Tabbycat

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Tabbycat Solitaire is to assemble four complete sequences of thirteen cards each, built in descending order from King to Ace (regardless of suit or color), and move each finished sequence to a discard or foundation pile. The game is won when all four discard piles are filled with these complete sequences, leaving no cards in the deck, tableau, or the special reserve pile called the "tail".

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Use a standard 52-card deck (no jokers).
• Tableau: Deal four cards face-up in a row; each card starts a tableau pile. There are four tableau piles in total.
• Discard (Foundation) Piles: Four empty piles, also called discard or foundation piles, are reserved for completed King-to-Ace sequences.
• Tail (Reserve) Pile: Place an empty pile called the "tail" next to the tableau. This is a special reserve pile that can temporarily hold one group of cards.
• Stock: The remaining 48 cards form a face-down stock pile, used to deal new cards onto the tableau as play progresses.

Tabbycat Solitaire Rules:

• Building on the Tableau:
• Cards are built down in rank on the tableau, regardless of suit or color (e.g., 7 can be placed on 8 of any suit).
• Circular building is allowed: a King can be placed on an Ace.
• Groups of cards in proper descending sequence may be moved together as a unit between tableau piles.
• Empty Tableau Piles:
• Any single card or valid descending sequence may be moved into an empty tableau pile.
• The Tail (Reserve) Pile:
• The tail can hold one group (partial or full descending sequence) at a time.
• Cards in the tail cannot be played individually; the entire group must be moved back to a tableau pile at once.
• No building is allowed within the tail.
• Completing and Moving Sequences:
• When a tableau pile contains a complete descending sequence from King to Ace, it may be moved to a discard/foundation pile.
• Dealing from the Stock:
• At any time (typically when no further moves are available), deal one card from the stock onto each tableau pile.
• There is no redeal; once the stock is exhausted, no new cards can be dealt.

Gameplay:

• Player Actions:
• Move available cards or valid descending sequences between tableau piles, following the building rules.
• Move a group of cards to the tail (if the tail is empty), planning to return them as a unit to a tableau pile later.
• Fill empty tableau piles with any available card or valid sequence.
• When no further moves are possible or desirable, deal four new cards (one per tableau pile) from the stock.
• Move any complete King-to-Ace sequence from a tableau pile to a discard/foundation pile.
• Introducing New Cards:
• New cards are introduced only by dealing from the stock, placing one card face-up on each tableau pile.
• No More Legal Moves:
• If no moves are possible and the stock is empty, the game ends.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning Condition:
• The player wins by moving all four complete King-to-Ace sequences to the discard/foundation piles, leaving the tableau, tail, and stock empty.
• Losing/Unwinnable Condition:
• The game is lost or unwinnable if there are no legal moves left and the stock is exhausted, with incomplete sequences remaining on the tableau or in the tail.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Tableau Piles:
• Any card or valid descending sequence may be moved into an empty tableau pile at any time.
• Tail (Reserve) Restrictions:
• Only one group can occupy the tail at a time.
• Cards in the tail are inaccessible until the entire group can be moved back to a tableau pile in a single move.
• No partial moves from the tail are allowed.
• Circular Building:
• Building wraps from King to Ace, allowing sequences such as King, Ace, Queen, etc..
• No Redeal:
• The stock can only be dealt once; after it is empty, no further cards enter play.
• Strategic Note:
• Moving cards to the tail without a clear plan may result in cards being stranded and the game becoming unwinnable.

Definitions of Key Play Areas:

• Tableau: Main play area with four piles, where cards are built down in rank.
• Discard/Foundation Piles: Where completed King-to-Ace sequences are placed to achieve victory.
• Tail (Reserve): Special pile for temporarily holding one group of cards, with strict movement rules.
• Stock: Face-down pile from which new cards are dealt to the tableau.

All rules above are based on official and authoritative sources for Tabbycat Solitaire.