Thoughtful

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Thoughtful Solitaire is to move all cards from the tableau and stock to the four foundation piles, building each foundation up in ascending order by suit from Ace to King.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Use a standard 52-card deck, with no Jokers.
• Tableau: Deal seven tableau piles from left to right:
• Pile 1: 1 card
• Pile 2: 2 cards
• Pile 3: 3 cards
• Continue, increasing by one card per pile, up to pile 7 with 7 cards.
• Face Orientation: In Thoughtful Solitaire, all tableau cards are dealt face up. This is a unique feature distinguishing it from standard Klondike.
• Stock: Place the remaining cards face down to form the stock pile.
• Foundations: Four empty foundation piles, one for each suit, are reserved above the tableau.

Key Play Areas:

• Tableau: Seven piles where most card manipulation occurs.
• Foundations: Four piles (one per suit) to build from Ace to King.
• Stock: The pile from which additional cards are drawn during play.
• Talon (Waste): A face-up pile where cards from the stock are placed when drawn.

Thoughtful Solitaire Rules:

• Card Movement Principles:

• Any face-up card block (a sequence of face-up cards in correct order) can be moved as a unit between tableau piles, preserving their order.

• Only the top card of a tableau pile or talon may be moved to a foundation or another tableau pile.

• After moving a card block, if a tableau pile is left with cards, the next card beneath becomes the new top card (already face up in this variant).

• Building Sequences in Tableau:

• Build tableau piles downward in rank (each card must be one rank lower than the previous).

• Cards must be alternating colors (red on black or black on red).

• Only a King or a block starting with a King can be placed on an empty tableau pile.

• Foundations:

• Build each foundation pile upward in rank (Ace, 2, 3, …, King) and by suit.

• Only an Ace can start a foundation pile.

• Only the top card of a foundation pile can be moved back to the tableau if allowed by tableau building rules.

• Stock and Talon:

• Cards are drawn from the stock to the talon, typically three at a time, but some variants allow one at a time.

• Only the top card of the talon is available for play to the tableau or foundations.

Gameplay:

• Turn Sequence:

• Move any eligible face-up card or card block within the tableau, following building rules.

• Move eligible cards to the foundations when possible.

• Draw cards from the stock to the talon when no more moves are available in the tableau.

• Play the top card of the talon to the tableau or foundations if possible.

• Repeat until all cards are moved to the foundations or no further legal moves are possible.

• Introducing New Cards:

• When the stock is used, deal three cards at a time to the talon (waste). Only the top card of the talon is playable.

• When the stock is empty, the talon may be turned over to form a new stock. There is no limit to the number of redeals in Thoughtful Solitaire.

• No More Legal Moves:

• If no moves are possible in the tableau, and no cards can be played from the talon or stock, the game ends.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning: The game is won when all 52 cards are successfully moved to the foundation piles, each built up in suit from Ace to King.
• Losing/Unwinnable: The game is lost or unwinnable if no legal moves remain and not all cards are in the foundations.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Tableau Piles: Only a King (or a block with a King at the bottom) may be moved to an empty tableau pile.
• Moving Card Blocks: When moving a sequence, all cards in the block must be moved together; partial moves from within a block are not allowed.
• Unlimited Redeals: Unlike some Klondike variants, Thoughtful Solitaire allows an unlimited number of redeals from the talon back to the stock.
• Perfect Information: All tableau cards are face up from the start, so the player always has full information about card positions.
• Foundation-to-Tableau Moves: The top card of a foundation may be moved back to the tableau if it fits the tableau’s building rules.
• Card Suit and Color Definitions:
• Suit: Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, Spades.
• Color: Red (Diamonds, Hearts), Black (Clubs, Spades).

Note: Thoughtful Solitaire is a perfect-information variant of Klondike, making it more strategic and challenging than standard Klondike, which features hidden cards in the tableau.