Forty Thieves Solitaire is an incredibly challenging and addictive game. Requires close attention, careful planning of your move and a little patience.
Winning the game, despite all the skills applied, is quite difficult. Even with extraordinary skill, it is possible to win only one game out of ten. Influential factors in the game are luck and proper strategy.
Forty Thieves Solitaire will force your brain to be active.
You will have to work incredibly hard to solve the solitaire game, but the sweeter the victory will be.
This solitaire layout is incredibly popular and has various names in many card game compilations. The rules and layout in all versions are identical, the difference being the way the cards are dealt from the spare deck and the movement of the cards on the playing field.
Many consider the author of Napoleon Bonaparte. It is for this game, he spent his time in exile on the island of St. Helena.
The game requires patience, strategy, and enthusiastic game, you can not notice how time flies by.
With the advent of personal computers, the game Forty Thieves Solitaire has become widespread around the world and found an army of fans. Who are ready to spend hours beating over the layout, trying to figure out a complex puzzle.
Forty Thieves Solitaire is more suitable for players with solid experience, it's difficult for beginners. But if you are not afraid of difficulties, challenge Forty Thieves Solitaire.
More often the game is called Forty Thieves Solitaire or 40 Thieves Solitaire. Forty Thieves is the number of cards on the playing field, they make up the main layout of the game.
But you can also find the game under other names, like Big Forty, Napoleon St Helena, Roosevelt at San Juan, and Le Cadran.
The aim of the game
In Forty Thieves Solitaire you need to fill eight cells with cards in ascending order of value. You begin the sequence with the ace, the youngest card in the game. Next in order: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, jack, queen, king. The king is the highest card and closes the assembled sequence. All cards in the stack must be of the same suit. When you collect four suits in two stacks each, you win!
You will need 104 cards to play Forty Thieves Solitaire. Take two decks of 52 cards each, remove the jokers and mix well.
Arrange the cards into ten columns, with four cards in each column. All the cards are open, face up.
A total of forty cards on the playing field is forty thieves.
The remaining cards make up the stock deck. From the stock deck you deal one card at a time, flip them face up.
The dealt cards are collected in the discard deck.
In the classic version, you can only deal one card, but there are versions where you can use the stockpile several times per game.
Above the columns are eight cells into which you collect sequences of cards. There are two cells for each suit.
Once you manage to collect eight stacks of card sequences, you win the game.
Only the top cards in the columns are played, the cards below them are considered closed. You cannot move closed cards. First release a closed card by moving the top card to any suitable card, in an empty column or in a cell, forming a sequence.
Move only one card per turn.
When moving cards, respect the suit.
Move a card in ascending order of value. For example, you can move 5 spades to 6 spades.
If you have a group of cards in the column, you are not allowed to move the group. Even if the cards are stacked in sequence and of the same suit. For example, one column has a group: 5 spades, 6 spades, 7 spades. If you move the group, you release the ace. In another, there are 8 spades. The cards of the same suit are stacked in order, but unfortunately it is impossible to move them. Usually an empty column is used to move the groups, in our case we need two of them, or one empty column and the free 7 of spades. Move 5 spades to the empty column, 6 spades to another empty column or to the free 7 spades and you can free the ace by moving 7 spades to 8 spades.
Carefully study the arrangement of the cards, freeing the way to the aces first, this is the card that starts the sequence.
As soon as you have an ace on the playing field, move it to a cell. You'll make a good start for building the sequence.
Cells are filled with cards gradually as they appear on the playing field. When you put an ace in a cell, it should be followed by cards of his suit.
You can move any card to the empty column of the game board, but it is better to use the empty column for temporary storage of cards.
If you no longer see a possible move on the playing field, deal a card from the spare deck.
A spare deck can only be used once during the entire game, but there are variations where you can choose to deal cards from the spare deck several times.
One card at a time is dealt from the spare deck. Check to see what combinations you can make with the new card; if there are no options, place the card next to it face up in the reset deck and deal the next card from the spare deck.
