Rules
Royal Parade Solitaire rules at a glance
- Use two standard 52-card decks.
- Seed the first Parade column with a 2 in the top row, a 3 in the middle row, and a 4 in the bottom row.
- Deal the remaining Parade spaces from the shuffled two-deck stock.
- The top row is for 2, 5, 8, J foundations built by suit.
- The middle row is for 3, 6, 9, Q foundations built by suit.
- The bottom row is for 4, 7, 10, K foundations built by suit.
- Aces are not foundation cards. Move exposed aces to the ace pile.
- A loose parade card can move only if it fits a correct empty row space or an already-started foundation.
- Only the top card of each depot is available.
- The first depot row is dealt automatically.
- Deal one new card to each depot whenever stock cards remain.
- Win by completing all 24 parade foundations and setting aside all eight aces.
How to play
How to play Royal Parade Solitaire
Royal Parade is a two-deck patience game about turning a messy opening display into a formal gallery of foundations. This online version starts with a head start: the first Parade column already contains a 2 in the top row, a 3 in the middle row, and a 4 in the bottom row. Other spaces become useful foundations when the correct base rank reaches the correct row.
Select an exposed card, then choose where it belongs. A base card may fill an empty space in its row. A higher card may build on a foundation only when it is the same suit and three ranks higher than the current top card. That means a 5 of clubs builds on a 2 of clubs, an 8 of clubs builds on that 5, and the jack of clubs finishes that particular top-row foundation.
Aces are handled separately. If an exposed ace appears in the Parade or on top of a depot, move it to the ace pile. The first depot row is already dealt when the game starts, and you may deal another row whenever stock cards remain. The depots are waiting piles, not tableau columns. Only the top card of each depot can move.
Foundation rows
The three Royal Parade foundation sequences
The whole game is easier once you stop thinking in ordinary ace-to-king order. Royal Parade splits the ranks into three families. Every family advances by threes, always in suit, and the final layout is what gives the game its courtly name.
Top row2, 5, 8, JJacks finish the top row
Middle row3, 6, 9, QQueens finish the middle row
Bottom row4, 7, 10, KKings finish the bottom row
Because two decks are used, each suit has two copies of every needed card. There are eight top-row foundations, eight middle-row foundations, and eight bottom-row foundations. A duplicate 2 of spades can start either of the two spade foundations in the top row, but it still needs matching 5, 8, and jack cards above it.
Layout
The Parade, depots, and stock
The Parade is the three-row board at the center of the game. On desktop it reads as three clean rows of eight. On mobile, each row wraps into two shorter lines so all active cards remain visible without sideways scrolling. The row identity does not change when it wraps.
The stock contains the cards not dealt to the opening Parade and the automatic first depot row. Each press of Deal depots adds one card to each depot while stock cards remain. Later depot deals stack on top of earlier depot cards, so every extra deal can bury something useful.
Loose cards
What makes a card loose?
A card in the Parade is loose when it is sitting alone and is not already the correct foundation base for its row. For example, a 5 in the top row is loose until it moves onto a matching 2. A 2 in the middle row is also loose because middle-row foundations start on 3s, not 2s.
Once a card has joined a valid foundation sequence, it is fixed there. You do not peel cards back off foundations to rearrange them. Royal Parade is about getting the loose and depot cards into the right foundation at the right time.
Examples
Legal and illegal Royal Parade moves
Empty spaces care about row base. The top row accepts only 2s, the middle row only 3s, and the bottom row only 4s. Built foundations care about suit and the exact step of three. A 7 of hearts builds on a 4 of hearts in the bottom row; it does not build on a 4 of diamonds, and it does not belong in the top or middle row.
LegalA 5 of clubs moves onto a 2 of clubs in the top row.
LegalAn 8 of hearts moves onto a 5 of hearts after that 5 is already on a top-row 2.
LegalAn exposed ace moves to the ace pile, opening its Parade space or depot top.
LegalA 4 of spades fills an empty bottom-row parade space.
IllegalA 5 of diamonds cannot move onto a 2 of clubs because the suit differs.
IllegalAn 8 cannot build on a loose 5 that has not yet been placed on a 2 foundation.
IllegalA 3 cannot fill an empty top-row space; top-row spaces need 2s.
Strategy
Royal Parade Solitaire strategy for a stubborn deal
Start by identifying base cards that are out of place. A 2 below the top row, a 3 outside the middle row, or a 4 outside the bottom row is often more important than a flashy court card, because empty spaces cannot become foundations without those bases. If a base card is available, place it before dealing more depot cards unless another move clearly frees a more urgent base.
Treat duplicate foundations as choices, not decoration. If two 2s of clubs are available, either can receive a 5 of clubs, but the choice can still matter when a loose card is occupying a space you want to open. Moving the right loose card can create a base space, expose a depot top, or prevent a later card from being buried.
Before pressing Deal depots, scan all 24 parade spaces and all eight depot tops. You can deal whenever stock remains, but doing it too early can cover a useful depot card. Royal Parade often punishes the player who stops looking as soon as one row appears quiet.
In the late game, focus on the missing suit steps. A foundation showing an 8 needs its jack; a foundation showing a 9 needs its queen; a foundation showing a 10 needs its king. Those cards are easy to recognize because they complete rows, and completing a foundation removes one more problem from the board.
Mistakes
Common Royal Parade mistakes
- Trying to build by ordinary rank order instead of by threes.
- Forgetting that suits must match on every foundation step.
- Dealing depots mentally too soon and missing a loose parade card that can move.
- Assuming a loose 8 can build on a loose 5 before the 5 has joined a 2 foundation.
- Ignoring out-of-row base cards that could open empty spaces.
- Treating the depots like tableau piles. Depot cards do not build on each other.
Winnability
Is Royal Parade Solitaire winnable?
Royal Parade is not always winnable. The game gives you visible choices, but the buried depot order can still trap key cards under cards that cannot yet move. Aces are easy to set aside once exposed, but they can still delay the card underneath a depot pile until they reach the top.
This page does not publish a win percentage because a useful number should come from this exact implementation over many measured deals. The honest way to think about difficulty is that Royal Parade is more strategic than a pure luck deal, but much less controllable than open games such as FreeCell.
Variants
Royal Parade variants and house rules
Older patience books and later software versions do not always handle the opening and depot details in exactly the same way. The older Tarbart-style description removes the aces before play. Many online games, and the Virginia Reel branch of the family, keep aces in the deal and discard them as they appear.
This site now follows the online expectation: seed the left Parade column with 2, 3, and 4; leave the aces in the deal; move exposed aces to a side pile; fill empty parade spaces only with the correct row base; build by suit in steps of three; deal the first depot row automatically; and allow further depot rows whenever stock cards remain.
Comparison
How Royal Parade compares with other solitaire games
Royal Parade is closest in spirit to other old foundation puzzles where the row pattern is the point. Calculation also asks you to think in nonstandard rank sequences, but Calculation ignores suits and uses waste piles as storage. Royal Parade keeps suits strict and spreads the work across 24 small foundations.
Compared with Forty Thieves or Josephine, Royal Parade has less tableau movement and more foundation placement. Compared with Algerian, it is easier to read at a glance but still unforgiving because the depots hide their lower cards. It is a good choice when you want a two-deck game that feels antique, orderly, and a little severe.