Royal Rendezvous

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Royal Rendezvous Solitaire is to move all cards from two standard 52-card decks (104 cards total) onto twelve foundation piles according to strict suit and sequence rules.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck Composition: Use two standard 52-card decks (104 cards).
• Foundation Formation:
  • Upper Row (Row 1): Remove four Aces (one of each suit) and place them in a horizontal row. These are the Upper Ace Foundations.
  • Lower Row (Row 2): Below the Upper Aces, place the remaining four Aces (matching suits directly beneath their counterparts) and eight Twos (two Twos at each end and two between the Aces), forming the Lower Ace Foundations and Deuce Foundations.
  • Visual Layout Example: | 2 | 2 | A | A | A | A | 2 | 2 | | 2 | 2 | A | A | A | A | 2 | 2 |
• Reserve: Deal sixteen cards face-up in two rows of eight beneath the foundation formation. These cards form the Reserve and are available for play to the foundations only.
• Stock: The remaining cards form the Stock (draw pile), placed face-down.
• Waste Pile: Create a Waste Pile beside the Stock; it starts empty.
• Face Orientation: All foundation and reserve cards are dealt face-up. Stock cards are face-down until drawn.

Royal Rendezvous Solitaire Rules:

• Foundations:
  • Upper Ace Foundations: Build up by suit in standard sequence: Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King.
  • Lower Ace Foundations: Build up by suit, skipping every other card (by twos): Ace, 3, 5, 7, 9, Jack, King.
  • Deuce Foundations: Build up by suit, also by twos: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, Queen.
  • Building Restrictions: All building must follow suit and the prescribed sequence for each foundation type. Cards cannot be removed from foundations once placed.
• Reserve:
  • Only the top card of each reserve pile is available for play onto the foundations.
  • No building or movement between reserve piles; cards move only to foundations.
• Stock & Waste:
  • Draw one card at a time from the Stock. If playable, place onto a foundation; if not, place onto the Waste Pile.
  • The top card of the Waste Pile is always available for play onto the foundations or for filling reserve gaps.
  • No redeals; the Stock is dealt through only once.
• Movement:
  • Only single cards may be moved at a time; sequences are not permitted.
  • Only reserve and waste cards may fill empty reserve spaces.

Gameplay:

• Turn Sequence:
  1. Play any available reserve or waste card onto a foundation, following the specific building rules.
  2. If no moves are possible, draw one card from the Stock.
  3. If the drawn card is playable, place it onto a foundation; if not, place it onto the Waste Pile.
  4. Continue playing reserve and waste cards onto foundations as possible.
  5. Immediately fill any empty reserve spaces with the top card of the Waste Pile, or from the Stock if the Waste is empty.
• Introducing New Cards:
  • Only the top card of the Waste Pile or Stock may fill reserve gaps.
  • No cards are ever moved back from foundations or between reserve piles.
• Blocked Play:
  • If no legal moves remain and the Stock is exhausted, the game ends.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Win Condition: The game is won when all cards are correctly built onto the twelve foundations according to their unique building rules.
• Loss/Unwinnable Condition: The game is lost if the Stock is depleted and not all cards have been moved onto the foundations, or if no legal moves remain.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Reserve Spaces: Any gap in the reserve must be filled immediately from the Waste Pile, or from the Stock if the Waste is empty. If both are empty, the space remains unfilled.
• Foundation Restrictions: Cards cannot be removed from foundations once placed. Kings can only be placed on the Upper Ace Foundations after their matching King has been played to the Lower Ace Foundations.
• No Tableau Building: No building or movement is allowed within the reserve (tableau); only direct moves to foundations are permitted.
• No Redeals: The Stock is dealt through only once; there is no reshuffling or redealing.
• Suit Matching: All building on foundations must be strictly by suit and in the prescribed sequence for each foundation type.
• Single Card Moves: Only one card may be moved at a time; sequences are never permitted.

Key Terms Defined:

• Foundation: Piles where cards are built up according to specific rules.
• Reserve: Face-up cards available only for play to foundations.
• Stock: Face-down draw pile.
• Waste Pile: Discard pile for unplayable cards, top card always available for play or filling reserve gaps.

This guide provides the complete ruleset and gameplay mechanics for Royal Rendezvous Solitaire as documented in official and reputable sources.