Beleaguered Castle
Overview
Beleaguered Castle (also known as Laying Siege) is a classic, highly strategic solitaire card game. Because all cards are dealt face-up at the beginning of the game, it relies heavily on skill and planning rather than luck.
Setup
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Deck: One standard 52-card deck (no jokers)
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Foundations: The four Aces are placed in a vertical column in the center
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Tableau: The remaining 48 cards are dealt face-up into 8 rows (wings) of 6 cards each — 4 rows on each side of the foundations
Objective
Move all 52 cards to the four Foundation piles, building them up in ascending order by suit from Ace to King.
Turn Structure
On your turn, you may:
1.
Move to Foundation: Move the outermost (rightmost) card of any tableau row onto its matching foundation pile, if it is exactly one rank higher and the same suit
2.
Move between Tableau: Move the outermost card of any row onto the end of another row, if it is exactly one rank lower than that row's outermost card (suit and color do not matter)
3.
Move to Empty Space: If a row is completely empty, move any available card into that space
Key Rules
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Only one card may be moved at a time — never move groups of cards
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Foundations build up by suit (Ace → 2 → 3 → ... → King)
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Tableau rows build down regardless of suit (any card one rank lower)
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Empty tableau spaces can accept any available card
Winning and Losing
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Win: The game is won when all 52 cards have been built onto the four Foundation piles, ending with the four Kings.
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Lose: If no legal move remains before the Foundations are complete, the game ends as a loss — including a deal that offers no move at all from the start.
Strategy Tips
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Plan ahead: Since every card is visible, locate the 2s and 3s first and work to free them
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Value empty spaces: Empty rows are your primary tool for maneuvering — don't fill them without good reason
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Don't rush foundations: Sometimes keeping a card in the tableau gives you more flexibility