Beleaguered Castle

Beleaguered Castle is an open solitaire game recorded by William Dick in 1883. The four Aces form central foundations, while the other 48 cards sit face up in eight rows, four on each side. Players build foundations upward by suit and tableau rows downward by rank without caring about suit. Because there is no stock or hidden card, the puzzle is about managing exposed rows and creating empty spaces.

1. Remove the four Aces and place them as the four foundations. Deal the remaining 48 cards face up into eight rows of six.
2. Click the exposed card at the end of a row. Move it to its foundation when it is the next rank in its suit.
3. Alternatively, move the exposed card onto the end of another row when it is exactly one rank lower than that target. Tableau suits do not matter.
4. An empty row can accept any exposed card. Use empty rows as temporary storage and as a way to reach buried row cards.
5. Keep moving until all foundations reach King. If no legal move remains first, start a new deal and try a different order.

• Foundations build Ace, 2, 3 through King in the same suit.
• Rows build downward by rank and can mix suits.
• Only one exposed card moves at a time in the standard form.
• An empty row accepts any card.
• The game has no stock and no redeal, so every card is visible and every move changes the available edge cards.

• Send a card to its foundation when doing so exposes a useful row edge. Foundation moves reduce clutter permanently.
• Create empty rows early, but do not fill the first empty space without checking which card will unlock the most cards.
• When two rows accept the same card, choose the destination that preserves a longer run of useful ranks.
• Watch the high cards. A King can move to an empty row, while lower cards need a target one rank higher.
• Think in dependencies. If a 6 blocks the only 5 that can reach a foundation, clear the 6 before building an attractive side sequence.

• Streets and Alleys: A related open solitaire layout uses four foundation columns and long rows, with similar downward tableau building.
• Citadel: Citadel changes how the Aces enter the foundations during the deal.
• FreeCell: FreeCell adds free cells for temporary storage, while Beleaguered Castle relies on empty tableau rows.

• Every card is visible, so deductions feel fair.
• The castle-shaped layout gives the board a strong visual identity.
• Empty rows create clear turning points.
• The foundation and tableau rules are easy to compare.
• Each deal rewards a different release order.

Play Beleaguered Castle online for free on Clasica Games. Select exposed cards to build the four suit foundations or move them down across the eight open rows. No download is needed.

Beleaguered Castle makes solitaire feel like an open planning problem. Every card is known, yet the order of releases still matters. Build empty rows, protect foundation access, and begin a free deal when you are ready.

• Beleaguered Castle rules and history
• Beleaguered Castle rules, Solitaire Forever