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Time 0:00 Moves 0Stock 64

Play Forty Thieves Solitaire online

Forty Thieves is a two-deck game for patient players. Forty cards start in ten columns of four, and you can only move one card at a time. It's hard, and that's what people like about it.

How to play

  • Goal: move all 104 cards to the eight foundations along the top, two for each suit, each built from Ace to King.
  • Columns are built down in the same suit. The 8 of clubs goes on the 9 of clubs.
  • One card at a time. Only the bottom card of a column can move, and never as part of a run.
  • Empty columns take any card.
  • The stock turns one card at a time onto the waste. It only goes through once.

Tips

  • Empty columns are everything. With single-card moves, an empty column is the only way to move a stack in pieces.
  • Don't waste an empty column. Only fill it with a card that helps you reach something.
  • Think about the waste. You won't see those cards again, so play them when you can.
  • Get Aces up fast. Every card on a foundation is one less card clogging the columns.

Questions people ask

Why can I only move one card at a time?
That is the rule that makes Forty Thieves hard. You cannot move runs, so every long stack has to be taken apart card by card.
Is Forty Thieves hard?
Yes. It is one of the hardest well-known solitaires, and many deals cannot be won. Undo makes it far more forgiving.
Does it have another name?
Yes. Forty Thieves is also known as Napoleon at St Helena, one of several solitaire games named after Napoleon.
Can I go through the stock twice?
No. The stock turns one card at a time and passes through once.

More solitaire games

Every game has its own rules and its own page. The spades show how hard each one is.

Klondike The classic. Turn 1 or Turn 3. FreeCell Every card face up. Almost always winnable. Spider (1 suit) Two decks, one suit. The gentle Spider. Spider (2 suits) Keep two suits apart to build runs. Spider (4 suits) The full Spider. A real test. Pyramid Pair cards that add up to 13. Golf Play one rank up or down. Quick rounds.
Forty Thieves Two decks, one card at a time. Tough. You're playing this one

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