How to Play Duchess of Luynes Solitaire

Duchess of Luynes Solitaire Rules

| Players: 1 | Type: Solitaire | Supplies: 2 Decks |

Objective

The objective of Duchess of Luynes is to build the ace foundation piles in ascending order to the king, in suit, and the king foundation piles in descending order to the ace, in suit.

Setup

Deal a row of four cards to form the four tableau piles. Leave room for a row of cards above and below the tableau. Deal two cards face down to form the reserve pile. Place the remaining deck face down to form the stock.

Game Play

When a king of each suit becomes available, move it above the tableau to form a king foundation pile. When an ace of each suit becomes available, move it below the tableau to form an ace foundation pile. There will be a total of eight foundation piles. The king foundation piles are built in descending order from the king to the ace, in suit, and the ace foundation piles are built in ascending order from the ace to the king, in suit.

A card may be played onto a king foundation pile as long as it is one rank lower and of the same suit as the top card of the pile it is being played onto. A card may be played onto an ace foundation pile as long as it is one rank higher and of the same suit as the top card of the pile it is being played onto. The top card of each foundation pile is available for play onto another foundation pile, as long as the proper sequence continues.

The top card of each tableau pile is also available for play onto a foundation pile. Cards may not be moved from one tableau pile to another. When there are no more available moves the player wants to make, deal a card from the stock onto each of the four tableau piles, then deal two face-down cards to the reserve pile.

When the stock is depleted, flip the entire reserve pile face up. Every card in the reserve pile at this point is simultaneously available for play onto any foundation pile, as long as the proper sequences are followed. When there are no more moves available after revealing the reserve, you may redeal.

You may redeal three times per game. For the first two redeals, gather all cards from the tableau piles and the reserve to reform the stock. Deal a card to each of the four tableau piles to reform them, and two face-down cards to reform the reserve. Play continues as normal. For the third redeal, gather all cards from the tableau piles and the reserve to reform the stock. Deal a card to each of the four tableau piles; however, cards are no longer dealt to the reserve pile. After the stock is depleted a fourth time and there are no more moves, the game is over.

To Win

Duchess of Luynes is won if all cards are built onto the foundation piles. If the player runs out of moves after the stock is depleted a fourth time and the foundation piles are incomplete, the game is lost.

Variant

There is an easier variation of Duchess of Luynes called Parisienne. The only difference is in the setup: remove a king and an ace of each suit from the deck to form the eight foundation piles at the start of the game. All other rules remain the same.