Royal Family

Game Objective:

The primary objective in Royal Family Solitaire is to move all cards from the tableau to the four foundation piles, building each foundation down in suit from King to Ace.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: One standard 52-card deck is used.
• Foundations: Remove all four Kings from the deck and place each King in its own foundation pile. These are the starting cards for the four foundation piles.
• Tableau: Deal the remaining 48 cards into 12 tableau piles, with 4 cards in each pile. All cards in the tableau are dealt face-up and splayed downward so every card is visible.
• Stock: There is no traditional stock pile. Instead, the game allows for a single redeal of the tableau piles when no further moves are possible.
• Key Play Areas:
• Foundations: 4 piles, each starting with a King.
• Tableau: 12 piles, each with 4 face-up cards.

Royal Family Solitaire Rules:

• Foundations:
• Build each foundation pile downward in suit (e.g., King of Hearts, Queen of Hearts, Jack of Hearts, …, Ace of Hearts).
• Only cards of the same suit and one rank lower than the top card may be played onto a foundation (e.g., only the Queen of Spades can be placed on the King of Spades).
• Once a card is placed on a foundation, it cannot be moved back to the tableau.
• Tableau:
• Build tableau piles up or down by one rank, but only in alternating colors (e.g., red 7 on black 6 or black 8). Some sources state building up or down by suit, but the consensus among authoritative rules is alternating color.
• Only the top card of each tableau pile is available for play.
• Only one card may be moved at a time between tableau piles.
• Empty tableau spaces may be filled with any single card.
• Redeal:
• When no more moves are possible, the player may gather all tableau cards, reshuffle, and redeal them into 12 tableau piles of 4 cards each. Only one redeal is permitted per game.

Gameplay:

• On each turn, the player may:
• Move the top card of any tableau pile to a foundation if it follows the suit and rank sequence (building down in suit).
• Move the top card of one tableau pile to another tableau pile if it is one rank higher or lower and of the opposite color (alternating color sequence).
• Fill any empty tableau pile with any available card.
• Continue making moves until no further legal moves are possible.
• If blocked, the player may use the single redeal to reshuffle all tableau cards and redeal them into 12 piles of 4 cards each, all face-up.
• After the redeal, play resumes under the same rules.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Win: The game is won when all cards have been moved to the foundations, each built down in suit from King to Ace.
• Loss: The game is lost if, after exhausting all possible moves and using the single permitted redeal, cards remain in the tableau and no further moves to the foundations are possible.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Tableau Spaces: Any single card may be placed into an empty tableau pile at any time.
• Redeal Restriction: Only one redeal is allowed per game. After the redeal, if no moves are possible, the game ends.
• Card Movement: Only the top card of each tableau pile is ever available for play. Sequences or stacks cannot be moved together—only single cards.
• No Removal from Foundations: Once a card is placed on a foundation, it cannot be returned to the tableau.
• No Stock or Waste: There is no stock or waste pile in the traditional sense. All play occurs between the tableau and foundations, with the redeal serving as the only mechanism for refreshing the tableau.

Summary of Key Terms:

• Foundation: A pile where cards are built down in suit from King to Ace.
• Tableau: The main play area consisting of 12 piles, each with 4 face-up cards, built up or down in alternating color.
• Redeal: The process of gathering all tableau cards, shuffling, and redealing them into 12 piles; allowed only once per game.