Solitaire Games

What are Solitaire games?

Solitaire or Patience is an old card game that has been played for many years. In most solitaire games the aim is to arrange all thirteen cards of each suit in order running from ace to king. The ace forms the "basis" on which a two of the same suit is placed, followed by a three, a four, a five and so on. This process is known as "building." The game requires skill, a keen eye, and tactical play.

Variants of the game

There are many different solitaire games available including some beautiful variations that put a spin on the classic rules. Some good examples are Pyramid Solitaire or Thieves of Egypt. Both are available on SolitaireParadise, a site dedicated to solitaire games.Some other famous variations of Solitaire include:

• Builders, this is the most classical game. As mentioned above, the aim of these games is building cards of the same suit on the ace.
• Packers, in these games the cards must be assembled in reverse order on another part of the layout called the "tableau." They can then be built in the right sequence on the foundations. This interim process of reverse building is called "packing." These games can be further divided into subcategories: Blockades, Planners, and Spiders.
• Non-Builders, these are solitaire games that use neither of the above techniques.

Another way to classify the different solitaire games is by the degree to which the cards are revealed.

• Open games, the cards are visible throughout the game, and the player has to use analysis to solve solitaire.
• Closed games, the cards are drawn from a face-down stock and the player has to use judgment because the sequence of cards is unknown until they appear. An excellent example of this would be Tri-Peaks Solitaire that features three pyramids of cards that you have to match up instead of the standard row of 8.
• Half-open games, a hybrid group in between the two above.

History of Solitaire games:

Solitaire is most likely from German or Scandinavian origin, the earliest written appearance dates in 1783. Internationally, the game of solitaire has many names. It is often called "Patience," especially in the UK and in France, the game is sometimes called "réussite."

Solitaire was described in a German book of games as a competitive card game where players would take turns or play with separate decks of cards. The idea of playing solitaire entirely by one's self probably came out of people enjoying practicing for competitive games.

In the 1980s, personal computers made solitaire famous again. Microsoft included the game as part of its Windows product line since Windows 3.0, starting from 1990. Nowadays, the game is often played online or on tablets.