Diplomat is a

patience (or forbearance) is the ability to endure difficult circumstances. Patience may involve perseverance in the face of delay; tolerance of provocation without responding in disrespect/anger; or forbearance when under strain, especially when faced ...

solitaire Solitaire is any tabletop game which one can play by oneself, usually with cards, but also with dominoes. The term "solitaire" is also used for single-player games of concentration and skill using a set layout tiles, pegs or stones. These game ...

card game A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games (such as poker). A small number of card ...

which is played using two decks of

playing card A playing card is a piece of specially prepared card stock, heavy paper, thin cardboard, plastic-coated paper, cotton-paper blend, or thin plastic that is marked with distinguishing motifs. Often the front (face) and back of each card has a fi ...

s shuffled together."Diplomat" (p.52) in ''Little Giant Encyclopedia of Games for One or Two'', The Diagram Group, 1998. Its layout is similar to that of Beleaguered Castle, and the play is similar to

Forty Thieves Forty Thieves or 40 Thieves may refer to: * the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves Groups of people * the Forty Thieves (New York gang), an 18th-century New York street gang *The Forty Thieves (New York City Common Council 1852–1853) * the ...

. It can be completed successfully more often than not.

Rules

First, thirty-two cards each are dealt and arranged so that they form two

columns A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...

of four rows (eight rows in total) of four cards each just as in Beleaguered Castle, making a point to leave room in between the two columns for the eight aces that form the bases of the

foundations Foundation may refer to: * Foundation (nonprofit), a type of charitable organization ** Foundation (United States law), a type of charitable organization in the U.S. ** Private foundation, a charitable organization that, while serving a good cause ...

. The top cards of each row of cards for play to the foundations on the center of the columns or around the

tableau Tableau (French for 'little table' literally, also used to mean 'picture'; tableaux or, rarely, tableaus) may refer to: Arts * ''Tableau'', a series of four paintings by Piet Mondrian titled ''Tableau I'' through to ''Tableau IV'' * ''Tableau viv ...

(the eight rows). The foundations are

built up Games of patience, or (card) solitaires as they are usually called in North America, have their own 'language' of specialised terms such as "building down", "packing", "foundations", "talon" and "tableau". Once learnt they are helpful in des ...

by suit up to kings, while the cards in the tableau are

built down Games of patience, or (card) solitaires as they are usually called in North America, have their own 'language' of specialised terms such as "building down", "packing", "foundations", "talon" and "tableau". Once learnt they are helpful in de ...

regardless of suit. When a

space Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider ...

occurs in the tableau, it can be filled by any available card. Only one card can be moved at a time. When there are no available moves—or if the players has done all plays one can make—the

stock In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especially AmE'' one of the shares into which ownership of a company ...

is dealt one at a time. Any card that cannot be played to the foundations or the tableau can be placed on the

wastepile The following is a glossary of terms used in card games. Besides the terms listed here, there are thousands of common and uncommon slang terms. Terms in this glossary should not be game-specific (e.g. specific to Bridge, Hearts, Poker or Rummy), ...

, the

top card ''Top Card'' is a game show that aired on TNN and produced by Reid-Land Productions, replacing TNN's original game show ''Fandango''. The show aired from April 3, 1989 to March 26, 1993 and was based on the card game Blackjack. Jim Caldwell was ...

of which is available for play. The stock can only be dealt once. The game ends as soon as after the entire stock is dealt. The game is won when all cards end up in the foundations.

Variants

Other closely related games include

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

and Parliament, which are also two deck games in the style of Forty Thieves with tableaus of eight columns.

Rules

Variants

References

See also