Six by Four

Game Objective:

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

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Use a standard 52-card deck.
• Tableau: Arrange six tableau piles:
• The first four piles each contain nine cards.
• The last two piles each contain eight cards.
• All cards in the tableau are dealt face up.
• Foundations: Four empty foundation piles are positioned above or beside the tableau. Each will be built up by suit starting from Ace.
• Stock, Waste, Reserve: There are no stock, waste, or reserve piles in this variant; all cards are in play from the start.

Key Play Areas:

• Tableau: The six piles of face-up cards where most gameplay occurs.
• Foundations: The four piles where cards are built up by suit.

Six by Four Solitaire Rules:

• Card Movement: Only the top card of each tableau pile may be moved at any time.
• Building on the Tableau: Cards on the tableau are built down in alternating colors (e.g., red on black, black on red).
• Moving Sequences: You may move sequences of cards in correct descending order and alternating colors as a unit between tableau piles.
• Foundations: Foundations are built up by suit from Ace to King (e.g., Ace, 2, 3, …, King of Hearts).
• Empty Tableau Spaces: When a tableau pile is emptied, only a King or a valid descending sequence starting with a King may be moved to fill the space.

Gameplay:

• On your turn, you may:
• Move the top card or a valid sequence from one tableau pile to another, following the descending and alternating color rule.
• Move an Ace to an empty foundation pile, then continue building up by suit.
• Fill any empty tableau pile with a King or a sequence starting with a King.
• There is no stock or waste pile; all gameplay is on the tableau and foundations.
• Continue making legal moves until no more moves are possible or all cards are moved to the foundations.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Win: You win if all 52 cards are moved to the four foundation piles, with each pile built up by suit from Ace to King.
• Lose: The game is lost if no further legal moves are possible and not all cards are in the foundations.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Empty Tableau Piles: Only a King or a correctly ordered descending sequence starting with a King may fill an empty tableau space.
• No Stock or Redeal: Since all cards are dealt at the start and there is no stock, there are no redeals or additional cards introduced during play.
• Sequence Movement: You may move sequences only if they are in strict descending order and alternate colors.
• Multiple Moves: If multiple moves are possible, you may choose the order of your moves; there is no restriction on move sequence beyond the core rules.

Definitions:

• Tableau: The main area of play with six piles of face-up cards.
• Foundation: The target piles built up by suit from Ace to King.
• Sequence: A group of cards in descending order and alternating colors that may be moved as a unit.

This ruleset reflects the unique mechanics of Six by Four Solitaire, distinguishing it from more common variants by its six all-face-up tableau piles and absence of a stock or waste pile.