Rules
Indian Solitaire rules at a glance
- Use two standard 52-card decks, for 104 cards total.
- Deal ten tableau columns with three cards in each column.
- The bottom card of each tableau column starts face down.
- The next two cards in each column start face up.
- Eight foundations build upward by suit from ace to king.
- Only the top card of a tableau column or the top waste card can move.
- Tableau cards build downward by rank onto any different suit.
- Empty tableau columns accept any available single card.
- Draw the stock one card at a time to the waste.
- This version has one stock pass and no redeal.
- Win by moving all 104 cards to the foundations.
How to play
How to play Indian Solitaire
Indian Solitaire is a two-deck foundation builder. Your job is to move every card to the eight foundations, two foundations for each suit. Each foundation starts with an ace and climbs in suit to king. A heart foundation needs A, 2, 3, and so on in hearts; it cannot accept a diamond just because the rank is right.
The tableau is where Indian feels different from ordinary Forty Thieves. Tableau cards still build downward by one rank, but the suit must be different from the card underneath. A 5 of clubs can go on a 6 of hearts. A 5 of diamonds can also go on that 6 of hearts. A 5 of hearts cannot, because it is the same suit as the 6.
That extra flexibility does not make the game loose. Only one card moves at a time, the waste has no redeal, and ten cards begin hidden under the opening tableau. The game is often about using the different-suit rule to expose those hidden cards before the stock buries too many chances in the waste.
Background
What is Indian Solitaire?
Indian Solitaire is a named member of the Napoleon at St Helena or Forty Thieves family of patience games. That family usually uses two decks, a wide tableau, one-card stock draws, and foundations that must carry all 104 cards home. Indian changes the opening tableau and the packing rule: three rows of ten cards are dealt, the first row is face down, and tableau cards pack down on any suit except their own.
The name can be confusing because it sits near unrelated card-game terms. This page is not Indian Rummy, which is a multiplayer meld-building game, and it is not Indian Carpet, a Crazy Quilt-style name with a woven reserve layout. Here, Indian means the two-deck Forty Thieves-family patience game implemented above.
Setup
Indian Solitaire setup and layout
- Tableau: 10 columns with 3 cards each
- Hidden row: the bottom card in each column starts face down
- Visible row: the next two cards in each column start face up
- Stock: the remaining 74 cards, face down
- Waste: starts empty and receives one stock card at a time
- Foundations: eight empty suit foundations
Tableau
The different-suit tableau rule
The tableau builds down by exact rank, and the moving card must not share the target card's suit. Think "one lower, not the same suit." Color is irrelevant. Same-color moves can be legal, and opposite-color moves can be illegal if the suits match or the ranks do not touch.
This gives each target card three possible suits instead of one. A 9 of spades can accept the 8 of clubs, 8 of diamonds, or 8 of hearts, but not the 8 of spades. The wider landing choice is the main reason Indian feels more playable than same-suit Forty Thieves.
Hidden cards
How the face-down row works
Each tableau column begins with one face-down card and two face-up cards. The hidden card is locked until the two cards above it move away. When it becomes the top card of its column, this site flips it face up automatically.
Those ten hidden cards are the main uncertainty in the opening tableau. Revealing one can create a foundation starter, a useful lower card, or a safe landing card for the waste. A move that uncovers a hidden card is often worth more than a move that merely makes a neat visible stack.
Moves
Legal and illegal Indian Solitaire moves
A source card must be available. In the tableau, that means the top face-up card of a column. In the waste, that means the newest waste card. Foundations accept only the next card of their suit. Tableau columns accept a single card that is one rank lower than the target and a different suit from the target.
Legal5 of clubs onto 6 of hearts
Legal5 of diamonds onto 6 of hearts
LegalAny available single card into an empty column
LegalAce of spades to either spade foundation
Illegal5 of hearts onto 6 of hearts
Illegal5 of clubs onto 7 of hearts
IllegalMoving a packed sequence together
IllegalMoving a face-down card before it is uncovered
Empty columns are open spaces in this version. Any available single card can move there. That does not turn the game into FreeCell, though. Since only one card moves at a time, a careless card in an empty column can still block the exact space you need for a reveal.
