Thieves of Egypt

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Thieves of Egypt Solitaire is to move all 104 cards (two standard 52-card decks) to the eight foundation piles, building each foundation in ascending order from Ace to King in the same suit.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Two standard 52-card decks (104 cards total).
• Tableau: 10 tableau columns, dealt face-up. The columns are arranged in an inverted pyramid pattern, with each column receiving a specific number of cards, left to right:
• 1st column: 1 card
• 2nd column: 3 cards
• 3rd column: 5 cards
• 4th column: 7 cards
• 5th column: 9 cards
• 6th column: 10 cards
• 7th column: 8 cards
• 8th column: 6 cards
• 9th column: 4 cards
• 10th column: 2 cards
• All tableau cards are dealt face-up.
• Foundations: Eight foundation piles, initially empty.
• Stock: The remaining 49 cards form the stock pile, placed face-down.
• Waste/Discard Pile: Cards drawn from the stock are placed face-up in a waste pile; only the top card of the waste is accessible for play.

Thieves of Egypt Solitaire Rules:

• Foundations:
• Built up in suit, starting from Ace and ending with King (e.g., Ace♠, 2♠, 3♠, …, King♠).
• Tableau:
• Built down in alternating colors (red-black-red or black-red-black), regardless of suit.
• Any number of properly sequenced cards (descending rank, alternating color) may be moved together as a group.
• Only Kings or sequences starting with a King may be moved to an empty tableau column.
• Stock and Waste:
• Cards are drawn one at a time from the stock to the waste pile.
• The top card of the waste pile can be played to either the tableau or the foundations.
• Only one redeal of the stock is allowed (you may go through the stock twice in total).
• Card Movement:
• Only the exposed (top) card of each tableau column is available for play to the foundation or to another tableau column, unless moving a valid sequence.
• Sequences may be split; any exposed card or valid sequence can be moved if the build condition is met.

Gameplay:

• Begin by moving any available Aces from the tableau to the foundations.
• Build foundation piles in ascending order and matching suit.
• Within the tableau, organize cards in descending order and alternating color.
• Move any number of correctly sequenced cards within the tableau, following the build rules.
• When no moves are available in the tableau, draw one card from the stock to the waste pile.
• The top card of the waste pile can be played to the tableau or to the foundations.
• If the stock is exhausted, you may redeal it once, flipping the waste pile to form a new stock.
• Play continues until all cards are moved to the foundations or no further moves are possible.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Win: The game is won when all 104 cards are successfully moved to the eight foundation piles, each built up from Ace to King in the same suit.
• Lose: The game is lost (unwinnable) if no legal moves remain and the stock has been exhausted (including the single allowed redeal), with cards still remaining in the tableau or waste.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Tableau Columns: Only a King or a valid descending sequence starting with a King may be placed in an empty tableau column.
• Moving Sequences: Any number of cards forming a valid descending, alternating-color sequence may be moved together as a group.
• Redeal Limitation: Only one redeal of the stock is permitted; after the second pass through the stock, no further cards may be drawn.
• Supermove (Variant/Software Feature): Some digital versions allow "supermove," letting players move multiple cards at once if the move would be possible by moving individual cards in sequence.
• Strategic Considerations: Clearing tableau columns early is advantageous, as it allows for more flexibility in moving Kings and sequences.

Definitions of Key Terms:

• Tableau: The main play area consisting of 10 columns where cards are arranged and manipulated according to the game’s build rules.
• Foundation: The target piles where cards are built up in suit from Ace to King.
• Stock: The face-down pile from which cards are drawn one at a time.
• Waste/Discard Pile: The face-up pile where cards from the stock are placed; only the top card is available for play.

This guide is based on the official rules and authoritative online implementations of Thieves of Egypt Solitaire.