Gargantua (solitaire)

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Gargantua is a solitaire card game that is basically a version of Klondike using two decks.

Instead of seven in Klondike, there are nine columns to be formed. Forming these nine columns of cards, i.e. dealing the cards, is like much like Klondike. One face-up card is placed on the first column, then eight cards are each placed face-down on the other eight columns. Over these eight face-down cards are one face-up card and seven face-down cards, and so on until all nine columns have a face-up card. The rest of the deck becomes the pile. The piles should look like this:

      O   O   O   O   O   O   O   O
 
 
 +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+
 | | +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+
 +-+ | | +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+
     +-+ | | +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+
         +-+ | | +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+
             +-+ | | +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+
                 +-+ | | +-+ +-+ +-+
                     +-+ | | +-+ +-+
                         +-+ | | +-+ 
                             +-+ | |
                                 +-+                          

As in Klondike, play consists of the following:

• The eight foundations, represented by the Os in the diagram, are built up in suits starting from the ace.
• Tableau piles and cards are built down by alternating colors in partial or complete piles.
• Face-down cards are immediately turned up when they become the top cards of their piles.
• Empty spaces can be filled only by Kings or piles with Kings as bottom cards.

As for dealing the stock, cards from it are dealt to the waste pile one at a time and used if possible. The stock can only be dealt twice; afterwards the leftover cards are left at the waste pile. Also note that if you do go through the stock twice you will almost always win, so for a little more challenge just go through it once.

The game is won if all cards are transferred to the foundations.

[edit] Harp

Harp, like Gargantua, is a solitaire card game that is basically a version of Klondike using two decks. It is played like Gargantua except that the stock can only be dealt four times.