Play Parliament Solitaire Online for Free (No Signup Required)
Start with all eight aces already on the foundations, then build the tableau down in any suit and ride a single pass through the stock to a comfortable win.
Parliament Solitaire is an easier cousin of Congress in which the eight aces are seated on the foundations before the first move is even made. That single head start does a great deal of the heavy lifting, so the game rewards tidy planning rather than lucky draws. It is played with two decks, and building up on the foundations happens in suit, which gives the layout a clean, orderly feel.
Because the tableau builds down in any suit and the aces are already in place, a careful player wins comfortably more often than not. The tension comes from the single pass through the stock: once a card leaves the waste it will not come back around, so timing your foundation plays matters more than raw luck.
If you like games where a strong opening position invites confident, deliberate play, Parliament sits in a pleasant middle ground between relaxing and thoughtful.
If you enjoy Parliament, try Congress Solitaire or the classic Forty Thieves Solitaire, two two-deck games cut from similar cloth.
For the original game these variants build on, play classic Solitaire.
If you run into anything odd or have an idea that would make the game better, please contact me.
Enjoy playing!
How to play Parliament Solitaire
Layout:
8 foundation piles: An ace is dealt to each of the eight foundations before play begins. Build each pile up in the same suit from Ace to King.
8 tableau piles: Build down regardless of suit. Only the top card of each pile is playable. Each pile is dealt a single face-up card at the start.
Stock: Click to deal cards one at a time to the waste. You get only a single pass through the stock.
Waste: The top card of the waste is available for play.
Foundation:
There are eight foundation piles, and each one already holds an ace when the game begins.
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 an ace of spades is the two of spades. Each pile is complete once it climbs from Ace to King.
The top card of each foundation can be moved back into play if another pile will accept it.
Tableau:
Eight tableau piles, one card each, all dealt face-up.
A card can be added to a tableau pile only if it's one rank lower than the pile's current top card, regardless of suit, so the only card that fits on an 8 is a 7 of any suit.
Cards on the tableau that are not covered by another card can be played onto the foundation or any tableau pile.
An empty tableau space may be filled by the top card of the waste or the stock, but a card from another tableau pile may not be moved into it.
Only one card may be moved at a time; sequences are not permitted.
Stock and waste:
The remaining cards after the deal make up the stock, with one waste pile beside it.
When you click on the stock, one card is dealt to the waste. You get a single pass through the stock, so there are no redeals.
The top card of the waste can be played to any tableau pile or foundation.
