Chinese Solitaire
Chinese is a closed game played with a single deck (52 cards). There are seven tableaus that contain seven cards each. The objective is to move all cards to the four foundations by building them up by the same suit.
Difficulty: Easy
Rules are easy to understand.
Odds of winning: Low
Win about 1 in 5 games (20%).
Duration: Long
More than 10 minutes per game.
Skill Level: Mostly Luck
Winning is mostly determined by luck. A small amount of skill is involved.
How to Play Chinese
Build foundations up by the same suit. Fill empty foundations with Aces. Build tableaus down by alternating color. Any card is movable. Fill empty tableaus with Kings. Stock deals one to each tableau.
Game Objective
The goal of Chinese is to move all fifty-two cards to the foundation piles. You achieve this by building sequences of cards up by the same suit that start with an Ace and end with a King. You win when the four foundations each contain a complete sequence of thirteen cards.
Foundation Rules
- There are four foundations.
- The foundations are initially empty.
- The foundations build up by the same suit.
- For example the 6♠ may move onto the 5♠ and the 6♦ may move onto the 5♦. Starting with the 6♥ the following sequence may build on top 7♥ 8♥ 9♥ 10♥.
- The top card is movable.
- An Ace may move to an empty foundation.
Tableau Rules
- There are seven tableaus.
- Initially containing a custom layout.
- The tableaus build down by alternating color.
- For example the 9♠ may move onto the 10♦ and the 9♥ may move onto the 10♣. Starting with the 9♥ the following sequence may build on top 8♠ 7♦ 6♣.
- Any card or stack of cards may move together as a group. Any stack of cards may move together, regardless of their build with no restriction on their rank, suit or color.
- A King may move to an empty tableau.
Stock Rules
- The stock deals one card face up to each tableau when tapped.
- A single pass through the stock is permitted. Redeals are not possible. Once on the tableau, cards remain until used in a valid move.
Similar Games
There is one game with similar play style to Chinese:
- Yukonic Plague - Adds a reserve and removes stock.