Seven by Seven

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Seven by Seven Solitaire is to discard all cards from the tableau and reserve piles by forming and removing valid pairs of cards whose ranks add up to seven, as well as discarding all sevens as single cards.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Use a standard 52-card deck.
• Tableau: Deal six tableau piles (also called tableau cells), each with one card dealt face-up.
• Reserve: Above the tableau, leave space for six reserve cells; these are initially empty and will be filled during play.
• Stock: Place the remaining cards face-down to form the stock pile.
• Discard Area: Leave space for a discard pile where removed cards will be placed.
• Face Orientation: All tableau cards are dealt face-up. Cards drawn from the stock are also placed face-up in tableau or reserve cells.

Seven by Seven Solitaire Rules:

• Valid Pairs: Only pairs of cards whose ranks sum to seven can be discarded. The valid pairs are:
• Ace (1) + 6
• 2 + 5
• 3 + 4
• Sevens: Any seven can be discarded as a single card without a pair.
• Non-Discardable Ranks: 8s, 9s, 10s, Jacks, Queens, and Kings cannot be paired or discarded directly.
• Reserve Cells: Each reserve cell can hold only one card, and only one of each of these non-discardable ranks (8, 9, 10, J, Q, K) may occupy a reserve cell at any time.
• Reserve Row Discard: Once all six reserve cells are filled with one card each of 8, 9, 10, J, Q, and K, the entire reserve row is discarded as a set.

Gameplay:

• Turn Sequence:
• Discard any available valid pair from the tableau whose ranks add to seven, or discard any single seven.
• After discarding, immediately fill any empty tableau cell with the top card from the stock.
• If a tableau card is 8, 9, 10, J, Q, or K, and there is an empty reserve cell, move it to the reserve.
• If all six reserve cells are filled with one of each of the above ranks, discard the entire reserve row and continue play.
• Stock Depletion: Continue drawing from the stock to fill tableau cells as cards are discarded or moved to reserve.
• No Redeal: There is no redeal; once the stock is empty, play continues only with cards remaining in tableau and reserve.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning: The game is won when all cards have been discarded from the tableau, reserve, and stock piles.
• Losing: The game is lost if no more valid pairs can be made and the stock is depleted, with cards still remaining in the tableau or reserve.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Spaces: Any time a tableau cell becomes empty (due to a discard or move to reserve), it must immediately be filled with the top card from the stock, if available.
• Reserve Cell Restrictions: Only one card of each non-discardable rank (8, 9, 10, J, Q, K) may occupy a reserve cell at a time. You cannot place a duplicate rank in another reserve cell.
• Reserve Row Discard: The only way to remove 8s, 9s, 10s, Jacks, Queens, and Kings is to fill all reserve cells with one of each, then discard the entire row at once.
• No Moves Available: If no valid pairs can be discarded, no sevens are present, no eligible cards can be moved to reserve, and the stock is empty, the game ends in a loss.
• No Redeal: There is no redeal or reshuffling of the stock at any point in the game.

Note: The rules above are based on the most authoritative and consistent sources available for "Seven by Seven Solitaire." If you encounter a variant with seven tableau piles of seven cards each (as referenced in ), be aware that this is a different solitaire game and not the standard "Seven by Seven Solitaire" described here.