Mystique

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Mystique Solitaire is to move all 52 cards from the tableau and reserve to the foundation piles, building each foundation in ascending order by suit, starting with the Ace and ending with the King.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Use a standard 52-card deck (no Jokers).
• Play Areas:
• Foundations: Four piles, one for each suit. Each foundation starts with an Ace and is built up in sequence to King.
• Tableau: Four tableau piles. Each pile is dealt four cards, alternating face up and face down (i.e., the first card face up, the second face down, the third face up, the fourth face down).
• Reserve: A single reserve pile containing nine cards, all dealt face up.
• Stock: The remainder of the deck, placed face down as a draw pile.
• Dealing:
• Deal four cards to each of the four tableau piles, alternating face up and face down.
• Deal nine cards face up to form the reserve pile.
• Place the remaining cards as the face-down stock.

Mystique Solitaire Rules:

• Foundations:
• Build up by suit, starting with Ace and ending with King (e.g., Ace, 2, 3, …, King of Hearts).
• Tableau:
• Build down in alternating colors (e.g., red on black, black on red).
• Only the top card of each tableau pile is available for play or movement.
• Sequences of cards in correct order and color alternation may be moved as a unit between tableau piles.
• Reserve:
• Only the top card of the reserve pile is available for play to either the tableau or the foundations.
• Stock:
• Cards are drawn one at a time from the stock to a waste pile.
• The top card of the waste pile is available for play to the tableau, reserve, or foundations.
• No Redeals: Once the stock is exhausted, no redeals are permitted.

Gameplay:

• Turn Sequence:
• Move available cards to the foundations whenever possible.
• Move cards between tableau piles by building down in alternating colors.
• Move the top card from the reserve pile to either a tableau pile (if it follows the building rule) or directly to a foundation.
• Draw cards one at a time from the stock to the waste pile. The top waste card is available for play.
• Introducing New Cards:
• When no moves are available, draw from the stock to the waste pile.
• Continue to play cards from the waste pile as possible.
• No Further Moves:
• If no legal moves are available and the stock is empty, the game ends.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Win: The game is won when all 52 cards are built onto the four foundation piles in correct ascending order by suit.
• Loss: The game is lost (unwinnable) if no legal moves remain and the stock is exhausted, with cards still left in the tableau, reserve, or waste pile.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Tableau Spaces:
• Only a King (or a valid sequence starting with a King) may be moved to an empty tableau pile.
• Reserve Pile:
• Only the top card of the reserve pile is ever available for play; cards beneath cannot be accessed until the top is removed.
• No Redeals:
• Once the stock is depleted, no cards are recycled or reshuffled; play continues only with cards in the tableau, reserve, and waste.
• Sequences:
• Sequences of correctly ordered, alternating color cards may be moved as a unit between tableau piles, provided the move follows the building rules.
• Edge Cases:
• If all tableau piles are empty, only Kings or sequences starting with a King may fill the space.
• If the reserve is empty, no further reserve cards are available for play.

Note: This guide is based on the most authoritative official and secondary sources available for Mystique Solitaire. If a specific rule is not explicitly stated, standard solitaire conventions have been applied and are noted as such.