Penelope's Web

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Penelope's Web Solitaire is to build up all four foundation piles in ascending order by suit, from Ace to King, using a standard 52-card deck. The game is won when all cards have been successfully moved to the foundations.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Standard 52-card deck is used.
• Foundations: Four foundation piles, initially empty, are placed in the center or at the top of the play area.
• Tableau: Eight tableau piles surround the foundations. The upper four tableau piles each receive seven cards, and the lower four each receive six cards, for a total of 52 cards dealt.
• Card Orientation: All cards are dealt face up in the tableau.
• Stock, Reserve, Cells: There is no stock, reserve, or cell area in this variant.

Key Play Areas:

• Foundations: Where cards are built up by suit from Ace to King.
• Tableau: Eight piles where cards are built down regardless of suit; only the top card of each pile is available for play.

Penelope's Web Solitaire Rules:

• Building on Foundations:
• Foundations are built up by suit, starting with Ace and progressing to King (A-2-3-…-K).
• Building on Tableau:
• Tableau piles are built down in rank (e.g., 7 on 8), regardless of suit.
• Only the top card of each tableau pile is available for play at any time.
• Moving Cards:
• Only single cards (not sequences) may be moved at a time.
• Cards can be moved from the tableau to the foundations or between tableau piles, following the building rules above.
• Filling Spaces:
• Empty tableau spaces may be filled only with a King.
• No other card or sequence may be placed in an empty tableau pile.

Gameplay:

• On each turn, the player may:
• Move any available Ace from the tableau to a foundation pile.
• Move the top card of any tableau pile to another tableau pile, building down in rank regardless of suit.
• Move the top card of any tableau pile to a foundation, if it is the next required card in the suit sequence.
• Fill any empty tableau pile exclusively with a King.
• No stock or redeal: Once all cards are dealt, there are no additional cards introduced into play.
• If no legal moves remain (no cards can be moved to the foundations or between tableau piles, and no Kings are available for empty spaces), play ends.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning:
• The game is won when all four foundation piles are completed, each built up in suit from Ace to King.
• Losing:
• The game is lost (unwinnable) if no further legal moves are possible and not all cards have been moved to the foundations.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Tableau Piles:
• Only a King may be placed into an empty tableau pile. If no King is available, the space remains empty and cannot be used.
• No Sequence Moves:
• Only single cards can be moved at any time; sequences or groups of cards cannot be transferred together.
• All Cards Face Up:
• There is no hidden information; all tableau cards are visible from the start.
• No Redeal/Stock:
• There is no mechanism to redeal or introduce new cards after the initial layout.

Summary of Unique Mechanics:
Penelope's Web Solitaire is characterized by its strict limitation of moving only single cards, the requirement to build down regardless of suit in the tableau, and the exclusive rule that only Kings may fill empty tableau spaces. These constraints make the game notably more challenging than related solitaire variants.