Tuesday, June 22, 2010

The Rainbow (Single Deck Solitaire Game)


One pack of cards.

Lay out five rows of cards one under the other so that they will form seven columns of five cards each. The aces, however, are to be placed in a row by themselves beneath the columns. When the columns are complete and the aces out, there will still remain thirteen cards. These are laid out in an arc, or rainbow, above the columns. Now pack the cards as much as possible by moving available cards from one column to another without regard to suit, but always packing downward, that is, placing smaller cards upon larger ones, except upon the four packets built upon the aces. These are built upward and in their respective suits available cards in this game are the lowest cards of the columns. At first, therefore, you can only pack on the lower row, but as soon as a lower card is removed the card immediately above it in the same column is released and becomes available.

You may pack and unpack until you have exhausted the possibilities of the situation, drawing from the rainbow as well as the available cards of the columns, but a card once placed upon an ace packet cannot be moved. If you exhaust an entire column you can put any available card in the vacancy. If you reach a point at which you can neither pack nor build any further, you have the right to move any one available card to the rainbow, if there is a higher card there upon which to pack it, as an eight, upon which you may place a seven. The object of the game is to complete all four of the ace packets.

(From Solitaire and patience: seventy games to test the card player's skill and make a lonely hour pass quickly, by George Hapgood [1908].)


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