The Wish

Game Objective:

The primary goal in The Wish Solitaire is to remove all 32 cards from the tableau by discarding pairs of cards with the same rank. If all cards are successfully removed, the player wins.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck Used: A modified 32-card deck is required. Remove all 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, and 6s from a standard 52-card deck. The deck will consist of Aces and 7s through Kings in each suit.
• Tableau: Deal eight piles (columns) with four cards each.
• Card Orientation:
• The bottom three cards of each pile are dealt face-down.
• The top card of each pile is dealt face-up.
• Play Areas Defined:
• Tableau: The eight piles where all gameplay occurs. There are no foundations, stock, reserve, or cells in this variant.

The Wish Solitaire Rules:

• Pairing and Removal: Only pairs of cards with the same rank (e.g., two Queens) may be removed from play. Suits are irrelevant.
• Available Cards: Only face-up cards at the top of each pile are available for pairing and removal.
• Sequence Building: There is no building of sequences by rank, suit, or color. Cards cannot be moved between piles or stacked in any order.
• Removal of Three or More: If three cards of the same rank are face-up, only two may be removed at a time. The player must choose which two to discard; the third remains until a matching card becomes available.
• No Transfers: Cards or sequences may not be moved from one pile to another under any circumstance.

Gameplay:

• Player Actions:
• Identify any available pair of face-up cards with the same rank.
• Remove the chosen pair from the tableau.
• For each pile where a card was removed, immediately flip the next card in that pile face-up (if any remain).
• Introducing New Cards: New cards enter play only by flipping the next face-down card in a pile after a face-up card is removed.
• No More Moves: If no pairs of face-up cards remain, and thus no more legal moves can be made, the game ends in a loss.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning: The game is won if all 32 cards are successfully paired and removed from the tableau.
• Losing: The game is lost (unwinnable) if no pairs of face-up cards remain and cards are still present in the tableau.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Empty Piles: If a pile becomes empty, it remains empty for the rest of the game. Empty tableau spaces are never filled.
• No Redeal: There is no redeal or recycling of cards. Once a card is removed, it is out of play permanently.
• Multiple Matches: If more than one pair is available, the player may choose which pair to remove, but strategic consideration is recommended due to the low probability of winning.
• Three of a Kind: If three cards of the same rank are face-up, only two may be removed at a time. The third remains until a matching card appears.
• No Suit Matching: Only rank matters for pairing; suits are ignored.
• No Building: There is no stacking, building up or down, or moving cards between piles.
• Optional Variant: Some sources mention that all cards can be dealt face-up for a more open variant, but the standard rules use face-down cards except for the top of each pile.

Summary:
The Wish Solitaire is a pure pairing solitaire game using a reduced deck and eight tableau piles. Success depends on careful pair selection and a significant element of luck, as there is no redeal or movement beyond pairing and flipping cards.