Stock
The stock and waste are one-pass only
The stock begins with 74 cards. Draw one card at a time to the waste. Only the top waste card is playable. It can move to a foundation, to a tableau card that is one rank higher and a different suit, or to an empty column.
There is no redeal on this page. Drawing over a useful waste card can be a permanent mistake unless the cards above it later move away. Before drawing, check whether the current waste card can reveal a hidden tableau card, open an empty column, or start a foundation.
Foundations
How the eight foundations work
The duplicate decks create two foundation slots for each suit. Each one follows the normal order from ace to king. The foundations do not wrap, skip, or accept off-suit cards.
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Aces and low cards are usually safe foundation moves because they open permanent progress. Middle cards need a little more care. Sometimes a 7 is the best tableau landing place for a 6 that reveals a hidden card, so sending that 7 to a foundation too early can shrink your options.
Strategy
Indian Solitaire strategy that fits this version
Start by looking for moves that reveal hidden cards. The first row is small, only ten cards, but it can hold aces, twos, and key landing ranks. If two legal moves are available, prefer the one that uncovers a face-down card or creates an empty column you can actually use.
Use empty columns as working space, not storage. Because any available card can fill a space, it is tempting to clear a column and immediately park the first awkward card there. Wait if possible. A space is most valuable when it lets you peel a blocker off another column, rescue a useful waste card, or reveal the hidden card at the bottom of a pile.
Respect the stock. Indian's different-suit rule creates more tableau moves than Forty Thieves, but the stock still has one pass. If the waste card can move, ask what it improves before drawing again. A modest tableau move that keeps the waste usable can be better than a flashy move that leaves the next draw as your only hope.
Do not overbuild downward just because the suits differ. A long column can look orderly and still be awkward if the top cards have nowhere to go. Build when the move reveals, creates a landing card, saves the waste, or supports foundations. Avoid building simply because the rule allows it.
Mistakes
Common Indian Solitaire mistakes
- Treating different-suit building as alternating-color building.
- Forgetting that same-color moves are legal when the suits differ.
- Trying to move a descending sequence instead of a single top card.
- Filling an empty column before it can help reveal a hidden card.
- Drawing past a useful waste card because the tableau looks busy.
- Moving middle cards to foundations while lower cards still need them as landing places.
Difficulty
Is Indian Solitaire winnable?
Indian Solitaire is not guaranteed from a random shuffle. It is usually more flexible than strict Forty Thieves because each tableau target accepts three suits instead of one, but the game still has hidden information, single-card movement, and a one-pass stock.
This page does not invent a win-rate number. A fair number would need to be measured against this exact implementation: no redeal, automatic hidden-card reveal, empty columns open to any single card, and hints that show legal moves without filtering for perfect long-term play.
Variants
Indian Solitaire variants and rule notes
The important rule details are the same ones that shape many Forty Thieves-family games: how many tableau rows are dealt, which rows begin face down, whether the stock redeals, what rule governs tableau packing, and whether sequences can move. This page uses the concise Indian rule set: three rows of ten, first row face down, pack down by any other suit, one card at a time, and no redeal.
If a software collection gives Indian extra redeals or sequence movement, it will feel like a related house version rather than the same challenge. Extra stock passes soften the waste, while sequence movement changes the value of empty columns. Different-suit packing is the signature rule here, so it should stay visible in any explanation of the game.
Comparison
How Indian compares with Forty Thieves, Josephine, and Diplomat
Forty Thieves is stricter because it builds the tableau down by the same suit. Indian keeps the two-deck foundation target but changes the tableau to "any different suit," making more landings available while adding a small hidden row. It often feels more open, but it still punishes fast stock draws.
Josephine changes a different lever: same-suit sequences can move together. That makes empty columns much more powerful than they are here. Diplomat loosens tableau packing even further by focusing on rank in a row-based layout. If you enjoy Indian, those nearby games are useful ways to feel how one rule change can alter the whole puzzle.