Games of patience, or (card)

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 ...

s 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 describing, succinctly and accurately, how the games are played. Patience games are usually for a single player, although a small number have been designed for two and, in rare cases, three or even four players. They are games of skill or chance or a combination of the two. There are three classes of patience grouped by object. The most frequent object is to arrange the cards either in

ascending sequence 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 ...

(e.g. from Ace to King) or descending sequence. Occasionally both forms of

sequence In mathematics, a sequence is an enumerated collection of objects in which repetitions are allowed and order matters. Like a set, it contains members (also called ''elements'', or ''terms''). The number of elements (possibly infinite) is called ...

are aimed at in the same game. The card forming the starting point of the required sequence is known as the foundation card and the sequence or

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

is said to be 'built up' on such card. In some cases foundation cards are picked out and placed in position beforehand; in others they are only laid down as they come to hand in course of play. In some instances the cards forming the sequence must be of the same suit as the foundation card; in others suit is disregarded. Some games permit the provisional formation of auxiliary sequences (descending or ascending), i.e. groups of cards in succession but not yet ripe to be played to the families or sequences on the foundation cards. A second object of many patiences is merely to 'pair' cards. The cards thus paired are thrown aside and, if the player is able, under the limitations of the particular game, to throw out all the cards in this way, the game is won. A third object is to throw out or dispose of any two cards which together form a particular number, say eleven or thirteen–the player's success, as before, depending on being able to get rid of all the cards in this manner.Hoffmann, Professor (1892), pp. 1–6. It will be obvious that the endeavour to arrange, pair, or combine the cards of a whole pack is a difficult task, varying in degree according to the rules of the particular game. The player must therefore be prepared for a good many failures even when close to success. Hence why the name 'patience games' has been give to recreations of this description.

A

; alternating colour, alternative color : Placing red on

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

cards or black on red cards alternately.Parlett (1979), pp. 24–32. ; available : A card that is available may be picked up and laid down elsewhere. ; available cards : Those that are not blocked or

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of copy ...

by other cards, ''i.e.'', not forbidden by the particular rules of each game, to be used.Cadogan (1874), p. xi. ; auxiliary sequence : A pile of cards that is packed on a depot within the tableau in readiness for being built in the reverse order on the foundations when the time is right.

B

; base, base card : See foundation card.Jackson (2001), pp. 7 ff. ; below : A card is below another if it is nearer to the bottom of the playing

board Board or Boards may refer to: Flat surface * Lumber, or other rigid material, milled or sawn flat ** Plank (wood) ** Cutting board ** Sounding board, of a musical instrument * Cardboard (paper product) * Paperboard * Fiberboard ** Hardboard, a ty ...

or to the player. See also

beneath Beneath may refer to: * ''Beneath'' (2007 film), directed by Dagen Merrill * ''Beneath'' (2013 film), a thriller film by Larry Fessenden *''Beneath'', a 2013 film directed by Ben Ketai * ''Beneath'' (Amoral album), 2011 * Beneath (Infant Island a ...

. ; beneath : A card is beneath another if it is

or overlapped by it. See also

below Below may refer to: *Earth * Ground (disambiguation) *Soil *Floor * Bottom (disambiguation) *Less than *Temperatures below freezing *Hell or underworld People with the surname *Ernst von Below (1863–1955), German World War I general *Fred Below ...

. ; black (suits) : The suits of

Clubs Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album '' kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

and

Spades SPAdes (St. Petersburg genome assembler) is a genome assembly algorithm which was designed for single cell and multi-cells bacterial data sets. Therefore, it might not be suitable for large genomes projects. SPAdes works with Ion Torrent, PacB ...

. ; blocked : The situation when no more legal moves can be made. In some instances the game is automatically lost; in others a

grace Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uninc ...

may be used to unblock the game. Also chockered. ; build : To place one card on the top of the other in sequence, or otherwise, according to the rules. To place cards in their final location, in stacks or cascades according to the rules.Barry (2010), p. 11. ; build down : To place cards one on top of another in descending sequence. Cards may be 'built downward', e.g. from King to Ace.Barry (2010), p. 11. ; build up : To place cards one on top of another in

. Cards may be 'built upward', e.g. from Ace to King.Barry (2010), p. 11. ; buried : See

C

; cascade : Cards are built on one another, starting from the bottom up. Each card's value and suit is face up, and should be able to be viewed by the player. However, only the top card is available for play. It is most commonly found in addition games. ; cells : In computer games, such as freeCell, cells allow only one card at a time to be placed in them. Any card can be put in a cell. Same as

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 consi ...

and formerly known as a depot. ; chockered : See blocked. ; closed : A game of incomplete information in which cards that cannot be played are discarded to a wastepile. See also

open Open or OPEN may refer to: Music * Open (band), Australian pop/rock band * The Open (band), English indie rock band * Open (Blues Image album), ''Open'' (Blues Image album), 1969 * Open (Gotthard album), ''Open'' (Gotthard album), 1999 * Open (C ...

and half-open. ; color, colour : In French-suited packs there are two 'colours': red, i.e. the suits of Hearts and

Diamonds Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, ...

