Introduction: Four Colours Solitaire is a fun variation of the popular solitaire card games FreeCell. It is easy to play, requires some strategy, and is an interesting variation of that card game. For people who like the solitare game Freecell, this one is a must to try.
Goal: Build up all cards in sequence, from ace to king, on the four foundation piles.
Time: About 20 minutes
Wins: Usually
Decks: One Deck
Layout: After shuffling, 4 of the 7 tableau piles are dealt in the following way. Each tableau pile contains just one suit on initial deal. All cards are dealt in Four Colours, leaving no stock pile.Four spaces are left open for foundation piles. These are in the top right part of your layout. Four additional spaces are left open for freecell piles. These are in the top left part of your layout. The initial layout for Four Colours Solitaire will look like this.
Play: The goal in Four Colours Solitaire is to build each foundation pile in suit from ace to king (Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King). So, when you come across an Ace, you may place it in any foundation pile that hasn't been started yet. Then when you uncover a 2 in the same suit, it may be placed on the ace, followed by a 3, etc.
The top card on the each tableau pile is available for play to another tableau column, or to the foundation, or to an open freecell. Also, any card in a freecell is available for play to either the tableau or to the foundation. Each freecell can hold only one card at a time.
Cards on the tableau are build down in alternating colors. So, either black 7 may be placed onto either red 8. The low card is an ace and the high card is a king, and because of this, a king may not be placed on an ace in Four Colours. When a card becomes uncovered, and hence, becomes the top-most card in a column, that card is now available for play.
Cards in sequence on a column in the tableau may be moved as a unit, but only if they are a valid sequence - that is, build down in alternating color. Moving a sequence of cards, rather than one card at a time is generally very useful.
Freecells can hold only one card at a time, and the cards in the freecells are available for play. But in Four Colours, there may only be one card of each suit in the freecells. So, if you have a four of clubs in a freecell, you may not place another club in an open freecell. It is best to keep as many freecells empty as possible. This allows flexibility in moving cards around the tableau. If at all possible, try to move cards onto the freecells only when necessary, and only when you can move them back off the freecells back onto the tableau piles, or foundation, as soon as possible.
Cards may not be moved from the foundation back to the tableau or onto any of the freecells. Because of this, it may make more sense to keep cards on the tableau and in the freecells, and available for play, rather than moving them early on to the foundation.
Gaps in the tableau may be filled with any available card or valid sequence. Creating a gap is usually a good move in Four Colours solitaire. When you have created a gap, try to fill the gap with as large a sequence of cards as possible.
Continue playing in this manner. Move cards from the freecells to the tableau and the foundation, and from the tableau to the foundation and to the freecells, and within the tableau, trying to uncover tableau cards and move them to the foundation.
When no more moves can be made on the tableau, freecells, and foundation, the game is over and lost.
Gaps: Gaps in the tableau in Four Colours are made when all of the cards are moved out of a column of the tableau. When this happens, the gap may be filled with any available card or valid sequence. Try to fill a gap with as large a sequence as is valid.
Redeals: In Four Colours there are no redeals.