Napoleon's Shoulder

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Napoleon's Shoulder Solitaire is to move all cards from the tableau and stock onto the eight foundation piles, building each foundation up by suit from Ace to King.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Use one standard 52-card deck.
• Tableau: Twelve tableau piles are created, each with four cards dealt face-up and splayed downward so all cards are visible.
• Foundations: Eight foundation piles are positioned above or beside the tableau. These start empty and are filled with Ace cards as they become available.
• Stock: The remaining cards (if any, after dealing tableau) form the stock pile, placed face-down.
• Garbage/Waste Pile: One garbage pile is used to collect cards drawn from the stock that cannot be immediately played.
• All cards in the tableau are dealt face-up. No cards are dealt face-down in this variant.

Napoleon's Shoulder Solitaire Rules:

• Foundations:

• Foundations are built up in suit, starting with Ace and ending with King (A♠, 2♠, …, K♠ for each suit).

• Any Ace can be played to any empty foundation pile as soon as it becomes available.

• Only cards of the same suit and the next rank in sequence may be added to a foundation pile.

• Tableau:

• Only the top card of each tableau pile is available for play.

• Cards may be added to a tableau pile if they are one rank lower than the current top card, regardless of suit (e.g., any Jack may be played on any Queen).

• Only one card may be moved at a time; sequences of cards cannot be moved together.

• Cards on the tableau that are not covered by another card can be played onto the foundation or onto any non-empty tableau pile.

• Stock and Garbage/Waste:

• When the player clicks the stock, one card is dealt face-up to the garbage pile.

• The top card of the garbage pile is always available for play onto the tableau or the foundations.

• There is only one pass through the stock; once depleted, no further cards can be drawn.

Gameplay:

• Play begins by moving available Aces to empty foundation piles.
• Players may move the top card from any tableau pile to a foundation or another tableau pile (if legal).
• If no moves are possible, draw one card from the stock to the garbage pile.
• The top card of the garbage pile may be played onto the tableau or a foundation if legal.
• If an empty tableau pile is created, it may only be filled with a card from the garbage pile, not from another tableau pile.
• Continue making legal moves and drawing from the stock until no further moves are possible.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Win: The game is won when all cards are successfully built onto the eight foundation piles, each completed in ascending order by suit from Ace to King.
• Loss: The game is lost (or becomes unwinnable) if no further legal moves are possible and the stock has been exhausted, leaving cards stranded in the tableau or garbage pile.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Tableau Piles: Empty tableau piles may only be filled with cards from the garbage pile, not from other tableau piles.
• Single Card Moves: Only one card may be moved at a time; moving sequences is not permitted.
• Stock Limitation: There is only one pass through the stock; no redeals are allowed.
• Foundation Flexibility: Any Ace may be played to any vacant foundation pile, allowing strategic flexibility in foundation placement.
• Suit Restrictions: Foundations must be built strictly by suit; tableau building is by rank only, regardless of suit.
• No Tableau Refill: Cards from other tableau piles cannot be used to fill empty tableau spaces.

Definitions:

• Foundation: A pile where cards are built up in suit from Ace to King.
• Tableau: The main play area consisting of piles where cards are manipulated according to game rules.
• Stock: The pile of undealt cards used to introduce new cards into play.
• Garbage/Waste Pile: A holding area for cards drawn from the stock that are not immediately playable.

This guide provides all essential rules and mechanics for playing Napoleon's Shoulder Solitaire in a clear, instructional format.