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Forty Thieves & two-deck builders · Grand Plaza

Colonel Solitaire

Thirty-six cards are dealt face up in three rows of twelve. A card in an upper row becomes available when the cell beneath it is empty; the remaining cards form the stock.

Decks
2
Pace
Long
Difficulty
Hard
Family
Forty Thieves & two-deck builders

Select a face-up card, then a highlighted destination.

Stock · 68

♣ 1

♣ 2

♦ 1

♦ 2

♥ 1

♥ 2

♠ 1

♠ 2

Row 1, 1 · 1

Row 1, 2 · 1

Row 1, 3 · 1

Row 1, 4 · 1

Row 1, 5 · 1

Row 1, 6 · 1

Row 1, 7 · 1

Row 1, 8 · 1

Row 1, 9 · 1

Row 1, 10 · 1

Row 1, 11 · 1

Row 1, 12 · 1

Row 2, 1 · 1

Row 2, 2 · 1

Row 2, 3 · 1

Row 2, 4 · 1

Row 2, 5 · 1

Row 2, 6 · 1

Row 2, 7 · 1

Row 2, 8 · 1

Row 2, 9 · 1

Row 2, 10 · 1

Row 2, 11 · 1

Row 2, 12 · 1

Row 3, 1 · 1

Row 3, 2 · 1

Row 3, 3 · 1

Row 3, 4 · 1

Row 3, 5 · 1

Row 3, 6 · 1

Row 3, 7 · 1

Row 3, 8 · 1

Row 3, 9 · 1

Row 3, 10 · 1

Row 3, 11 · 1

Row 3, 12 · 1

The deal

Thirty-six cards are dealt face up in three rows of twelve. A card in an upper row becomes available when the cell beneath it is empty; the remaining cards form the stock.

Playing the tableau

Only an available top card may move. Build tableau cards downward by suit, moving toward a higher row, and build eight suit foundations upward from Ace.

Goal and first plan

Clear the grid and stock into the eight foundations.

Treat each vertical set of three cells as a dependency chain. Clearing a lower cell unlocks access to the card directly above it.

Read the full strategy guide →

Colonel is part of Grand Plaza · Forty Thieves & two-deck builders and is a variant of Napoleon at St Helena. Thirty-six tableau cards form a three-by-twelve grid with row-dependent access.

More Forty Thieves & two-deck builders games

  • Napoleon at St Helena — Ten tableau columns, two decks.
  • Canister — A one-deck eight-column builder with four cards in the middle row.
  • Deauville — Thirty hidden tableau cards give way to alternating-color building.
  • Diplomat — Two-deck patience with eight tableau piles.
  • Dress Parade — Hidden-card alternating-color columns allow packed sequence moves.
  • Emperor — Two-deck Forty Thieves relative with waste play.

Also try

  • Babette (Blockade games) — Two-deck blockade with ascending and descending suit foundations.
  • Big Ben (Layout, cross & clock-face games) — Clock-face foundations building by suit.
  • Miss Milligan (Miss Milligan & row dealers) — Double-deck patience with a weave reserve.

Learn