Play Crescent Four Solitaire Online for Free (No Signup Required)

Aces climb and kings descend across sixteen face-up fans until each suit meets in the middle, no stock, no refills, just a 20% win rate.

Crescent Four Solitaire is a close relative of Crescent, a two-deck game whose sixteen piles were traditionally fanned in a semicircle around the foundations — the crescent moon shape that gives the family its name. An ace and a king of every suit start on the foundations, and the two rows build toward each other: the ace piles climb upward in suit while the king piles descend, until the two halves of each suit meet somewhere in the middle.

Everything is on the table from the very first move. There is no stock and no hidden card anywhere, so the whole battle is fought across the sixteen face-up fans — and because empty spaces may never be refilled, every pile you empty is a resource spent forever.

Because no empty pile can ever be refilled, the game earns its difficult rating outright — expect to win only about 20% of the time. Two decks are in play, and luck decides more of the outcome than skill does.

Crescent Solitaire and Rainbow Fan Solitaire are solitaire games that are comparable to this one.

Crescent Four Solitaire fans should also give the classic Solitaire a spin.

If you run into anything odd or have an idea that would make the game better, please contact me.

Enjoy playing!

How to play Crescent Four Solitaire

Layout:

8 foundation piles: Build up in suit from Ace to King on the aces piles, and build down in suit from King to Ace on the kings piles. Cards may be shifted from one pile to the other when the two piles of a suit meet. An Ace and a King of each suit are dealt to the foundations at the start of the game.

16 tableau piles: Build up or down by suit, wrapping as needed from Ace to King or King to Ace. Only one card can be moved at a time. No gaps may be filled. At the start of the game, each pile is dealt 6 cards face-up.

Foundation:

Foundation piles are classified into two types.

The Aces Foundation

The aces foundation is divided into four piles, with an ace dealt to each pile at the start. A card can be added to an aces foundation pile only if it's one rank higher and the same suit as the pile's current top card, so the only card that fits on a 10 of hearts is a J of hearts. There can be no more than 13 cards in a pile.

The Kings Foundation

The kings foundation consists of four piles. Each pile is dealt a king. A card can be added to a kings foundation pile only if it's one rank lower and the same suit as the pile's current top card, so the only card that fits on a 6 of clubs is a 5 of clubs. There can be no more than 13 cards in a pile.

Cards may be removed from any foundation.

Tableau:

Sixteen tableau piles of six cards each, built up or down. Every card is dealt face-up.

A card from another tableau pile can be added to a tableau pile only if it's one rank higher or lower and the same suit as the pile's current top card, so the cards that fit on the 8 of hearts are the 7 of hearts or the 9 of hearts. The foundation cards may not be transferred to the tableau. In the tableau, you may also play kings on aces.

Cards on the tableau that are not covered by another card can be played onto the foundation or any non-empty tableau pile.

The tableau's empty spaces may not be filled.

Only one card may be moved at a time; sequences are not permitted.