, and

, i.e. the suits of

and

. ; column : A line of cards extending towards the player and usually spread, i.e. overlapping so that all are identifiable, but only the topmost card is

exposed Expose, exposé, or exposed may refer to: News sources * Exposé (journalism), a form of investigative journalism * '' The Exposé'', a British conspiracist website Film and TV Film * ''Exposé'' (film), a 1976 thriller film * ''Exposed'' (1932 ...

and therefore available. ; come out, out : A game is 'out' or said to 'come out' when the player achieves its objective. See also get out. ; court card : Picture card. The picture cards or face cards, being dressed in costume, were originally called coat cards. They are the King, Queen and Knave or Jack. ; covered : A card is covered when another card lies wholly or partially over it. It is not normally available. Also buried. ; crown : A

suite Suite may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Suite (music), a set of musical pieces considered as one composition ** Suite (Bach), a list of suites composed by J. S. Bach ** Suite (Cassadó), a mid-1920s composition by Gaspar Cassadó ** ''Suite ...

is 'crowned' when the last card, often the King, is played to it.

D

; deal : To take cards from the top of the pack and lay them on the tableau, face up unless the rules state otherwise. ; denomination : See

value Value or values may refer to: Ethics and social * Value (ethics) wherein said concept may be construed as treating actions themselves as abstract objects, associating value to them ** Values (Western philosophy) expands the notion of value beyo ...

. ; depot, depôt : Position in the layout comprising a pile of cards, one card or a space waiting for a card. A depository to which cards not playable direct to foundations may be placed. ; discard : To place a card on the wastepile instead of playing it to the tableau. ; discard pile : See wastepile. ; down-card, downcard : A card lying face down.

E

; exposed : A card is exposed when it is not

or overlapped by another. Exposed cards are usually available.

F

; face : To turn a down-card face up. ; face down : A card is face down when its picture or pip side is hidden. ; face up : A card is face up when its picture or pip side is uppermost. ; family, families : Cards built in

upon the foundation cards. ; fan : A few cards, usually three, laid in an overlapping, crescent-shaped row such that only one is

and available. ; fanned : When the cards in the pile are overlapping, but part of each card can be seen. The fan is usually crescent-shaped and three in number. ; foundation, foundation pile : A pile of cards, typically squared and face-up, and built on the bottom card which is the foundation card. As the tableau is cleared, cards are moved to the foundations. ; foundation card : A card on which the Patience is formed. Foundations cards are generally Kings and Aces.Dick (1884), pp. 7–8. Also base or base card. ; foundation row : A row of foundation cards or the spaces for them.

G

; gap : See

. ; get out : To win a patience game; to succeed in achieving the aim of the game. See also come out. ; grace : A special move that might otherwise be illegal.Arnold (2011), pp. 159–160. See also merci. ; grace card : A card which may be used as a

H

; half-open : A game which starts off

closed Closed may refer to: Mathematics * Closure (mathematics), a set, along with operations, for which applying those operations on members always results in a member of the set * Closed set, a set which contains all its limit points * Closed interval, ...

, i.e. with incomplete information because not all cards are visible on the table, and which becomes

as play proceeds. Thus it is a combination of chance and skill. See also

and

. ; heel : Cards set aside for later in the game. ; honors, honours : The Aces together with the court cards.

L

; lane : An empty line of spaces in the tableau, which has been formed by the removal of an entire row of cards. Carpet patience 1

; layout : The arrangement of cards

dealt ''Dealt'' is a 2017 American documentary film directed by Luke Korem. The film is about the life and career of Richard Turner - who is renowned as one of the world's greatest card magicians, yet he is completely blind. In the documentary, Richa ...

to the table at the start of the game. Parlett carefully distinguishes it from the tableau.

M

; marriage : The placing a card ''of the same suit'' on the next one above or below it in value. Any number may be placed on each other in this way. ; master card : See foundation card. ; merci : A rule that allows the play of a card in certain circumstances in contravention of the normal rules of the patience concerned.Tarbart (1905), pp. 1–4. Similar to

. ; multiples : Cards are placed in multiples when the

is a multiple of a number other than one e.g. where cards may only be placed on the card two, three, or four; higher or lower. In multiples, a Jack counts as eleven, a Queen twelve, and a King thirteen. Wrapping is often applied, i.e. if building up by two is required, then the sequence 10 - Queen - Ace - 3 - 5 is permitted.

