Play Mystique Solitaire Online for Free (No Signup Required)

Choose wisely: Mystique's nine-card reserve feeds the tableau but never refills, and you get just one pass through the stock to make it count.

Mystique Solitaire belongs to the Minerva family of solitaires, sharing its skeleton with Athena and Double Minerva. Seven tableau columns are dealt in alternating face-down and face-up rows, and a wide reserve of nine face-up cards sits ready beside them. The catch is that the reserve feeds the tableau and foundations but can never be refilled, so the order in which you free those cards tends to decide the whole game.

The game is played with a single deck. Foundations build up in suit from Ace to King, while the tableau builds down in alternating colors, so patience and forward planning matter far more than luck. A single pass through the stock is all you get, which keeps every deal tense right down to the last card.

Athena and Double Minerva Solitaire are two solitaire games that are comparable to this one. You might also enjoy Minerva Solitaire, the parent of the whole family.

When you want the simpler version without all the Minerva-family reserve maneuvering, original Solitaire is one click away.

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

Enjoy playing!

How to play Mystique Solitaire

Layout:

4 foundation piles: Build up in suit from Ace to King. Winning cards are moved here automatically as they become available.

7 tableau piles: Deal down in alternating colors. Each pile holds four cards dealt in alternating face-down and face-up rows, so covered cards start hidden. At the start of the game, each pile is dealt four cards.

Reserve: Nine cards are dealt here face-up at the start of the game. Reserve cards may be played to the tableau or the foundations, but nothing can be moved back into the reserve.

Stock: Click to flip over cards one at a time to the waste. There are no redeals.

Waste: The top card is playable.

Foundation:

There are four foundation piles.

A foundation pile is started with an Ace. Build the remainder of each pile upward in the same suit.

A card can be added to a 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 7 of clubs is an 8 of clubs. There can be no more than 13 cards in a pile.

The top card of each foundation can be moved back into play if another pile will accept it.

Reserve:

There is one reserve, which originally contains nine cards. Every card is dealt face-up. There are no cards that may be moved into the reserve. The reserve's top card can be played to any tableau pile or the foundation.

Tableau:

Seven tableau piles of four cards each, dealt in an overlapping cascade. The cards are dealt in alternating face-down and face-up rows, and a face-down card is turned up once it becomes the top card.

A card from the waste, reserve, or another tableau pile can be added to a tableau pile only if it's one rank lower and the opposite color of the pile's current top card, so the only card that fits on an 8 of spades is a 7 of hearts.

Cards on the tableau that are not covered by another card are free to be played onto the foundation or any other tableau pile. Empty tableau spaces may be filled with a King.

Ordered runs may be moved together as a group.

Stock and waste:

There is one waste pile and the remaining cards comprise the stock.

When you click on the stock, one card from the stock is dealt to the waste. There is only one pass through the stock.

The top card of the waste can be played to the tableau or foundation.