Taking Silk

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Taking Silk Solitaire is to remove all cards from the deck by following a specific sequence of discards, ultimately leaving no cards remaining in your hand.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Use a standard 52-card deck with no Jokers.
• Initial Arrangement: Hold the entire deck face-down in one hand. There is no tableau, foundation, or other play areas typical of other solitaire variants.
• Play Area: The only play area is the hand—the deck itself, from which cards are drawn and fanned out for visibility.
• Dealing: Draw four cards from the back (bottom) of the deck and fan them out so that all four cards’ faces are visible to the player. All cards in play are face-up in the fan; the remainder of the deck remains face-down in the hand.

Taking Silk Solitaire Rules:

• Core Mechanic: Always have four cards fanned out and visible. After each discard or draw, rearrange so four cards are visible, drawing from the back of the deck as needed.
• Discarding by Suit: If the first and fourth cards in the visible fan are of the same suit, discard the two middle cards (the second and third cards).
• Discarding by Rank: If the first and fourth cards are of the same rank (number or face card), discard all four cards.
• No Match: If neither discard condition is met, draw one card from the back of the deck and add it to the right end of the fan, then rearrange to display the newest set of four visible cards.
• Sequence Maintenance: After any discard, always ensure that four cards are visible by drawing from the back of the deck if necessary.

Gameplay:

• Turn Sequence:

1. Fan out the top four cards from the back of the deck.
2. Check for discard conditions:
   • If first and fourth are the same suit, discard the two middle cards.
   • If first and fourth are the same rank, discard all four cards.
3. After discarding, rearrange the remaining cards so that four are visible, drawing from the back as needed.
4. If no discard is possible, draw one new card from the back and add it to the right of the fan, then repeat the process.

• Repetition: Continue this cycle until the deck is exhausted or no further moves are possible.
• End of Deck: If fewer than four cards remain, fan out all remaining cards and check for possible discards.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning: The game is won if all cards are successfully discarded according to the rules, leaving the hand empty.
• Losing: The game is lost (unwinnable state) if, after exhausting all possible draws and discards, cards remain in the hand and no further legal moves can be made.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Empty Fan: If fewer than four cards remain, fan out all remaining cards and apply the discard rules as usual.
• No Possible Discards: If at any point no discard is possible and no cards remain to draw, the game ends in a loss.
• Variation (Optional): Some versions allow previously drawn cards to be recycled and replayed after the deck has been cycled through, but the original sequence must be preserved. This slightly increases the odds of winning.
• Additional Variation: If four consecutive cards are the same suit, all four may be discarded. Another variant allows for discarding the last three cards if the last two cards are the same rank and the first and fourth are the same suit, but these are not part of the standard ruleset.

Note: The odds of winning Taking Silk Solitaire are low, estimated at approximately 1 in 140 games.