Seven Alleys
Italian deck · 40 cardsBuild in seven columnsSeven Alleys is a Klondike-style patience for the 40-card Neapolitan deck. You build four suit piles from Ace to Re while working through seven narrow alleys of cards.
Rules
One Italian deck: 28 cards in seven columns holding one to seven cards each, with only the last card of every column face up, and 12 cards in the stock.
- Build one foundation per suit, from the Ace up through 2 to 7, Fante, Cavallo and Re.
- In the alleys, place a card on the next higher card of a different suit. A 5 of Swords may go on the 6 of Coins, Cups or Batons, but not on the 6 of Swords.
- A run that is already in order moves together. When a face-down card is uncovered, it turns face up.
- Only a Re, or a run that starts with a Re, may go into an empty alley.
- Tap the stock to turn one card onto the waste; the top card of the waste can be played. You may go through the stock three times.
- The top card of a foundation can come back down to an alley if you need it there.
- The game is won when all 40 cards are on the foundations. Safe cards can travel home on their own; you can switch this off in the menu.
Strategy and tips
Turn the hidden cards first
Twenty-one cards start face down. A move that uncovers one of them is almost always better than a move that only rearranges visible cards, and the alley with the most hidden cards deserves the most attention.
Different suit is generous – choose well
With three suits allowed on every card, a card often has two or three possible homes. Choose the one that keeps your options open: a run you can still split, or a column that is close to empty.
Empty alleys are for a Re
An empty column helps only if a Re is ready to take it. Don't clear a column just because you can, unless a Re – alone or leading a run – is waiting on the waste or in another alley.
Don't rush the foundations
Low cards belong home early, but a 6 or a 7 may still be the only landing place for a card of another suit. The automatic move only sends cards that nothing in the alleys could need.
Plan your three passes
Twelve stock cards and three passes mean you see each stock card up to three times. Use the first pass for cards that uncover hidden ones; leave the rest for the later passes.
Numbered deals of Seven Alleys
Thirty fixed deals of Seven Alleys, each won by the solver before it was listed. Start with an easy one or jump straight to the hard ones.
- Deal #2Easy · 55 moves in the solver's line · 78% quick wins
- Deal #5Easy · 48 moves in the solver's line · 84% quick wins
- Deal #1Medium · 55 moves in the solver's line · 28% quick wins
- Deal #4Medium · 65 moves in the solver's line · 72% quick wins
- Deal #3Hard · 78 moves in the solver's line · 10% quick wins
- Deal #7Hard · 46 moves in the solver's line · 20% quick wins
Questions and answers
How is this different from Klondike?
The Italian deck has no red and black, so the alternating-colour rule becomes “any different suit”. The deck has 40 cards, the card for an empty column is the Re, and the stock allows three passes.
Is every deal winnable?
The daily deal and the numbered deals are checked by the solver. A random new deal is not checked in advance, but this game is generous: when we picked the numbered deals, the solver won every one of the first 30 shuffles it tried.
Can I take a card back from a foundation?
Yes. Drag the top card of a foundation back onto an alley where it fits. This sometimes rescues a 5 or a 6 that has no other place to go.
What does the hint button do?
It points out a move that leads somewhere, never a pointless shuffle back and forth. If nothing useful is left, it tells you so and offers to undo.
Go further
- 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 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.
- Daily dealToday's daily deal for seven solitaire games: the same shuffle for every player, checked as winnable. Play one a day and keep your streak going.
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