Waxing Moon

Game Objective:

The objective of Waxing Moon Solitaire is to move all cards from the tableau to the foundations, building each foundation up in suit from Ace to King.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Two standard 52-card decks (104 cards total).
• Tableau: Twelve tableau piles. Each pile is dealt four cards, all face up, splayed downward so every card is visible.
• Foundations: Eight foundation piles, initially empty.
• Stock: The remaining cards after the tableau is dealt form the stock pile.
• Waste: A single waste pile, initially empty.

Key Play Areas:

• Tableau: The main area where most card manipulation occurs.
• Foundations: The target area for building completed suit sequences.
• Stock: Supplies additional cards during play.
• Waste: Temporarily holds cards drawn from the stock.

Waxing Moon Solitaire Rules:

• Building on the Tableau:
• Cards in the tableau are built down in suit (e.g., 9♠ can be placed on 10♠).
• Only the top card of each tableau pile is available for play.
• No cards or sequences may be moved from one tableau pile to another; only single cards can be played to the foundations.
• Foundations:
• Foundations are built up in suit from Ace to King (e.g., 2♥ on Ace♥, 3♥ on 2♥, etc.).
• Only Aces can be moved to empty foundation piles.
• Stock and Waste:
• Cards are drawn one at a time from the stock to the waste pile.
• Only the top card of the waste pile is available for play to the foundations.
• There is no redeal; once the stock is depleted, it cannot be replenished.

Gameplay:

• On each turn, the player may:
• Move the top card of any tableau pile to a foundation if it fits the building sequence.
• Draw one card from the stock to the waste pile.
• Move the top card of the waste pile to a foundation if possible.
• No tableau-to-tableau moves are allowed.
• Play continues until all cards are moved to the foundations or no further legal moves are possible.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Win: The game is won when all cards are moved to the foundations, completing each suit from Ace to King.
• Lose: The game is lost if the player cannot make any further legal moves and not all foundations are complete (e.g., the stock is exhausted, and no tableau or waste cards can be played to the foundations).

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Empty Tableau Spaces: If a tableau pile becomes empty, no cards may be moved to fill it; empty spaces remain unfilled for the rest of the game.
• No Sequence Moves: Only single cards may be moved; sequences or groups of cards cannot be transferred between tableau piles.
• No Redeal: Once the stock is empty, it cannot be reshuffled or reused.
• All Cards Face Up: All tableau cards are dealt face up at the start, ensuring complete information for the player.

Summary of Unique Features:

• No tableau-to-tableau moves and no filling of empty tableau spaces are the defining restrictions of Waxing Moon Solitaire, making it a challenging variant that emphasizes forward planning and efficient use of available moves.