Yakutat Bay

Game Objective:

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

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: One standard 52-card deck is used.
• Tableau: There are seven tableau columns. The initial deal is similar to Yukon:
  • The leftmost column contains only face-up cards.
  • Each subsequent column contains an increasing number of face-down cards, each topped by a single face-up card. For example, the first column has 1 face-up card, the second has 1 face-down and 1 face-up, and so on, with the rightmost column having the most cards (all remaining cards are dealt into the tableau).
• Foundations: Four foundation piles (one per suit), starting empty.
• Stock/Reserve: There is no stock pile or reserve; all cards are dealt into the tableau at the start.
• Face-Up/Face-Down: Only the top card of each tableau column is face-up at the start; all other cards in each column are face-down.

Key Play Areas:

• Tableau: Seven columns where most play occurs.
• Foundations: Four piles, one for each suit, where cards are built up from Ace to King.

Yakutat Bay Solitaire Rules:

• Foundations:
  • Build up in ascending order by suit (A♠, 2♠, 3♠, …, K♠).
  • Only an Ace can start a foundation pile.
  • Once a card is placed on a foundation, it cannot be moved back to the tableau.
• Tableau Building:
  • Build down in descending rank and alternating colors (e.g., a black 10 on a red Jack).
  • Any face-up card, along with all cards stacked on top of it, may be moved as a unit to another tableau column, provided the move follows the descending, alternating color rule.
  • The moved group does not need to be in perfect sequence; only the starting card and the destination card must form a valid sequence.
• Card Movement:
  • Any face-up card (and all cards above it) can be moved to another tableau column or to a foundation, as allowed by the building rules.
  • When a face-down card becomes the top card of a tableau column, it is immediately turned face-up.

Gameplay:

• On each turn, the player may:
  • Move any face-up card (with all cards above it) to another tableau column, following the descending, alternating color rule.
  • Move any face-up card to a foundation pile if it is the next card in suit order.
  • Uncover face-down cards by moving cards away from the top of a tableau column.
• No Stock or Redeal: There are no new cards introduced; all cards are in play from the start.
• Empty Column Handling (Moving Left Mechanic):
  • If a tableau column (except the rightmost) becomes empty, it is immediately filled by the leftmost face-up card (and any cards above it) from the column to its right.
  • This process can cascade if multiple columns become empty in succession, causing cards to "move left" automatically.
  • If the rightmost column becomes empty, it can only be filled manually with a King or a sequence starting with a King.
• No Move Available: If no legal moves remain and not all cards are in the foundations, the game is lost.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Win Condition: The player wins when all 52 cards are moved to the foundations, building each suit from Ace to King.
• Loss/Unwinnable State: The game is lost if no more legal moves are available and not all cards have been transferred to the foundations.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Spaces:
  • For columns 1–6 (not the rightmost), empty spaces are automatically filled by the leftmost face-up card (and its stack) from the next column to the right.
  • For the rightmost column, only a King or a sequence starting with a King may be moved in manually.
• Sequence Movement: Any face-up card and all cards above it can be moved together, regardless of internal order, as long as the sequence starts with a valid move.
• No Undo: Once a card is moved to the foundation, it cannot be returned to the tableau.
• No Redeals: There are no redeals or restocking; the entire game is played with the initial tableau layout.

Note: The "Moving Left" mechanic is the signature feature of Yakutat Bay Solitaire and distinguishes it from Yukon and similar games, requiring careful planning to avoid unintentional loss of key cards to automatic shifting.