Parliament

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Parliament Solitaire is to build all eight foundation piles up in suit from Ace to King, using all 104 cards from two standard decks.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Use two standard 52-card decks (total 104 cards).
• Foundations: There are 8 foundation piles. At the start of the game, all 8 Aces are removed and placed face-up as the base of each foundation.
• Tableau: There are 8 tableau piles. Deal one card face-up to each tableau pile at the beginning.
• Stock: The remaining cards form the stock pile, placed face-down.
• Waste: The waste pile starts empty. Cards from the stock are dealt here during play.

Summary of Areas:

• Foundations: 8 piles, each starting with an Ace (face-up).
• Tableau: 8 piles, each with 1 face-up card.
• Stock: Face-down pile of remaining cards.
• Waste: Face-up pile created during play.

Parliament Solitaire Rules:

• Building Foundations: Foundations are built up by suit (Ace, 2, 3, …, King).
• Tableau Building: Tableau piles are built down regardless of suit (e.g., 7♣ on 8♦ or 8♠).
• Card Movement:
• Only the top card of each tableau pile and the top card of the waste pile are available for play.
• Only one card may be moved at a time between tableau piles.
• Filling Spaces: Any empty tableau pile is immediately filled from the waste pile; if the waste is empty, fill from the stock.
• Stock & Waste:
• When no more moves are available, turn over one card at a time from the stock to the waste pile.
• The top card of the waste is always available for play to either the tableau or foundations.
• No redeal: Once the stock is exhausted, it cannot be reshuffled.

Gameplay:

• Initial Moves:
• Move any available cards from the tableau or waste to the foundations if possible.
• Build tableau piles down regardless of suit, moving only one card at a time.
• Dealing from Stock:
• When no further moves are possible, deal one card from the stock to the waste pile.
• Continue to play cards from the tableau or waste to the foundations or to build down on tableau piles.
• Filling Tableau Spaces:
• Whenever a tableau pile becomes empty, immediately fill it with the top card from the waste; if the waste is empty, fill from the stock.
• End of Stock:
• Once all stock cards have been dealt and no further moves are possible, the game ends.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning: The game is won when all 104 cards have been moved to the eight foundations, each built up in suit from Ace to King.
• Losing: The game is lost (unwinnable) if the stock is exhausted and no further legal moves are possible, with cards remaining in the tableau and/or waste.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Automatic Filling: Any empty tableau pile is immediately filled from the waste pile, or from the stock if the waste is empty.
• No Redeal: There is no redeal; the stock is dealt through only once.
• One Card Movement: Only single cards may be moved between tableau piles; sequences cannot be moved as a group.
• Available Cards: Only the top card of each tableau pile and the top card of the waste pile are available for play at any time.
• Game Variant: Parliament Solitaire is an easier variant of Congress Solitaire, with the key difference being that all Aces are placed on the foundations at the start.

Key Terms Defined:

• 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 built down regardless of suit.
• Stock: The face-down pile from which cards are dealt to the waste.
• Waste: The face-up pile created from the stock; only the top card is playable.

All rules and mechanics presented are sourced from official and authoritative references on Parliament Solitaire.