Colours is a

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 a deck 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. Its gameplay puts it on the same family as

Sir Tommy Sir Tommy, also called Old Patience, is a patience or solitaire card game using a single pack of 52 playing cards. It is said to be the ancestor of all patiences, hence its alternative title. It is a half-open, planner type of patience game in the ...

Strategy Strategy (from Greek στρατηγία ''stratēgia'', "art of troop leader; office of general, command, generalship") is a general plan to achieve one or more long-term or overall goals under conditions of uncertainty. In the sense of the "art ...

, and

Calculation A calculation is a deliberate mathematical process that transforms one or more inputs into one or more outputs or ''results''. The term is used in a variety of senses, from the very definite arithmetical calculation of using an algorithm, to th ...

. Colours is so called because of its emphasis on colour. The game is a variation of the solitaire game Lady Betty.

Rules

The cards are shuffled, then dealt out one by one the foundations or onto one of six waste piles, the top cards of which are available for building ''only'' on the foundations. A two, a three, a four, and a five are needed to start the foundations. The deuce and the four should be of one colour (regardless of suit) and the trey and the five be of the other colour. Naturally, the colour of the first foundation card that turns up during dealing dictates the colours of the other cards. The foundations are built up by colour. Dealing of cards from the stock continues until the stock runs out. The game is won when all of the cards are built onto the foundations, which should have an ace, a deuce, a trey, and a four on top.

Variations

Lady Betty is more like

in that it requires you to build the foundations by suit rather than colour, but like Colours it gives two extra tableau piles to work with. Sources: * Dalton, Basil. ''The Complete Patience Book'' * Hervey, George F. ''Enjoying Card Games for One'' * Parlett, David. ''The Penguin Book of Patience''

Rules

Variations

See also