Rainbow Fan

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Rainbow Fan Solitaire is to build up four foundation piles in ascending order by suit, starting from a specific base card, until each foundation contains all thirteen cards of its suit.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck Used: Standard 52-card deck.
• Reserve Pile: Count out 13 cards from the deck. Place them face-down with the top card face-up; this is the reserve pile.
• Tableau: Deal four cards face-up in a row below the foundations; these are the tableau piles.
• Foundations: Place the next card face-up above the tableau; this is the starter card for the foundations. The other three foundations will be started by the same rank when those cards become available.
• Stock: The remaining cards form the stock pile, placed to the left of the tableau, face-down.
• Waste Pile: The waste pile is created to the right of the tableau and starts empty.
• Face-Up/Face-Down: All tableau and foundation starter cards are dealt face-up. The reserve pile has only its top card face-up; the rest are face-down. The stock is face-down; the waste pile is face-up as cards are played to it.

Key Play Areas Defined:

• Reserve Pile: 13 cards, only the top card is available for play.
• Tableau: Four piles, each starts with one face-up card.
• Foundations: Four piles above the tableau, each built by suit starting from the base card.
• Stock: Remaining deck, face-down.
• Waste Pile: Receives cards from the stock, face-up.

Rainbow Fan Solitaire Rules:

• Foundations: Build up by suit, starting from the base card (the initial foundation card). All foundation piles must be started with cards of the same rank as the base card. Building is circular: after King comes Ace.
• Tableau: Build down in alternating colors (red on black, black on red), also in a circular fashion (after Ace comes King).
• Card Movement:
  • Only the top card of each tableau pile and the reserve pile is available for play onto the foundations.
  • Full sequences in correct order (descending, alternating colors) may be moved between tableau piles; partial sequences cannot be moved.
  • Top cards of the stock and waste pile are available for play on tableau or foundations.
• Empty Tableau Spaces: Must be filled immediately with the top card from the reserve pile. If the reserve pile is empty, fill with the top card of the stock. If both are empty, fill with the top card of the waste pile, but only when ready.
• Redeals: When the stock is exhausted, pick up the waste pile, turn it face-down, and use it as the new stock. You may redeal twice (for a total of three passes through the deck).

Gameplay:

• Typical Turn Sequence:
  • Move available cards from tableau, reserve, stock, or waste pile to foundations or tableau piles according to building rules.
  • When no moves are available, deal one card at a time from the stock to the waste pile.
  • Use the top card of the waste pile for building if possible.
  • When a tableau pile becomes empty, immediately fill it as per rules above.
  • Continue play until all cards are moved to the foundations or no legal moves remain.
• Introducing New Cards:
  • Cards are introduced into play from the stock, reserve pile, and waste pile as described above.
• No More Legal Moves:
  • If no moves are possible and all redeals have been used, the game ends in a loss.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning: The game is won when all four foundation piles are complete, each containing all thirteen cards of its suit, built up from the base card.
• Losing/Unwinnable State: The game is lost if no legal moves remain and all redeals have been used, or if the cards required to complete the foundations are inaccessible due to blocked sequences or improper play.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Tableau Spaces: Must be filled immediately with the top card from the reserve pile, then the stock, then the waste pile, in that order. If all are empty, you may leave tableau spaces vacant until ready to fill from the waste pile.
• Building is Circular: Both foundation and tableau building wrap around: after King comes Ace, and after Ace comes King.
• Full Sequence Moves: Only full sequences in descending, alternating color order can be moved between tableau piles; you cannot move partial sequences.
• Redeal Limitation: You may only redeal the stock twice, for a total of three passes through the deck.
• Foundation Base Rank: All foundation piles must start with the same rank as the initial foundation card.
• Reserve Pile Exhaustion: Once the reserve pile is empty, fill tableau spaces from the stock, then the waste pile.

Note: Rainbow Fan Solitaire is closely related to Canfield Solitaire but features easier access to cards and more frequent wins due to its single-card stock dealing and more flexible tableau filling rules.