Stronghold

Game Objective:

The objective of Stronghold 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:
• 8 tableau piles are created.
• The first 4 tableau piles are each dealt 7 cards face up.
• The next 4 tableau piles are each dealt 6 cards face up.
• All cards in the tableau are dealt face up and are fully visible at the start of the game.
• Foundations:
• 4 foundation piles are placed above or beside the tableau.
• Foundations start empty.
• Cells (if present):
• Some digital implementations may provide a single "cell" (temporary storage space) at the top, but this is not universal. In classic rules, there are no reserve cells.
• Stock/Reserve: There is no stock or reserve pile in standard Stronghold Solitaire.

Stronghold Solitaire Rules:

• Card Movement:
• Only the top card of each tableau pile is available for play at any time.
• Cards are moved one at a time unless multiple free cells are available (in digital variants), which may allow moving a run of cards.
• Tableau Building:
• Cards on the tableau are built downward in rank, regardless of suit (e.g., 9 can be placed on 10, regardless of suit).
• No building up or alternating colors; suit and color do not matter for tableau building.
• Foundations:
• Foundations are built up in suit, starting from Ace and ending with King (e.g., Ace♠, 2♠, 3♠, …, King♠).
• Only Aces can be moved to empty foundations to start them.
• Empty Tableau Piles:
• Any card may be moved to fill an empty tableau pile.

Gameplay:

• Sequence of Actions:
• Examine the tableau and move any available Aces to the foundation piles.
• Build cards onto the foundations in ascending order and by suit whenever possible.
• Build cards downward on the tableau piles, regardless of suit, to uncover and free up other cards.
• Move cards to empty tableau spaces as needed to facilitate further moves.
• Introducing New Cards:
• There is no stock; all cards are available from the start, so no new cards are introduced during play.
• If No Moves Are Possible:
• If you cannot move any card to a foundation or within the tableau, and no tableau piles are empty for maneuvering, the game is blocked and play ends.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning Condition:
• The game is won when all 52 cards have been moved to the four foundations, each built up in suit from Ace to King.
• Losing/Unwinnable Condition:
• The game is lost or becomes unwinnable when no further legal moves are possible, and not all cards have been moved to the foundations.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Tableau Piles:
• Any card may be used to fill an empty tableau pile, providing flexibility for maneuvering sequences.
• Moving Runs:
• In classic rules, only single cards may be moved at a time. However, some digital versions allow moving a sequence of cards if there are enough empty cells or tableau spaces to facilitate the move.
• No Stock or Redeal:
• There is no stock pile and no redeal; all cards are in play from the beginning.
• All Cards Face Up:
• All cards are visible at all times, so there is no hidden information or face-down cards.
• No Round-the-Corner Building:
• You cannot build from King to Ace or Ace to King on the tableau; building is strictly downward in rank.

Summary of Key Terms:

• Tableau: The main play area with 8 piles, all cards dealt face up.
• Foundation: Four piles where cards are built up by suit from Ace to King.
• Cell: Optional single-card storage area in some digital versions.
• Stock/Reserve: Not used in Stronghold Solitaire.

This guide reflects the authoritative rules for Stronghold Solitaire as documented by leading solitaire resources and official digital implementations.