Play Forty Devils Solitaire Online for Free (No Signup Required)
Two decks, ten piles, and a split foundation: four build up by suit, four demand a full King-to-Ace run delivered in one piece.
Forty Devils Solitaire is Thomas Warfield's mischievous cross between Rouge et Noir and Lady Cadogan. Two decks are dealt into ten tableau piles of four face-up cards, and the goal is to build every card away onto the foundations. What sets it apart is the split foundation: four piles on the left grow upward in suit from the Ace, while four piles on the right accept only complete thirteen-card in-suit runs, King down to Ace, delivered in one piece.
That right-hand foundation is where the game earns its name. Assembling a full King-to-Ace sequence in a single suit on the tableau takes patience and a bit of nerve, because you must build the whole run before it can be lifted off. Every card is face-up from the start, so the game rewards foresight over luck — the trick is deciding which sequences to chase and which suits to feed to the left-hand aces.
Like its Forty Thieves cousins, Forty Devils gives you only one pass through the stock. Keeping a tableau column empty as a maneuvering space is often the difference between a stalled board and a clean finish.
If you enjoy Forty Devils, try Rouge Forty Solitaire, Lady Cadogan Solitaire, or Forty Thieves Solitaire, three games from the same two-deck family.
If you run into anything odd or have an idea that would make the game better, please contact me.
Enjoy playing!
How to play Forty Devils Solitaire
Layout:
4 left foundation piles: Build up by suit from Ace to King. Each pile starts empty and must be opened with an Ace; no two of these piles may hold the same suit.
4 right foundation piles: These accept only a complete thirteen-card run of a single suit, King down to Ace, moved as one unit. No two of these piles share a suit either.
10 tableau piles: Ten piles are each dealt four face-up cards at the start. Build down in the same suit, and move ordered same-suit runs together.
Stock: Click to deal one card at a time to the waste. There is only one trip through the stock and no redeals.
Waste: The top card of the waste is available for play to the tableau or foundations.
Foundation:
There are eight foundation piles in two groups.
The four left foundations start empty and build up in suit from the Ace. A card can be added 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 the 5 of clubs is the 6 of clubs.
The four right foundations do not accept cards one at a time. Each takes a finished thirteen-card same-suit sequence, running from King down to Ace, moved onto it in a single piece.
The top card of each foundation can be moved back into play if another pile will accept it.
Tableau:
Ten tableau piles of four cards each, every card dealt face-up from the start.
A card can be added to a tableau 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 the 8 of spades is the 7 of spades. A run already in descending same-suit order may be moved together.
Any single card, or any available card from the waste, may be placed on an empty tableau pile. Empty spaces are not filled automatically.
Stock and waste:
The remaining sixty-four cards make up the stock.
When you click on the stock, one card is dealt to the waste. There can only be one trip through the stock, so spend it thoughtfully.
The top card of the waste can be played to the tableau or foundations.
