Westcliff

Game Objective:

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

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Use a standard 52-card French deck (no jokers).
• Tableau: Deal ten columns (piles) in a single row. Each column receives three cards:
  • The bottom two cards of each column are dealt face down.
  • The top card of each column is dealt face up.
• Foundations: Four empty spaces above the tableau, to be filled as Aces are revealed.
• Stock (Draw Pile): The remaining 22 cards form the stock, placed face down.
• Waste (Discard Pile): An empty pile next to the stock, to receive cards dealt from the stock that cannot be immediately played.

Key Play Areas:

• Tableau: The main play area with ten columns of three cards each.
• Foundations: Four piles to build up by suit from Ace to King.
• Stock: The draw pile for additional cards.
• Waste: The discard pile for unusable stock cards.

Westcliff Solitaire Rules:

• Foundations:

  • Build up in ascending order by suit (Ace → 2 → … → King).
  • Only Aces can start a foundation pile.
  • Cards must be placed in strict suit sequence.

• Tableau:

  • Build down in descending order, alternating colors (e.g., red on black, black on red).
  • Sequences of cards (any number of face-up cards in proper descending, alternating-color order) may be moved as a group between tableau columns.
  • When a face-down card is exposed (by moving the card above it), immediately turn it face up.
  • Any card or valid sequence can be moved to an empty tableau column.

• Stock & Waste:

  • Cards are dealt one at a time from the stock to the waste pile.
  • The top card of the waste is always available for play to the tableau or foundations.
  • No redeals are allowed—once the stock is exhausted, no more cards can be drawn.

Gameplay:

• Turn Sequence:

  1. Move available Aces from tableau or waste to start foundation piles.
  2. Build foundations by moving cards in ascending suit order from tableau or waste.
  3. Move cards within the tableau by building down in alternating colors; move sequences as allowed.
  4. Fill empty tableau columns with any available card or valid sequence.
  5. Turn face-down cards face up as soon as they become exposed.
  6. Draw from stock: When no moves are available, deal one card from the stock to the waste pile. The top waste card is immediately available for play.
  7. Repeat the above steps until no further legal moves are possible or all cards are moved to the foundations.

• Introducing New Cards:

  • Cards enter play from the stock to the waste pile, one at a time.
  • The top card of the waste can be played to the tableau or foundations if legal.

• No More Moves:

  • If no legal moves remain and the stock is empty, the game ends.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning: The game is won when all 52 cards are moved to the four foundations, each built up in suit from Ace to King.
• Losing/Unwinnable: The game is lost or becomes unwinnable if:
  • The player cannot make any legal moves and the stock is exhausted.
  • Not all cards can be moved to the foundations.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Tableau Columns:
  • Any card or valid sequence may be moved into an empty tableau space—there are no restrictions on rank or suit for filling spaces.
• Moving Sequences:
  • Any portion of a valid sequence (descending, alternating colors) may be moved as a unit between tableau columns.
• No Redeals:
  • The stock may only be dealt through once; there is no redeal.
• Turning Cards Face Up:
  • When a face-down card in the tableau is exposed, immediately turn it face up and make it available for play.
• Waste Pile Play:
  • Only the top card of the waste pile is playable at any time.

This guide provides a definitive and semantically precise overview of the rules and gameplay mechanics for Westcliff Solitaire.