Spend the flexible tableau on access.
Diplomat deals four face-up cards into each of eight columns, leaving 72 cards in a one-pass stock. Only an exposed top card moves. Tableau building descends by rank with no suit or color restriction; eight foundations still build Ace to King by suit.
Last updated: September 2026
Look beneath every exposed card
If an exposed Six covers an Ace, it can move onto any exposed Seven regardless of suit or color. That wider choice makes it easier to release the Ace than in same-suit Napoleon. Pick a destination that does not cover another card needed immediately by a foundation.
A descending stack cannot move as a unit. Before adding several cards to one column, check how each exposed card will leave later. An empty column accepts any card and can temporarily hold a blocker while you release a buried rank.
Use the stock only after checking access
Drawing a card covers the current waste top, and the stock cannot be recycled. First play useful waste and tableau tops to foundations or onto columns that reveal lower cards. A simple transfer that only moves a card between equivalent columns has little value unless it changes access.
Diplomat has fewer opening columns and more stock cards than Napoleon at St Helena. The any-suit landing rule helps, but it does not compensate for burying needed cards in the waste.