Solitaire: two card paths

Two paths for cards

Welcome to Solitaire Studio. Today we will follow two different card paths. One goes up. One goes down. We are using S3U Draw One Klondike. Name the version first, because other solitaire games can have different rules. There is no money or betting in this practice.

Meet the four suits

The four suits are clubs, diamonds, spades, and hearts. Clubs and spades are black. Diamonds and hearts are red. Our pictures also spell out each suit, so color is not your only clue. Each suit has thirteen cards, from ace through king. Jokers sit this game out.

Foundations climb

A foundation is a home for one suit. It starts with an ace, then counts up one rank at a time. Here the hearts foundation already has ace and two. Three of hearts comes next. Three of diamonds has the right number but has arrived at the wrong address.

Columns count down

Columns follow another rule. Count down one rank, and alternate red and black. The seven of hearts can hold the six of clubs. The five of diamonds can follow that six. A six of diamonds would not fit on the red seven, because both cards are red.

A run can travel together

In S3U, a visible run in the right order can move together. Move the black six and red five onto the red seven. Keep their order. An empty column has a special rule: only a king, or a run beginning with a king, can move there. Empty does not mean anything goes.

Pause: find a legal landing

Try a fresh choice. You have a black eight of spades. The available column tops are a red nine of diamonds, a black nine of clubs, and a red ten of hearts. Pause the video. Which can receive the eight? Explain both the rank and the color, not just one.

Check both conditions

The red nine of diamonds is the legal landing. Nine is one higher than eight, and red differs from black. The black nine fails the color rule. The red ten leaves a gap in rank. A card cannot skip a number just because it is in a hurry.

Stock and waste

The stock holds cards waiting to be drawn. Draw one card onto the waste. Only the top waste card is available. When stock is empty, turn the waste over without shuffling. S3U allows repeated passes. Repeating a pass does not mix the cards or promise a new winning choice.

A deck with two counts

Fun fact: the starting column sizes add to twenty eight. One plus two plus three plus four plus five plus six plus seven. That leaves twenty four cards in stock. Only seven column cards start face up, so twenty one begin hidden. All these counts describe the same fifty two cards.

Try both card paths

Continue to the worksheet below and explain the two building rules. Then try Deal and Draw One to count the starting cards. Open Solitaire Studio for guided puzzles. Before you move, say the card, the destination, and the rule. Winning is not a grade; explaining a choice is useful practice.