Tarantula

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Tarantula Solitaire is to build complete sequences of thirteen cards in descending order from King down to Ace within the tableau, regardless of suit, and transfer these full sequences to the foundation. The game is won when all cards have been organized into such sequences and moved to the foundation.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Tarantula Solitaire uses two standard 52-card decks, totaling 104 cards.
• Tableau: Deal ten tableau piles:
  • The first four piles each receive six cards (five face-down, one face-up).
  • The remaining six piles each receive five cards (four face-down, one face-up).
• Stock: The remaining 50 cards form the stock pile, placed face-down and used to deal new cards during play.
• Foundations: There are eight foundation piles, which will hold completed sequences. No cards are placed here at the start.
• Face-up/Face-down: Only the top card of each tableau pile is dealt face-up; all other tableau cards are face-down.

Key Play Areas:

• Tableau: The main play area with ten columns where building and moving sequences occurs.
• Stock: The reserve pile from which new cards are dealt to the tableau.
• Foundations: The area where completed King-to-Ace sequences are moved.

Tarantula Solitaire Rules:

• Building Sequences: Cards are built in the tableau in descending rank order (King, Queen, Jack, 10, …, Ace). Suit does not matter; any card one rank lower may be placed on another (e.g., any 4 on any 5).
• Moving Cards:
  • Any single face-up card may be moved onto another tableau pile if it is one rank lower than the target card.
  • Groups of face-up cards in correct descending order (regardless of suit) may be moved together as a unit to another tableau pile, provided the move maintains the descending sequence.
• Revealing Cards: When the top face-up card is moved from a tableau pile, the next card beneath (if any) is turned face-up and becomes available for play.
• Empty Spaces: Any card or valid sequence may be moved into an empty tableau pile.
• Foundations: Only complete sequences of thirteen cards in descending order (King to Ace) may be moved to the foundation. Single cards or incomplete sequences cannot be moved to the foundation.

Gameplay:

• Player Actions:
  • Move available face-up cards or valid sequences between tableau piles to build descending sequences.
  • Reveal face-down cards by clearing face-up cards above them.
  • Move complete King-to-Ace sequences to the foundation.
  • Fill empty tableau spaces with any card or valid sequence.
• Dealing from Stock:
  • When no further moves are possible or desired, deal one new card face-up to the top of each tableau pile from the stock.
  • All tableau piles must be occupied before dealing from the stock; empty piles must be filled first.
• No Moves Available: If there are no legal moves and no cards remain in the stock, the game ends.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning: The game is won when all 104 cards have been arranged into eight complete King-to-Ace sequences and moved to the foundation piles.
• Losing: The game is lost or unwinnable if no further legal moves can be made and the stock is depleted, with incomplete sequences remaining in the tableau.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Spaces: Any card or valid descending sequence may be moved into an empty tableau pile at any time.
• Dealing Restrictions: Before dealing a new row from the stock, all tableau piles must be filled; empty piles must be occupied first.
• Sequence Movement: While groups of cards can be moved together if they form a continuous descending sequence, the sequence does not need to be of the same suit in Tarantula Solitaire (unlike Spider Solitaire's harder variants).
• Foundation Access: Once a complete sequence is moved to the foundation, those cards cannot return to the tableau.
• No Partial Foundation Moves: Only full King-to-Ace sequences are eligible to be moved to the foundation; partial or single cards cannot be moved.

Note: Tarantula Solitaire is a variant of Spider Solitaire, but with relaxed rules allowing sequences to be built and moved regardless of suit, making it more accessible while retaining strategic depth.