How to Play Forty Thieves Solitaire

Forty Thieves Solitaire (also known as Napoleon at St. Helena or Big Forty) is a challenging two-deck solitaire game where you build eight foundation piles using same-suit ascending order, with single-card-only moves on the tableau. It is one of the hardest mainstream solitaire variants, requiring careful planning and patience. The legend says Napoleon played this game during his exile on St. Helena, though this is likely apocryphal.

Difficulty: Very HardWin Rate: About 10% of deals are winnable. One of the hardest mainstream solitaire games.

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Objective

Your goal is to move all 104 cards (two full decks) into eight foundation piles, each built up by suit from Ace to King. Tableau columns must be built in same-suit descending order, and only one card can be moved at a time — making this one of solitaire's most demanding tests.

Video Tutorial

How to Play Forty Thieves — Rules and Strategies

Game Setup

The tableau: Ten columns of four face-up cards — 40 cards total. Every card is visible from the start. Tableau building is same-suit descending only (you cannot mix suits).
The stock pile: Sixty-four face-down cards in the upper-left. Draw one card at a time to the waste pile. The stock cannot be recycled — once empty, no more draws.
The waste pile: Holds drawn stock cards face-up. The top waste card is playable to either the tableau or any foundation.
The foundations: Eight empty piles — two per suit, since the game uses two decks. Each foundation is built from Ace up to King. Filling all eight wins the game.

Complete Rules

Build tableau columns in descending order by same suit (e.g., 7 of Spades on 8 of Spades only).
Only one card can be moved at a time — no group moves, even if the sequence is valid.
Any card can be placed on an empty tableau column.
Build foundations by suit in ascending order: Ace, 2, 3, ... King. Since there are two decks, each suit has two foundation piles.
Draw one card at a time from the stock to the waste pile.
The top waste card is always playable to the tableau or foundations.
Win by moving all 104 cards to the eight foundation piles.
The stock is not recycled — once all 64 cards are drawn, no more draws are available.
Same-suit descending on tableau means you must match both rank AND suit (not just color).
You cannot move multiple cards at once, even in a perfect sequence — only single cards.
The game is lost when no valid moves remain.
Cards can be moved from foundations back to the tableau if needed.

Strategy Tips

Play Aces to foundations immediately. With two decks, Aces are essential and should never stay in the tableau.
Empty columns are your most valuable resource. Use them as temporary storage for single cards.
Build foundations as evenly as possible. Large gaps between foundation levels create bottlenecks.
Plan multiple moves ahead. Since only one card moves at a time, rearranging the tableau is expensive.
Avoid covering important cards. Before placing a card on a tableau column, check if any card beneath it is needed soon.
Draw from the stock sparingly. Each draw adds a card to the waste that may be hard to access later.
Track both copies of each card. Knowing where both 7 of Hearts are helps you plan which one to use for building.
Do not rush to fill empty columns. An empty column is more useful than a column with a random card.
Focus on uncovering the second Ace of each suit early — you need both to complete the game.
When stuck, draw from stock one card at a time rather than in bulk — assess each new card before drawing again.

Advanced Strategy

Create a mental model of your "pipeline" — which cards need to reach foundations, in what order, and where they currently sit.
Use empty columns as "work areas" for reorganizing cards. Plan a sequence of moves that ends with the column empty again.
Same-suit building is restrictive. When possible, prioritize building on tableau columns where the suit matches cards above — this creates movable sequences even though the game only allows single-card moves.
In the opening, focus on building foundations for suits that appear most frequently in accessible positions.
Late-game success depends on waste pile management. Try to avoid burying critical cards in the waste by playing tactically from the stock.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is it called Forty Thieves?

The name comes from the 40 cards initially dealt to the tableau. Some connect it to the Arabian Nights story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.

How many decks does Forty Thieves use?

Two standard 52-card decks (104 cards total). 40 are dealt to the tableau, and 64 go to the stock pile.

Why can I only move one card at a time?

Single-card-only movement is the core rule of Forty Thieves. This restriction makes the game much harder than Klondike or Spider, where you can move sequences as groups.

How many foundations are there?

Eight foundations — two for each suit (since there are two decks). You need to fill all eight to win.

Is Forty Thieves harder than Spider?

Forty Thieves is generally considered harder than four-suit Spider, with a win rate around 10%. The single-card movement rule severely limits your options.

Can I recycle the stock pile?

No. Once all 64 stock cards have been drawn, no more draws are available. Manage your stock draws carefully.

What is the difference between same-suit and alternating-color building?

In Forty Thieves, tableau cards must match both rank AND suit (same-suit descending). In Klondike, you only need alternating colors (red-black). Same-suit is much more restrictive.

Is Forty Thieves also called Napoleon at St. Helena?

Yes. Legend says Napoleon Bonaparte played this game during his exile on St. Helena island, though historians debate this claim. Other names include Big Forty and Roosevelt at San Juan.

Is Forty Thieves a difficult solitaire game?

Yes — Forty Thieves is widely considered one of the hardest mainstream solitaire games. The combination of two decks (more duplicate cards to manage), strict same-suit-only tableau building, and single-card-only moves means every misplaced card can ruin a game. Even skilled players win roughly 10% of deals, far lower than Klondike (~25%) or one-suit Spider (~99%).

Is every game of Forty Thieves winnable?

No. The win rate of around 10% means most deals — even with perfect play — cannot be won from the initial layout. Forty Thieves combines high difficulty with genuinely unsolvable starting positions, which is part of why it became Napoleon's legendary exile-game: it can humble anyone.

What makes Forty Thieves Solitaire unique?

Three rules combine to make Forty Thieves stand apart from every other mainstream solitaire variant. First, two decks are used (104 cards with eight foundations instead of four). Second, tableau columns must be built same-suit descending — color matching is not enough. Third, only single cards can be moved at a time, never groups. No other classic variant enforces all three of these constraints simultaneously.

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