O

; open : A game in which play begins with all cards face up on the table. Like chess, an open game is purely a game of skill. See also

and half-open. ; overlap, overlapping : A

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

of cards is overlapping when each succeeding card partly covers the preceding one such that it can be identified.

P

; pack # To pack is to place cards in

in an intermediate location, usually the tableau, until they can be placed on the foundations. # A pack (also deck) is the set of cards in hand which are being dealt at the outset of the game. Normally 52 cards or a multiple thereof. However some patiences are played with a

Piquet pack Piquet (; ) is an early 16th-century plain-trick card game for two players that became France's national game. David Parlett calls it a "classic game of relatively great antiquity... still one of the most skill-rewarding card games for two" but ...

or Euchre pack of 32 cards. ; packet : A squared up pile of cards dealt at the start of a game. Sometimes dealt such that the top card is face up and available while the ones

are face down. ; pair : Two cards of the same rank. ; patience : The name of a type of card game, usually for one player, in Britain and many other countries. ; pile : A stack of cards one on top of the other and

squared A square is a regular quadrilateral with four equal sides and four right angles. Square or Squares may also refer to: Mathematics and science *Square (algebra), multiplying a number or expression by itself *Square (cipher), a cryptographic block ...

such that only the

topmost card 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 ...

, whether face up or face down is visible. ; pips : The spots on the cards; that is, the figures of clubs, diamonds, etc.Cheney (1869), pp. 113 ff. ; play (a card, cards) : To place (a card) on the foundations in contradistinction to placing them elsewhere. To take up and use it in the game for

building A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory (although there's also portable buildings). Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and func ...

, packing or filling a

as opposed to discarding it to a wastepile.

R

; rank : The

or denomination of a card. ; red (suits) : The suits of Hearts and

. ; redeal, re-deal # When the stock is empty, to take the wastepile, turn it over, and use it to reform the stock. Sometimes it must be shuffled. # A second or follow-on deal. ; released cards : Those that, by the removal of the cards that blocked them, have now become available. ; reserve :Cards available for play that are not part of the foundations,

talon Talon or talons may refer to: Science and technology * Talon (anatomy), the claw of a bird of prey * Brodifacoum, a rodenticide, also known as the brand Talon * TALON (database), a database maintained by the US Air Force * Talon, an anti-vehicle- ...

, tableau or discard piles. ; reversing : In two- pack patiences, when it is allowed to build sequences simultaneously, ascending on Ace foundations and descending on King foundations, so that when the tops cards of two foundations are in sequence (e.g. a Six and a Seven), cards may be transferred from one to the other. ; row : A line of cards placed side by side. May or may not be overlapped. ; rubbish heap, rubbish-heap : See wastepile.

S

; sequence, ascending sequence, descending sequence : A

cascade Cascade, Cascades or Cascading may refer to: Science and technology Science *Cascade waterfalls, or series of waterfalls * Cascade, the CRISPR-associated complex for antiviral defense (a protein complex) * Cascade (grape), a type of fruit * Bioc ...

, pile or row of cards in order of rank. Often the aim is to form a full sequence in each suit, typically from Ace (low) to

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen regnant, queen, which title is also given to the queen consort, consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contempora ...

(high). The regular succession of cards ascending from Ace to King or descending from King to Ace; a sequence need not be of one suit. ; shuttling : A feature in some games whereby placing a card under an existing pile releases the top card which must be now played next. See, e.g. Travellers and its variants. ; singleton : A single care of any suit. ; solitaire : North American name for games of patience. ; space : A gap in the tableau due to the removal of a singleton card or a pile of cards. Same as vacancy. A gap or vacancy in the layout into which cards may be played or from which cards have been removed.Parodi (2004), pp. 9 ff. An empty depot. Also gap or vacancy. ; spots : See pips. ; spread : To overlap cards in a row or

such that each card can be made out, but only the

and therefore available. ; squared : When the cards in the pile are directly on top of one another. ; stock : See

. ; suit : One of the four families of cards in a pack all sharing the same symbol e.g.

, Hearts and

or Acorns,

Leaves A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

, Hearts and

Bells Bells may refer to: * Bell, a musical instrument Places * Bells, North Carolina * Bells, Tennessee * Bells, Texas * Bells Beach, Victoria, an internationally famous surf beach in Australia * Bells Corners, Ontario Music * Bells, directly st ...

