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5. Alhambra Solitaire

Alhambra Solitaire game info

• Family: Reserved Packers Solitaire Games
• Decks: Two decks (104 cards)
• Game time: Long
• Chance of winning: Very low

Very difficult two deck solitaire game, in which cards from the reserve can be moved to the waste as in Crazy Quilt Solitaire.

Alhambra Solitaire is named after The Alhambra, a famous medieval Palace and Fortress in Granada (Spain). Being a virtually impenetrable fortress, it makes sense that an incredibly difficult game is named after the fortress.

Goal

Move all the cards to the foundations.

Layout & deal

Alhambra Solitaire is played with two decks (104 cards). There are 8 foundation piles, 4 of which start with an Ace and are built up, 4 of which start with a King and are built down. There are 8 reserve piles which are dealt 4 face-up cards each. The remaining 64 cards go into the stock, face-down. The waste is empty at the start.

Allowable moves

• The top card of each reserve pile is playable and can be moved to the waste or to the foundation. Cards cannot be moved to a reserve pile.
• The waste can be built down or up, in the same suit. It wraps from Ace to King, so an Ace can be put on top of a King and vice versa.
• Click the stock to reveal a card, which is moved to the waste. If the stock is empty, you can click it to reset all cards from waste to stock. You can do this twice.
• Foundations are built up (or down) in-suit.

Strategy

Alhambra Solitaire is a very difficult game with a typical win rate of only 1%. Following these tips could help to successfully complete a deal in Alhambra Solitaire.

• Pick an interesting deal: Only start playing when you get a deal in which you can immediately make some moves. Try to find a deal without too many Kings and Aces in the tableau.
• Keep cards in the reserve: If you have the choice, don’t play the last card in a reserve pile, but play the equivalent card in the waste pile. This is only helpful when you have not yet played the equivalent card. Also make sure it doesn’t block you from progressing with building on the foundations.
• Move cards between foundations: It can be helpful to move cards between the two foundation piles of the same suit.
• Strategically move cards from foundation to waste: In some cases it can be helpful to move a card from a foundation back on the waste pile, for example to unblock an interesting tableau card.

Variants

• Granada Solitaire: Easier version of Alhambra Solitaire with 4 cells instead of a waste pile. Named after Granada, the city in which the Alhambra is located.

More info

• Wikipedia