Thirteens

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Thirteens Solitaire is to discard all cards from the deck by removing pairs of cards whose combined values total exactly thirteen, with Kings discarded singly.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Use a standard 52-card deck.
• Tableau: Deal ten cards face up in a single row; each card forms its own tableau pile.
• Stock: The remaining 42 cards form the stock pile, placed face down.
• Play Areas Defined:
• Tableau: The ten face-up piles where active play occurs.
• Stock: The face-down pile from which tableau spaces are refilled.
• Dealing: Only the top card of each tableau pile is in play at any time. All tableau cards are dealt face up.

Thirteens Solitaire Rules:

• Pairing and Discarding:
• Remove any two cards from the tableau whose ranks sum to thirteen, regardless of suit.
• Valid pairs are:
  • Ace (1) + Queen (12)
  • 2 + Jack (11)
  • 3 + 10
  • 4 + 9
  • 5 + 8
  • 6 + 7
• Kings (13): Discarded singly, without pairing.
• Card Values:
• Ace = 1, Jack = 11, Queen = 12, King = 13.
• Tableau Restrictions:
• Only the top card of each tableau pile is available for pairing or single discard.
• No building or moving cards between tableau piles is permitted.
• Automatic Filling:
• When a tableau pile is emptied, immediately refill it with the top card from the stock.
• If the stock is exhausted, empty tableau spaces remain unfilled.

Gameplay:

• Player Actions:
• Examine the tableau for available pairs that sum to thirteen or any single Kings.
• Remove valid pairs or single Kings from the tableau and place them in the discard pile.
• Each time a tableau pile is emptied, refill it from the stock if cards remain.
• Dealing from Stock:
• Tableau spaces are automatically refilled from the stock as soon as they become empty.
• No Moves Available:
• If no more valid pairs or Kings are present and the stock is exhausted, the game ends.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning:
• The game is won when all cards from the deck have been successfully paired and discarded, leaving the tableau and stock empty.
• Losing:
• The game is lost (or unwinnable) if no valid moves remain and the stock is depleted, with cards still left on the tableau.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Spaces:
• Every time a tableau pile is emptied, it is immediately refilled from the stock, if available.
• Once the stock is empty, empty tableau spaces are not refilled and remain vacant.
• No Redeal:
• There is no redeal; once the stock is exhausted, play continues only with the remaining tableau cards.
• Card Availability:
• Only the top card of each tableau pile is available for pairing or single discard; cards beneath cannot be accessed until the top card is removed.
• No Tableau Building:
• Cards cannot be moved between tableau piles or built in any sequence.
• Edge Case—All Kings:
• If multiple Kings appear on the tableau, each may be discarded singly as soon as they are revealed.

Note: There are minor variations of Thirteens Solitaire with different tableau sizes (e.g., five or fifteen cards), but the standard and most widely recognized version uses ten tableau piles as described above.