. ; suite : A pile of cards that has been built in

on a foundation card. Same as foundation pile. An Ace-suite is one based on an Ace, etc. A full sequence of 13 cards of one suit. ; suitable cards : Those whose value and suit fit them to be played or placed in the tableaux.

T

; tableau : An arrangement of cards on the table, typically comprising several depots i.e. places where columns of overlapping cards may be formed, the packing taking place on the available cards on the columns. It is thus distinct from a layout,

reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US ...

or wastepile. The main part of the layout on the table. Sometimes equated, confusingly, to layout. ;

: The remaining stack of cards, typically squared and face-down, that is left after the layout has been populated. These cards can be turned over into the

waste Waste (or wastes) are unwanted or unusable materials. Waste is any substance discarded after primary use, or is worthless, defective and of no use. A by-product, by contrast is a joint product of relatively minor economic value. A waste pr ...

, usually one-by-one, but sometimes in groups of two or three (depending on rules), whenever the player wishes. Also stock. Sometimes equated, confusingly, to waste pile. ; top card, topmost card : See uppermost card. ; turn the corner, turning the corner : In

or packing to continue the

after ascending to the King or descending to the Ace e.g. to run J Q K A 2 3.

U

; up-card, upcard : A card lying face up, usually at the top of a pile. See also down-card. ; uppermost card : The

card on the top, or surface of a packet. Also top or topmost card.

V

; vacancy : See

. ; value : The figures of the court cards and the number of points, pips or spots of the minor cards.

W

; waste (heap) : See wastepile. ; wastepile, waste pile : A stack or pile of cards, usually from the stock or

, that is formed when they are turned up but cannot be played immediately. The pile is usually

and face-up and only the topmost card is available. Also rubbish heap, waste heap or discard pile. ; wing : The left or right half of the tableau when it is divided in two by a clear space. ; worrying back : Putting a card already built on a foundation back onto one of the depots in the tableau. Not allowed in many patiences. First introduced in Emperor Patience in 1890.Whitmore Jones (1890), pp. 72–74. ; wrapping # Building around the corner # Using

modular arithmetic In mathematics, modular arithmetic is a system of arithmetic for integers, where numbers "wrap around" when reaching a certain value, called the modulus. The modern approach to modular arithmetic was developed by Carl Friedrich Gauss in his boo ...

to build the sequence, e.g. Queen-King-Ace-2-3, 10-Queen-Ace-3-5, 8-Jack-Ace-4-7.

Footnotes

References

Literature

* Arnold, Peter (2011). ''Card Games for One''. London: Chambers. * Barry, Sheila Anne (2010). ''Great Card Games for One''. NY: Puzzlewright. *

Cadogan, Lady Adelaide Lady Adelaide Cadogan (née Paget; 1820–1890) was a British noblewoman and prodigious author, most noted for her seminal work on plays and card games. She used her title in her publications and that is how she is generally styled. Biography ...

(1872). ''Illustrated Games of Patience''. * Cheney, Ednah Dow Littlehale (1869). ''Patience: A Series of Games with Cards''. Boston: Lee & Shepard. *

Dick, William Brisbane Dick & Fitzgerald was a 19th-century United States publisher, founded by William Brisbane Dick (1827–1901) and Lawrence R. Fitzgerald (1826-1881), based in New York City. Their address at one time was 18 Ann Street. Dick and Fitzgerald was a pu ...

(1883). ''Dick's Games of Patience, Or, Solitaire with Cards.'' NY: Dick & Fitzgerald. *

Hoffmann, Professor Professor Hoffmann (1839–1919) was the pseudonym of Angelo John Lewis, an English-born barrister and writer who has been described as "the most prolific and influential magic author and translator until modern times."

ngelo Lewis(1892). ''The Illustrated Book of Patience Games''. London, NY, Glasgow and Manchester: George Routledge. * Jackson, Robin (2001). ''Solitaire: Over 30 Challenging Solitaire Games''. NY: Barnes & Noble. * Parlett, David (1979). ''The Penguin Book of Patience''. London: Penguin. * Parodi, Francesca (2004). ''Big Book of Solitaire''. NY: Sterling. * "Tarbart" (1905). ''Games of Patience'', 2nd edition. London: Thos. De La Rue. * Whitmore Jones, Mary (1890). ''Games of Patience for One or More Players''. 2nd Series. London: L. Upcott Gill. NY: Scribner’s.

External links

Glossary of card game terms
provided by

The United States Playing Card Company The United States Playing Card Company (USPC, though also commonly known as USPCC) is a large American producer and distributor of playing cards. It was established in 1867 as Russell, Morgan & Co. and founded in its current incarnation in 1885 ...

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