Private Lane

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Private Lane Solitaire is to move all cards from the tableau to the foundation piles, building each foundation by suit in ascending order from Ace to King.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Use a standard 52-card deck (no Jokers).
• Tableau: Deal all 52 cards face-up in eight tableau piles. Each tableau pile contains a specific number of cards (typically 6 or 7 per pile, depending on the variant; in the most common version, four piles have 7 cards and four have 6 cards).
• Free Cells: Two free cells are available, each able to hold one card temporarily.
• Foundations: Four empty foundation piles, one for each suit, are placed above the tableau.
• Card Orientation: All cards in the tableau are dealt face-up and are immediately accessible for play.

Key Play Areas:

• Tableau: The main play area with eight columns of face-up cards.
• Foundations: Four piles, one per suit, where cards are built up from Ace to King.
• Free Cells: Two auxiliary spaces that can each hold a single card to assist with maneuvering.

Private Lane Solitaire Rules:

• Card Movement:
• Only cards not covered by another card in the tableau (the bottom card of each pile) may be moved.
• Cards can be moved to the foundation, a free cell, or another tableau pile.
• Building Sequences:
• Tableau building is done in descending order by suit (e.g., 7♠ on 8♠).
• Only one card may be moved at a time (unless using free cells to temporarily hold cards).
• Foundation Building:
• Foundations are built up by suit from Ace to King (e.g., Ace♣, 2♣, 3♣, …, King♣).
• Free Cell Usage:
• Any uncovered card may be moved to a free cell if it is empty.
• Cards in free cells can be moved back to the tableau or directly to the foundation if legal.

Gameplay:

• On each turn, the player may:
• Move any uncovered tableau card to a foundation pile if the card is the next in sequence and suit.
• Move any uncovered tableau card to a free cell if the cell is empty.
• Move any uncovered tableau card onto another tableau pile, provided it creates a descending sequence by suit.
• Move a card from a free cell to the tableau or to the foundation if legal.
• Only one card may be moved at a time, except when using free cells to facilitate the movement of sequences.
• If a tableau pile becomes empty, any card may fill that space.
• The game continues until all cards are moved to the foundations or no further legal moves are possible.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning: The game is won when all cards are successfully moved to the foundation piles, sorted by suit from Ace to King.
• Losing: The game is lost or becomes unwinnable if no legal moves remain and not all cards have been transferred to the foundations.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Empty Tableau Piles: Any card may be moved into an empty tableau pile, unlike some solitaire variants that restrict this to Kings only.
• Free Cell Restrictions: Only one card may occupy each free cell at a time.
• Sequence Movement: Only single cards may be moved at a time; however, free cells can be used to temporarily hold cards, enabling the movement of sequences indirectly.
• No Stock or Waste: There are no stock or waste piles in Private Lane Solitaire; all cards are dealt face-up at the start and remain in play throughout.
• Uncovered Cards: Only the bottom card of each tableau pile (i.e., not covered by another card) is available for movement.

Definitions:

• Tableau: The main play area where cards are arranged in columns and manipulated during play.
• Foundation: The target piles for each suit, built up from Ace to King.
• Free Cell: A holding space for one card, used to facilitate movement and strategy.

This guide provides a precise, step-by-step framework for playing Private Lane Solitaire according to its distinctive ruleset.