Volcano Eleven
Italian deck · 40 cardsPairs to elevenVolcano Eleven is a pyramid solitaire for the 40-card Neapolitan deck. Twenty-one cards form a volcano of six rows, and you clear it by removing pairs that add up to eleven.
Rules
You play with one Italian deck of 40 cards. Twenty-one cards lie face up in a volcano of six rows; the other nineteen form the stock.
- Cards count their face value from Ace (1) to 7. The Fante counts 8, the Cavallo 9 and the Re 10.
- A card is free when no card of the row below rests on it. At the start only the six cards of the bottom row are free.
- Remove any two free cards that add up to 11: Ace and Re, 2 and Cavallo, 3 and Fante, 4 and 7, 5 and 6. Drag one card onto the other, or tap a card and then its partner.
- Tap the stock to turn its top card onto the waste. The top card of the waste is free as well, so it can pair with a free card of the volcano.
- When the stock is empty, tap it again to turn the waste back over. You have three passes through the stock in all.
- The game is won when the volcano is empty. Cards left in the stock or on the waste do not count against you.
Strategy and tips
Look up the slope before you pair
Before removing a pair, check which cards each of them is holding down. A pair that frees two cards in the row above is worth more than a pair that frees nothing yet.
Watch for locked partners
When a card rests on its own partner – a 4 lying across the 7 it needs – those two can never leave together. Each of them will need another partner, and usually one of those partners has to come from the stock.
Count before you hunt
4 pairs only with 7 and 5 only with 6. If three 6s sit in the volcano while most of the 5s are still in the stock, you will need the stock passes to clear them, so keep the free 6s for when those 5s turn up.
Use the waste like a hand
Turning the stock costs nothing, but the passes are limited. On the first pass, notice which values are coming; on the second and third, wait for the exact card you need.
Plan the summit early
The top card can leave only when both cards under it are gone and a partner is free at the same moment. Make sure a partner for it will still be around at the end.
Undo is part of the game
Every move can be taken back, even after a reload. If a pass goes badly, step back to where it started and try another order.
Numbered deals of Volcano Eleven
Thirty fixed deals of Volcano Eleven, each won by the solver before it was listed. Start with an easy one or jump straight to the hard ones.
- Deal #1Easy · 52 moves in the solver's line · 68% quick wins
- Deal #5Easy · 44 moves in the solver's line · 88% quick wins
- Deal #2Medium · 53 moves in the solver's line · 27% quick wins
- Deal #4Medium · 41 moves in the solver's line · 90% quick wins
- Deal #3Hard · 53 moves in the solver's line · 3% quick wins
- Deal #7Hard · 61 moves in the solver's line · 5% quick wins
Questions and answers
Is Volcano Eleven a traditional Italian game?
No. It is our adaptation of the classic pair-removal idea to the 40-card deck. The Italian deck has ten values, so the target becomes 11 and, unlike the French version, no card leaves on its own: every value has a partner.
Is every deal winnable?
With “Only winnable deals” switched on (it is by default), each new deal has been won by the engine's solver first, or comes from a list of deals checked in advance. The daily deal and all numbered deals are checked the same way. The solver knows the order of the stock, so a checked deal can still need a careful plan.
Can I pair a card with the top of the waste?
Yes. The top card of the waste is free, so it pairs with any free card of the volcano. Two waste cards cannot be paired with each other, because only the top one can be reached.
Where is my progress kept?
In this browser only. The current game, your statistics and your streaks are saved on this device and nothing is sent to us. Clearing the site data resets them.
Go further
- 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.
- 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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