Solitaire
Solitaire is a broad category of card games and puzzles, encompassing around 150 related variations that date back to the mid-eighteenth century. Often referred to as "Patience," "Success," or "Kabala," the primary objective across these games is to reorder a randomly shuffled deck of cards into specific sequences based on suits and numeric values. Although it was initially presented as a competitive game, solitaire evolved into a popular single-player pastime, particularly thriving in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Notable historical figures, like Napoleon Bonaparte and Prince Albert, are said to have enjoyed the game.
The rise of personal computers in the late twentieth century propelled solitaire into the digital age, making it a staple on many operating systems by the 1990s. Gameplay typically involves arranging cards across seven piles on a table and building four foundation piles in ascending order from ace to king, sorted by suit. Today, solitaire can be found across various digital platforms, enabling fans to enjoy the game in numerous forms. Whether played with traditional cards or digitally, solitaire remains a timeless way to pass the time and engage the mind.
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Solitaire
Solitaire refers to a group of about 150 related card games or puzzles dating back to the mid-eighteenth century. The games vary somewhat between versions, countries, and periods. They may also have alternate names, including “Patience,” “Success,” or “Kabala.” Regardless of variation, the general goal of a solitaire game is to reorder randomly arranged cards into a set order of suits and numeric sequences. In modern times, solitaire is generally a one-person game, often used to pass time. Solitaire grew increasingly popular in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with its peak in the middle of the twentieth century. Following that, with the rise of the Internet and personal computers, solitaire became a popular digital game. In the twenty-first century, solitaire fans may access the game on computers, websites, and applications.
Overview
Solitaire most likely originated around the middle of the eighteenth century. By 1783, it appeared in a book of card games printed in Germany. At that time it was presented as a competitive game. Only later did solitaire take on its modern fame as a primarily one-person pastime. Various forms of solitaire, often given unique names such as “Patience,” “Success,” or “Kabala,” became highly popular in many countries, including France and England. Luminaries such as Napoleon Bonaparte and Prince Albert, husband of England’s Queen Victoria, were rumored to have enjoyed the game.
In the twentieth century, the game became the subject of new variations and books, and its popularity spread even further. Fans had developed about 150 versions of the game by that point. The game then moved into a new frontier, likely beyond the imaginations of its earliest proponents—the digital realm. With the rise of personal computers in the 1970s and 1980s, and the realization that those machines could be used for entertainment as well as work, solitaire seemed a natural choice for a computer game. By the 1990s, solitaire was a built-in game on many major operating systems.
Although many versions of solitaire exist, all of the games are based on the goal of reordering a deck of fifty-two randomized cards into four sequences based on the cards’ suits and numeric values. The suits are hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades. The number values are, in ascending order: ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, jack, queen, and king.
Standard solitaire begins with shuffling the cards to randomize them. Then, the player sets a main play table of seven piles of cards, only the topmost cards of which are shown. Over the course of the game, the player is challenged to arrange these cards, along with cards in a secondary stock pile, into four new piles (known as the “foundations”). The foundation piles should feature all the cards of each suit in numeric sequence from lowest (ace) to highest (king). In doing so, the player will also clear all cards from the main play table. If the player is able to achieve this while following the rules, he or she has won the game.
Bibliography
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