Thirty Nine Steps

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Thirty Nine Steps Solitaire is to move all cards from the tableau to the foundation piles, building each foundation up by suit from Ace to King.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck Used:
  Uses two standard 52-card decks (total 104 cards).

• Initial Deal:
  Deal thirteen tableau piles, each with three cards splayed downward (overlapping so all are visible).

• Play Areas Defined:

• Tableau: Thirteen piles of three cards each, all cards dealt face up.

• Foundations: Eight piles, one for each suit in both decks. These start empty and are built up by suit from Ace to King.

• Stock/Reserve: There is no stock or reserve in this variant; all cards are dealt to the tableau at the start.

• Card Orientation:
  All cards in the tableau are dealt face up and remain visible throughout the game.

Thirty Nine Steps Solitaire Rules:

• Card Movement Principles:

• Only the top card of each tableau pile is available for play.

• Cards are moved one at a time.

• Building Sequences:

• Tableau: You may build downward by rank (a card can be placed on another if it is exactly one rank lower, regardless of suit).

• Foundations: Build upward by suit, starting with Aces and continuing to Kings for each suit.

• Moving Cards:

• You may move a card from the tableau to another tableau pile if it is one rank lower than the top card of that pile.

• You may move an Ace from the tableau to start a foundation pile.

• You may move cards from the tableau to the foundations, following the suit and ascending order.

Gameplay:

• Turn Sequence:

1. Review all tableau piles for available moves.
2. Move cards between tableau piles, building downward by rank.
3. Move Aces to empty foundation piles to start building up by suit.
4. Continue building foundations by moving cards from the tableau in ascending order by suit.

• Introducing New Cards:
  All cards are in play from the start; no new cards are introduced during gameplay.

• No Legal Moves:
  If no cards can be moved either within the tableau or to the foundations, and no further progress is possible, the game ends.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning:
  You win by successfully moving all 104 cards to the foundation piles, building each foundation up by suit from Ace to King.

• Losing/Unwinnable State:
  The game is lost or unwinnable if no further legal moves are possible and not all cards have been moved to the foundations.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Empty Tableau Piles:
  If a tableau pile becomes empty, it remains empty for the rest of the game; no cards may be placed into empty tableau spaces.

• Restrictions:

• Only the top card of each tableau pile is playable.

• Only single cards may be moved at a time (no sequences).

• You may not move cards from the foundations back to the tableau.

• Exceptions:
  There are no redeals, stock piles, or reserve piles; all play occurs with the tableau and foundations only.

Summary of Unique Features:

• Uses two decks (104 cards).
• Thirteen tableau piles, all cards face up.
• Only downward building by rank in tableau; upward by suit in foundations.
• Tableau piles cannot be refilled once empty.
• No stock or reserve; all cards are in play from the start.