How to Play Chessboard Solitaire

Chessboard solitaire rules and setup are simple. Each game of chessboard is different from the last since the player determines the startin card after the deal.

Chessboard Solitaire Rules

| Players: 1 | Type: Solitaire | Supplies: 1 Deck |

Objective

The objective of chessboard solitaire is to build all four foundation piles from your chosen starting card until each pile has 13 cards of the same rank.

Setup

Deal out two columns of five piles to form the tableau, leave space in between the two columns for the foundation piles. The top pile of each column will have six cards, face up, splayed out so you can see the cards underneath. The other four piles of each column will have five cards, face up, splayed out so you can see the cards underneath.

Game Play

There will be four foundation piles in between the columns of tableau piles. The player chooses the starting rank of the foundation piles by selecting one of the available cards in a tableau pile and using it to start a foundation pile. When the other three cards of matching rank are available, they are used to start a foundation pile. Foundation piles are built up in suit until all four foundation piles have 13 cards in them. Aces round the corner and can be played on a king to continue the sequence.

Only the top card of a tableau pile is available for play. Available cards may be used to build onto a foundation pile or other tableau piles. You may play a card onto another tableau pile if it is one rank lower, or one rank higher and of the same suit than the top card of the tableau pile it is being played onto. Kings may be played on aces and aces may be played on kings in the tableau.

To Win

To win chess board solitaire, the player must build all four foundation piles from the starting card, up in sequence, following suit until all piles have 13 cards. If the player runs out of moves before the foundation piles are complete, the game is lost.