Forty Thieves Solitaire

Game info

Decks: 2;
Difficulty: Difficult;
Game time: Time-consuming;
Probability of winning: 10%;
Type: Skill/Luck;

Objective

Move all the cards, in ascending order by suit, to the eight foundations.

The game

Stock

It is located in the upper left corner;
Click to turn a card over in the waste. When all cards are turned over, they will not go back to the stock.

Waste

The waste is located next to the stock;
Only the top card can be used, both in foundations and piles.

Foundations

There are 8 foundations (top right);
Accept cards of the same suit and in ascending order (from Ace to King);
The top card of each foundation can be used.

Tableau

There are 10 piles in total;
Only the top card of each pile is moveable;
The cards must be built down by suit;
Empty spaces can be occupied by any card;

Why is Forty Thieves so difficult?

The game is difficult for two very simple reasons:

You can move only one card at a time on the piles;
There is no stock redistribution.

Since you cannot move groups of cards, your mission to arrange the cards into piles is not the easiest one. And since the game has two decks, you need to organize 8 suits to win.

But to arrange these suits you will need more than just skill: it takes luck. Lucky that the cards in the piles are favorably arranged (lower cards on top and higher at the bottom) and lucky that the stock cards are also favorably distributed (aces appearing early on, for example).

Tips

Plan each move in advance. Before moving a card, analyze the consequences of that move and think what other move can be made in the sequence;
Whenever possible, release the lowest value cards. As they are the first to go to the foundations, they are fundamental to give fluency to the game;
Use empty stacks wisely. As any card can be placed on an empty pile, use them to release cards that are trapped under another card or to move cards from one side to another;
Towards the end of the game, use the empty piles to reduce the number of cards in the discard and thus release some cards left behind.

About Forty Thieves Solitaire

The reference to "forty" (in the name of the game) derives from the 10 piles of 4 cards each, giving a total of 40 cards at the start of the game. This game is also known by other names such as Big Forty, Le Cadran, Napoleon at Saint Helena and Roosevelt at San Juan in>.

There are many variations of Forty Thieves. Several of them were created to facilitate the game. Among these variations we can find one in which all Aces start from the foundations. In another, the cards in the piles can be arranged in descending order and with alternating colors. While in another, Josephine Solitaire, the cards in the piles can be moved in groups if they are sorted and are of the same suit.