How to play
Short rules for all seven games, and four longer guides: one to the Neapolitan deck itself and three on strategy for each family of games.
Guides
- The Neapolitan deck, card by cardA clear guide to the 40-card Italian deck: Coins, Cups, Swords and Batons, the court cards Fante, Cavallo and Re, values in games and how it differs from the French deck.
- Pairs that add upStrategy for pyramid solitaire: reading the pyramid as a map, locked pairs, counting partners, using three stock passes and saving a partner for the summit.
- One up, one downHow to play one-up-one-down solitaire well: chains instead of single moves, forks, end values, the stock as a clock, wrap-around and hidden cards.
- Building downStrategy for building solitaire on the Italian deck: uncovering hidden cards, using empty columns, free cells and multi-card moves, and when to send cards home.
The rules in brief
Volcano Eleven
Italian deck · 40 cards
Italian 40-card deck: Ace to 7 at face value, Fante 8, Cavallo 9, Re 10. Remove two free cards that add up to 11; the top card of the waste counts as free. Three passes through the stock. Clear the volcano to win.
Full rules and tipsSeven Alleys
Italian deck · 40 cards
Italian 40-card deck. Build the foundations up by suit from Ace to Re. In the alleys a card goes on the next higher card of a different suit; ordered runs move together and only a Re fills an empty alley. The stock turns one card at a time, three passes.
Full rules and tipsTwo Balconies
Italian deck · 40 cards
Italian 40-card deck, all face up in eight columns. Build the foundations up by suit from Ace to Re. In the columns build down in the same suit. Two balconies (free cells) hold one card each; runs move as far as the balconies and empty columns allow.
Full rules and tipsHillside Steps
Italian deck · 40 cards
Italian 40-card deck. Move the bottom card of a column onto the pile when it is one value above or below the top card: 7 is followed by Fante, Cavallo, Re, with no wrapping. Turn a stock card when stuck. Clear all five columns to win.
Full rules and tipsPyramid Thirteen
French deck · 52 cards
Remove two free cards that add up to 13: Jack counts 11, Queen 12, and a King leaves on its own. The top card of the waste can be paired too. Three passes through the stock. Clear the pyramid to win.
Full rules and tipsMarina Golf
French deck · 52 cards
Move the bottom card of any column onto the pile when it is one value above or below the top card. There is no wrapping between King and Ace. When stuck, turn a card from the stock. Clear all seven columns to win.
Full rules and tipsThree Hills
French deck · 52 cards
Move an uncovered card onto the pile when it is one value above or below the top card; King and Ace connect. A card turns face up once both cards covering it are gone. Turn the stock when stuck. Clear all three hills.
Full rules and tips