.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Win: The game is won when all 104 cards are successfully moved to the eight foundation piles, each built up by suit from Ace to King.
• Loss: The game is lost if no further legal moves are possible and cards remain in the tableau, stock, or waste.
  • No redeals are permitted; once the stock is exhausted, only tableau and waste moves remain.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Tableau Spaces:

  • Only the rightmost tableau pile can be filled manually with a King or a sequence headed by a King.
  • All other empty tableau piles are filled automatically by the face-up card or sequence from the pile immediately to their right, shifting cards leftward.
  • If the rightmost pile is empty and no King or King-headed sequence is available, it remains empty until such a card or sequence becomes available.

• Movement Restrictions:

  • Only the top card of the waste or foundation is available for play.
  • Only sequences built down by alternating color in the tableau are movable as a group.
  • Only one pass through the stock is allowed; no redeals.

• Edge Case Example:

  • If multiple tableau piles become empty in succession, each is filled by the pile to its immediate right, creating a cascading leftward shift.

• No Reserve or Cell Areas: There are no reserve or cell areas in this variant.

Summary:
Moving Left Solitaire is a two-deck solitaire variant distinguished by its unique leftward card-shifting mechanic, strict tableau building rules, and limited opportunities to refill empty spaces. Mastery requires careful planning and efficient use of limited moves.