Russian

Game Objective:

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

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: One standard 52-card deck is used.
• Tableau: There are seven tableau piles, arranged from left to right:
  • The first pile has 1 card, face up.
  • The second pile has 1 card face down, then 5 cards face up on top.
  • The third pile has 2 cards face down, then 5 cards face up on top.
  • The fourth pile has 3 cards face down, then 5 cards face up on top.
  • The fifth pile has 4 cards face down, then 5 cards face up on top.
  • The sixth pile has 5 cards face down, then 5 cards face up on top.
  • The seventh pile has 6 cards face down, then 5 cards face up on top.
• Foundations: Four empty foundation piles are placed above or beside the tableau. Each foundation is built up by suit from Ace to King.
• Stock/Waste/Reserve: There is no stock, waste, or reserve pile in Russian Solitaire.
• Face-Up/Face-Down: Only the lowest card(s) in each tableau pile are face up at the start; all other cards in each pile are face down as described above.

Russian Solitaire Rules:

• Foundations:
  • Cards are built up by suit, starting with Ace and ending with King (e.g., Ace of Hearts, 2 of Hearts, …, King of Hearts).
  • Only Aces may start a foundation pile.
• Tableau:
  • Cards are built down by suit in each tableau pile (e.g., 7 of Spades on 8 of Spades).
  • Any face-up card in the tableau can be moved, along with all cards on top of it, as a unit.
  • You may move a single card or a group (fan) of cards, provided the move follows the descending-in-suit rule.
  • Only Kings, or groups of cards headed by a King, may be moved into empty tableau spaces.
  • When a face-down card is exposed at the bottom of a tableau pile, it is immediately turned face up.
• No Stock/Waste: There are no redeals and no additional cards introduced during play.

Gameplay:

• Players move cards within the tableau and to the foundations according to the rules above.
• Only face-up cards are available for movement. If a card is buried, all cards above it must be moved together as a group.
• The sequence of play typically involves:
  • Moving available Aces to the foundations.
  • Building foundations up by suit whenever possible.
  • Moving cards or sequences within the tableau to uncover face-down cards and create new moves.
  • Filling empty tableau spaces with Kings or valid King-headed sequences.
• There are no means to introduce new cards into play after the initial deal; all play is confined to the tableau and foundations.
• If no legal moves remain, the game ends.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Win: The game is won when all 52 cards are moved to the foundation piles, each built up by suit from Ace to King.
• Loss/Unwinnable: The game is lost or unwinnable if no further legal moves can be made and not all cards have been moved to the foundations.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Tableau Spaces: Only a King, or a group of cards with a King at the bottom, may be moved to an empty tableau pile.
• Moving Groups of Cards: Any face-up card in the tableau can be moved, but all cards above it must be moved as a single unit, regardless of their order.
• No Redeals: There are no redeals, stock, or waste piles. All play is restricted to the tableau and foundations.
• Turning Face-Down Cards: Whenever a face-down card is uncovered at the bottom of a tableau pile, it must be turned face up immediately.
• No Partial Moves: You cannot move a partial group; if you move a card from within a pile, all cards above it must move with it.

Note: Russian Solitaire is considered a very challenging solitaire variant, and winning is rare due to the strict movement and building rules.