Sweet Sixteen

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Sweet Sixteen Solitaire is to move all cards from the stock into the tableau by building valid descending sequences, thereby emptying the stock.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck Used: A standard 52-card deck is used for Sweet Sixteen Solitaire.
• Tableau: There are sixteen tableau piles. Each pile is initially dealt one card face up.
• Stock: The remaining 36 cards after the initial deal form the stock pile, which is kept face down.
• Play Areas Defined:
• Tableau: The main play area, consisting of 16 piles, each with one face-up card.
• Stock: The draw pile containing the undealt cards, used to refill tableau spaces.
• No Foundations: Unlike many solitaire variants, Sweet Sixteen does not use foundation piles.

Sweet Sixteen Solitaire Rules:

• Building Sequences: Cards are built downward by alternating colors in the tableau. For example, a black 10 (10♠ or 10♣) can be placed on a red Jack (J♥ or J♦), and vice versa.
• Card Movement: Only the top card of each tableau pile may be moved at any time.
• Empty Spaces: When a tableau pile is emptied, it is immediately filled with a card from the stock.
• No Multiple Card Moves: Only single cards may be moved at a time; sequences or groups of cards cannot be moved together.
• No Building Around-the-Corner: Kings cannot be built upon by Aces; sequences must descend in rank without wrapping.

Gameplay:

• Turn Sequence:
• Select a top card from any tableau pile and move it onto another tableau pile if it follows the descending, alternating color rule.
• If a tableau pile becomes empty, immediately fill it with the top card from the stock.
• Continue making moves as long as legal card placements are available.
• Introducing New Cards:
• New cards enter play only when a tableau pile is emptied, at which point the top card from the stock is automatically dealt to fill the space.
• No Moves Available:
• If no legal moves remain and the stock still contains cards, play is blocked until a move is possible.
• If the stock is empty and no moves remain, the game ends.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning Condition: The game is won when all cards have been dealt from the stock and placed into the tableau, meaning the stock is empty and all cards are in play.
• Losing Condition: The game is lost (or unwinnable) if the player is unable to make any further legal moves and the stock still contains cards, preventing all cards from entering play.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Spaces: Any empty tableau pile is immediately filled with a card from the stock. If the stock is depleted, empty tableau spaces remain empty for the rest of the game.
• No Foundations: There are no foundation piles; all building occurs on the tableau.
• Sequence Restrictions: Only descending sequences by alternating colors are permitted. Sequences cannot wrap from King to Ace.
• Card Movement Limitation: Only the top card of each pile can be moved; multiple cards cannot be moved together.
• Game Strategy: It is advantageous to start sequences with Kings, as they allow longer builds. Avoid starting sequences with low cards unless necessary.

Definitions:

• Tableau: The main play area consisting of multiple piles where cards are built in descending order by alternating colors.
• Stock: The pile of undealt cards used to refill empty tableau spaces.
• Foundation: A pile where cards are typically built up by suit in other solitaire games; not used in Sweet Sixteen Solitaire.

This guide covers the precise rules and mechanics required to play Sweet Sixteen Solitaire according to the most authoritative sources available.