You may only place a card from the stock deck into the reset deck.
The discard deck also takes an active part in the game. You can always play the top card when the opportunity arises and access cards already discarded. This is especially important if there is only one deal available in the game.
You can put any suitable loose card from the column of the playing field and from the discard deck into the box.
Take advantage of the possible move hint. You will be able to evaluate available moves that you didn't notice.
When there is no available move on the playing field and you cannot draw cards from the stock and discard decks, the game is at a stalemate. Deal the cards again and try to win.
If you've managed to collect sequences of cards in eight cells and you've dealt all the cards from the playing field, you've won!
Strategy
Examine the cards on the playing field, paying attention to the aces and kings.
First of all, release the aces and junior cards of the same suit. Send them to the boxes. Sometimes the game cannot be won if access to aces is blocked and you have not paid attention to this problem from the first moves.
The king can only be moved to an empty column or cell to close the card sequence. Look at which cards the king is blocking. If the cards are high ranked, take your time to move the king. If the king is blocking two aces in the column, moving it is your first task.
Try to anticipate a chain of moves that will help in the game. For example, freeing the column or clearing the way to the ace.
Focus your energies on clearing the column. The empty column is very important for a successful game.
You can put the king and any high card in the empty column and assemble the sequence.
The empty column can be used to temporarily store a card when you move the group. For example, there is a group of cards: 5 spades and 6 spades, you need to move them to 7 spades. You can't move the group as a group, so you would move the group: put 5 spades in an empty column, move 6 spades to 7 spades and return 5 spades to 6 spades. You have moved the group of cards and kept the empty column.
It is a good idea to have two or more empty columns for a better chance of moving cards between columns.
Remember, the goal of the game is to fill the cells with cards, not to collect sequences on the playing field!
Move the cards on the playing field if the move is of some benefit!
Actively use cards from the discard deck. Do not allow this deck to grow heavily. If you are careless, there will be useful cards at the bottom of the discard deck. You'll have to work hard to unravel the discard deck. If you fail to do so, the game is lost. A good strategy is to deal the reset deck by moving cards to matching cards in columns, to empty columns, or directly to a box if the opportunity presents itself.
Try to memorize the discarded cards, especially the low ranked ones.
Complexity
Forty Thieves Solitaire in the classic version is a difficult game, there are many restrictions.
Based on these features create different types of solitaire, changing the rules of the game, but the layout remains the same.
Some variations allow the distribution of cards several times during the game, when the deck runs out, the reset deck is flipped and the game continues, it is possible to move between columns of groups of cards collected in order.
There is a variation where the aces are dealt into cells first and then form columns.
All of these variations greatly facilitate the course of the game. The chances of winning increase, such options are good for the novice player to understand the principle of the game and gain gaming experience.
But despite the variety of variants, the classic Forty Thieves Solitaire has an army of fans that only grows over time.
After all, only a victory in such a complex puzzle game will bring satisfaction from a job well done.
Points System.
Your goal in Forty Thieves Solitaire is to collect the cards in a certain order into the cells.
One card placed in a cell will earn 500 points.
If you move a card from the cell back onto the playing field, 500 points will be deducted. A very simple calculation. The more cards you put in the boxes, the more points you get.
Keep an eye on your stats, you might see your score increase with each game.
There are also variants of the game, where after finishing the game will accrue two more bonuses: a bonus time and a bonus round.
Chances of Success
Due to the high complexity, the probability of winning at Forty Thieves Solitaire is 5 - 10%. Winning depends on your luck and skill. Both criteria are equally important. Having a successful layout, but the absence of tactics and strategy, you will lose. Having a great game experience and high professional skills, but getting a bad plan, you're going to lose.
Forty Thieves Solitaire is perfect for a useful pastime. You don't have to rush anywhere, you can relax and think carefully about your every move.
Even if you can't win, you will train your memory, develop your abilities, learn how to analyze the situation and have a wonderful free time.
Forty Thieves Solitaire is sure to keep you entertained.
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