Aces and Kings Solitaire

Aces and Kings is a challenging double-deck solitaire game created by Thomas Warfield. Unlike traditional Klondike solitaire, this patience game uses two full decks (104 cards) and features eight foundation piles instead of four.

What makes Aces and Kings unique is its dual-direction building system: four foundations build up from Ace to King, while four others build down from King to Ace. Suit doesn't matter - only rank counts when placing cards.

For more historical context about this classic patience game, see the Aces and Kings Wikipedia article.

Playing Aces and Kings requires understanding its unique layout and mastering the flow of cards between reserves, tableaus, and foundations. Here's your step-by-step guide to getting started.

• Start by examining your two reserve piles - each contains 13 face-up cards fanned horizontally.
• Look for Aces and Kings that can immediately move to empty foundations.
• Move cards from reserves and tableaus to build your foundation piles.
• When a tableau becomes empty, it automatically fills from the stock pile.
• Continue until the stock is exhausted - you win if all foundations are complete.

Understanding the complete ruleset is essential for success in this challenging solitaire variant.

The Aces and Kings layout consists of four distinct areas, each serving a specific purpose:

• Reserve Piles (Top): Two horizontal fans of 13 cards each, all face-up. Only the rightmost (top) card of each reserve can be played to foundations.
• Ascending Foundations (Middle-Left): Four piles that start empty. Place Aces here and build up to King regardless of suit (A→2→3→...→K).
• Descending Foundations (Middle-Right): Four piles that start empty. Place Kings here and build down to Ace regardless of suit (K→Q→J→...→A).
• Stock Pile (Bottom-Left): The remaining 52 cards face-down. Used to refill empty tableau spaces.
• Tableau Piles (Bottom-Right): Four single-card piles. Cards here can only move to foundations.

In Aces and Kings, your moves are more restricted than in standard Klondike, which adds to the strategic depth:

• Reserve to Foundation: Move the top (rightmost) card from either reserve pile to a compatible foundation.
• Tableau to Foundation: Move any tableau card to a foundation where it fits the sequence.
• Foundation to Foundation: Transfer the top card between compatible foundations (e.g., move a 7 from an ascending pile to a descending pile if the descending pile shows an 8).
• Stock to Tableau: Automatically fills empty tableau spaces - you cannot manually draw from stock.

Your goal in Aces and Kings is to build all eight foundation piles to completion:

• Complete all four ascending foundations from Ace through King (13 cards each).
• Complete all four descending foundations from King through Ace (13 cards each).
• Successfully place all 104 cards into the foundations before the stock runs out.

The game ends when either all foundations are complete (victory!) or no more moves are possible with an empty stock pile (defeat).

With only a 10% win rate, Aces and Kings demands smart play from the very first move. Here are proven strategies to improve your odds:

• Balance your reserves: Don't empty one reserve pile while ignoring the other. Keep both piles shrinking at a similar rate to maximize your options.
• Use foundation transfers wisely: Moving cards between ascending and descending foundations can unlock stuck reserves. A 7 on an ascending pile can move to a descending pile showing 8.
• Watch for blocked sequences: If the same rank appears in both reserves with cards you need behind them, you may be stuck. Plan around these bottlenecks early.
• Prioritize freeing reserve cards: Tableau cards auto-refill from stock, but reserve cards are limited. Focus on playing from reserves when possible.
• Don't rush Aces and Kings to foundations: Sometimes holding a card back keeps options open for foundation transfers later.
• Count your outs: With two decks, you have two of each card. Track which cards have been played to know what's still available.

Thomas Warfield created several variations of Aces and Kings, each with unique twists on the original formula:

• Deuces and Queens: Instead of Aces and Kings, foundations build from 2s up to Queens and from Queens down to 2s.
• Acey and Kingsley: A simplified variant with modified reserve and tableau rules for faster gameplay.
• Five Little Guys: Features five tableau piles instead of four, offering more maneuvering room.
• Racing Aces: A three-deck version (156 cards!) with twelve foundation piles for marathon solitaire sessions.
• Double Aces and Kings: The ultimate challenge using four decks (208 cards) and sixteen foundation piles.

Each variant maintains the core dual-direction building mechanic while adjusting difficulty and game length.