Scotch

Game Objective:

The primary objective in Scotch Solitaire (also known as Scotch Patience) is to move all cards from the tableau to the four foundation piles, building each foundation in ascending order from Ace to King, following an alternating color sequence.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Use a standard 52-card deck.
• Tableau: Deal 18 tableau piles. The first 16 piles each receive 3 cards face up; the last 2 piles each receive 2 cards face up, for a total of 52 cards arranged in a 4x4 grid plus two additional piles.
• Foundations: Place four empty foundation piles above or beside the tableau. These will be built up during play, starting with the Aces as they become available.
• Stock, Reserve, Cells: There is no stock, reserve, or cell area in this game; all cards are dealt at the start.
• Face Orientation: All cards in the tableau are dealt face up.

Scotch Solitaire Rules:

• Foundations:
• Foundations are built up from Ace to King, following an alternating color sequence (e.g., red Ace, black 2, red 3, etc.).
• Once a card is placed on a foundation, it cannot be moved back to the tableau.
• Tableau:
• Cards in the tableau are built down in rank (King to Ace) regardless of suit or color.
• Only the top card of each tableau pile is available for play.
• Only one card may be moved at a time.
• Sequences of cards cannot be moved; only individual cards.
• Vacancies: Empty tableau piles (created when a pile’s last card is moved) cannot be filled—they remain empty for the rest of the game.

Gameplay:

• During each turn, the player may:
• Move any available Ace from the tableau to a foundation pile.
• Move the top card of any tableau pile to a foundation pile if it follows the alternating color and ascending rank rule.
• Move the top card of any tableau pile onto another tableau pile if it is one rank lower, regardless of suit or color (e.g., place a 6 on a 7).
• No new cards are introduced into play; all cards are available from the initial deal.
• If a player cannot make any more legal moves (either to the foundations or within the tableau), play ends.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Win: The game is won when all 52 cards have been moved to the four foundation piles, built up in alternating colors from Ace to King.
• Lose: The game is lost if no further legal moves can be made and not all cards have been moved to the foundations.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Spaces: Empty tableau piles cannot be filled; once a pile is empty, it remains empty for the duration of the game.
• No Redeal: There is no redeal or reshuffling; the game is played with a single deal.
• Sequence Movement: Only single cards may be moved; sequences or groups of cards cannot be transferred between tableau piles.
• Foundation Restrictions: Once a card is placed on a foundation, it cannot be moved back to the tableau or to another foundation.

Definitions:

• Foundation: A pile where cards are built up from Ace to King in alternating colors.
• Tableau: The main area of play, consisting of 18 piles where cards are built down in rank, regardless of suit or color.

This ruleset distinguishes Scotch Solitaire from similar fan-style solitaire games by its alternating color foundation building, inability to fill empty tableau spaces, and restriction to single-card moves only.