Midshipman Solitaire
Midshipman is played with two standard decks (104 cards). There are nine tableaus that contain four cards each. The objective is to move all cards to the eight foundations by building them up by the same suit.
Difficulty: Average
Rules provide a challenge.
Odds of winning: Low
Win about 3 in 10 games (30%).
Duration: Long
More than 10 minutes per game.
Skill Level: Balanced
Winning involves skill and luck equally.
How to Play Midshipman
Build foundations up by the same suit. Fill empty foundations with Aces. Build tableaus down by any other suit. Fill empty tableaus with any card. Stock deals one to waste without redeals.
Game Objective
The goal of Midshipman is to move all 104 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 eight foundations each contain a complete sequence of thirteen cards.
Foundation Rules
- There are eight foundations.
- The foundations are initially empty.
- The foundations build up by the same suit.
- For example the 7♠ may move onto the 6♠ and the 7♦ may move onto the 6♦. Starting with the 7♥ the following sequence may build on top 8♥ 9♥ 10♥ J♥.
- The top card is movable.
- An Ace may move to an empty foundation.
Tableau Rules
- There are nine tableaus.
- Initially containing two cards face down and two cards face up in each tableau.
- The tableaus build down by any other suit.
- For example the 10♠ may move onto the J♥, J♣ and J♦. Starting with the 10♥ the following sequence may build on top 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 6♣.
- The top card is movable.
- Any single card may move to an empty tableau.
Stock Rules
- The stock deals one card face up to the waste when tapped.
- A single pass through the stock is permitted. Redeals are not possible. Once on the waste, cards remain until used in a valid move.
Waste Rules
- There is one waste.
- The waste is initially empty.
- The top card is movable.
- Once empty the waste remains empty until more cards move from the stock.
