Willow

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Willow Solitaire is to move all 52 cards from the tableau and fans to the four foundation piles, building each foundation up in ascending order by suit from Ace to King.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Standard 52-card deck.
• Foundations: Four empty piles, one for each suit, to be built from Ace to King.
• Tableau: Seven tableau piles, each dealt face up in a Klondike-style layout. All cards are visible from the start. Each tableau pile contains a varying number of cards:
• Pile 1: 1 card
• Pile 2: 2 cards
• Pile 3: 3 cards
• Pile 4: 4 cards
• Pile 5: 5 cards
• Pile 6: 6 cards
• Pile 7: 7 cards
• Fans: Four fans, each containing six cards dealt face up. All cards in the fans are visible.
• Stock, Reserve, Cells: There is no stock, reserve, or cell area in Willow Solitaire.
• Face-up/Face-down: All cards are dealt face up; there are no face-down cards in this variant.

Willow Solitaire Rules:

Foundations:

• Building: Foundations are built up by suit, starting with Ace and ending with King (e.g., A♠, 2♠, 3♠, …, K♠).
• Filling: Only Aces may be placed on empty foundation piles.
• Movement: Only the top card of a tableau or fan may be moved to a foundation, provided it continues the sequence in suit.

Tableau:

• Building: Tableau piles build down by alternating color (red on black, black on red), regardless of suit.
• Movement: Sequences built down by alternating color can be moved as a group between tableau piles.
• Filling: Any card or valid sequence may be moved to fill an empty tableau pile.

Fans:

• Building: Fans build by equal rank, regardless of suit (e.g., any Jack can be placed on any other Jack).
• Movement: Only the top card of each fan is available for play.
• Filling: Once a fan is empty, it remains empty for the rest of the game.

Gameplay:

• On each turn, the player may:
• Move the top card from a tableau or fan to a foundation, if it continues the suit sequence.
• Move the top card or a valid sequence from one tableau pile to another, following the rule of building down by alternating color.
• Move the top card from a fan to a tableau or foundation, following the respective building rules.
• Move a card or sequence to an empty tableau pile.
• Move a card of equal rank onto another in the fans, regardless of suit.
• There is no stock or reserve, so all moves must be made from the tableau and fans.
• If no legal moves are available, the game is over.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Win: The game is won when all 52 cards are moved to the four foundation piles, each built up in suit from Ace to King.
• Lose: 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:

• Filling Empty Tableau Piles: Any card or valid sequence (built down by alternating color) may be moved into an empty tableau pile.
• Filling Empty Fans: Once a fan is empty, it cannot be refilled.
• Moving Sequences: Only sequences built down by alternating color in the tableau may be moved together as a unit.
• Fan Restrictions: Only the top card of each fan is available for play; fans build by equal rank, not by suit or color.
• No Stock or Redeal: All cards are visible and in play from the start; there is no stock or redeal mechanism.

Note: Willow Solitaire is an "open" solitaire variant, meaning all cards are visible from the outset, and success depends entirely on strategic planning and move sequencing.