Raglan

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Raglan Solitaire is to move all 52 cards from the tableau and reserve to the four foundation piles, building each foundation up in suit from Ace to King.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Standard 52-card deck is used.
• Tableau: There are 9 tableau piles (columns). Cards are dealt face up as follows:
• First 3 piles: 7 cards each
• 4th pile: 6 cards
• 5th pile: 5 cards
• 6th pile: 4 cards
• 7th pile: 3 cards
• 8th pile: 2 cards
• 9th pile: 1 card All tableau cards are dealt face up; there are no face-down cards in this game.
• Foundations: Four foundation piles, initially empty, to be built up by suit from Ace to King.
• Reserve: Six reserve cards are dealt face up in a single reserve area. All six cards are available for play at any time.
• Stock: There is no stock or draw pile in Raglan Solitaire.

Key Play Areas Defined:

• Tableau: The main play area with 9 piles, where most card movement occurs.
• Foundations: The goal area, built up by suit.
• Reserve: A special area with 6 face-up cards, all available for play.

Raglan Solitaire Rules:

• Card Movement:
• Only the top card of each tableau pile and each reserve card is available for play at any time.
• Sequences cannot be moved; only single cards may be moved at a time.
• Tableau Building:
• Build down in alternating colors (e.g., a red 7 on a black 8).
• Only one card may be moved at a time, regardless of empty spaces.
• Foundation Building:
• Build up by suit from Ace to King (e.g., Ace of Spades, 2 of Spades, …, King of Spades).
• Any available Ace can be moved to start a foundation pile.
• Moving Cards:
• Cards may be moved from the tableau or reserve to either another tableau pile (if following the building rules) or to the foundations (if the next in sequence by suit).
• Reserve cards can be played to either the tableau or the foundations.
• Empty Spaces:
• Any empty tableau pile may be filled with any available card from the tableau or reserve.
• Reserve spaces, once emptied, cannot be refilled.

Gameplay:

• On each turn, the player may:
• Move the top card of any tableau pile to another tableau pile (if it follows the alternating color, descending rank rule).
• Move the top card of any tableau pile or reserve card to a foundation pile (if it follows the ascending, same-suit rule).
• Move any available card to fill an empty tableau pile.
• Move any reserve card to a tableau pile (if it follows the tableau building rule) or to a foundation pile.
• No redeals or stock draws are available; all cards are visible and accessible from the start.
• Play continues until all cards are moved to the foundations or no further legal moves are possible.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning Condition: The game is won when all 52 cards are successfully moved to the four foundation piles, each built up in suit from Ace to King.
• Losing Condition: The game is lost (unwinnable) if no legal moves remain and not all cards have been moved to the foundations.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Spaces:
• Any empty tableau pile may be filled with any available card (from either the tableau or reserve).
• Reserve spaces cannot be refilled once emptied; each reserve card is a single-use resource.
• No Multi-card Moves: Only one card may be moved at a time, even if there are multiple empty tableau piles.
• All Cards Visible: Every card is dealt face up at the start, making Raglan an entirely open-information solitaire game.
• No Redeals: There is no stock or redeal; play is limited to the initial tableau and reserve layout.

Summary of Unique Features:
Raglan Solitaire is distinguished by its fully open tableau, strict single-card movement, the use of a 6-card reserve (all playable at any time), and the ability to fill tableau spaces with any available card. These rules combine to create a game of skill and planning, with no hidden information or chance from a stock.