Somerset

Game Objective:

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

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Standard 52-card deck is used.
• Tableau: There are ten tableau columns. The cards are dealt as follows:
• 1 card face up to the 1st pile,
• 2 cards face up to the 2nd pile,
• 3 cards face up to the 3rd pile,
• …continuing in this pattern until
• 8 cards face up to both the 9th and 10th piles.
• Foundations: Four empty spaces above the tableau, one for each suit.
• Stock & Waste: There is no stock or waste pile in the classic Somerset Solitaire variant; all cards are dealt face up into the tableau at the start.
• Face Orientation: All cards in the tableau are dealt face up.

Somerset Solitaire Rules:

• Foundations:
• Build up by suit, starting from Ace and ending with King (e.g., Ace♠, 2♠, 3♠, …, King♠).
• Only the top card of each foundation pile is available for play.
• Tableau:
• Build down in alternating colors (e.g., a red 9 can be placed on a black 10).
• Only the top card of each tableau pile is available for movement.
• Any single card may be moved to an empty tableau space.
• Only one card may be moved at a time; sequences cannot be moved as a unit.
• Card Movement:
• Cards may be moved from tableau to tableau, or from tableau to foundation, following the above building rules.
• There is no redeal, stock, or waste; all play occurs within the tableau and foundations.

Gameplay:

• On each turn, the player:
• Moves any available top card from a tableau pile to a foundation (if it fits the build-up by suit rule).
• Moves any available top card from one tableau pile to another, following the build-down by alternating color rule.
• Fills any empty tableau space with any available card from the tableau.
• The player continues making legal moves until no further moves are possible or all cards are moved to the foundations.
• Since all cards are dealt face up at the start, there is no stock to introduce new cards into play.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning: The game is won when all 52 cards are moved to the four foundation piles, each built up in suit from Ace to King.
• Losing: The game is lost (unwinnable state) if no more legal moves can be made and not all cards are in the foundations.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Empty Tableau Spaces: Any single available card from the tableau may be moved into an empty tableau space; there are no restrictions on which card can fill a space.
• No Sequence Moves: Only one card may be moved at a time, even if a sequence is in correct order.
• Open Layout: All cards are visible from the start, allowing complete information for planning moves.
• No Stock or Redeal: Unlike Klondike, there is no stock or redeal; all cards are in play from the beginning.
• Low Win Rate: The odds of winning are relatively low (about 1 in 9 games), reflecting the challenge of the open but restrictive tableau.

Key Terms Defined:

• Tableau: The main play area consisting of ten columns where cards are arranged and manipulated.
• Foundation: The four piles (one per suit) where cards are built up from Ace to King.
• Alternating Colors: Building down in the tableau by placing a card of one color (red/black) on a card of the opposite color.

This guide is based on the most authoritative and official rules available for Somerset Solitaire.