The Congress (Double Deck Solitaire Game)

Two Entire Packs Of Cards.

Rules

1. The foundations follow suit.
2. Cards from the rivers may marry in descending line with cards on the helps, but not vice versa.
3. Cards on the help packets may marry in descending line with cards of each other's packets, and also with cards from the rivers.
4. The uppermost cards of the help packets are alone available until their removal releases those beneath.
5. Each row of cards on the rivers blocks the preceding one, but on the removal of any card the one immediately above it is released, and becomes available.

Play

Withdraw from the pack the eight aces, and place them in two columns on the right: these are the foundations, which ascend in sequence to kings (Rule 1). Next deal four cards, and place them in a horizontal line below, leaving plenty of room for the tableau above: these are called the help cards. Next place at the upper end of the table a horizontal row of eight cards: this commences what is called the "rivers," and from the rivers you play any suitable cards on the foundations, or marry in descending line with the help cards (Rule 2), immediately refilling the vacancies thus caused from the pack. From the helps you now play on to the foundations, and form marriages in accordance with Rule 3. When all possible cards have been played, proceed to deal out successive rows of eight cards on the rivers, each row partly covering the preceding one, and temporarily blocking it (Rule 5). In dealing, you may not play a card from any row until that row is complete. After dealing each row, pause and examine the tableau, playing and marrying all suitable cards, and refilling vacancies, both in the rivers and helps, with cards from the pack. In filling up vacancies in the rivers, those in the uppermost rows must first be refilled.

After the entire pack is exhausted, the skill of the player will be required. The four packets of help cards may now be increased to eight. To effect this, any four available cards may be selected from the rivers to begin the new packets, which have all the privileges of the original ones, and should be placed in the same line. The player may use his own discretion concerning them. He is not obliged to place the four new helps at once, but only as they are required, and it is best to keep one or two of the spaces free, so as to receive any card from the rivers which, in the progress of the game, is found to block a card much needed. If any of the packets of help cards are played off, the vacancy may be filled by another card from the rivers, but the packets must never exceed the number of eight.

There is no re-deal.

Note.—In the tableau only three rows of the rivers are shown.

(From Lady Cadogan's illustrated games of solitaire or patience, by Adelaide Cadogan [1914].)