In Forty Thieves, a correctly ordered sequence still cannot move as a group. PlaySolitaire allows one card per move, building the tableau downward in suit. To relocate several cards, you need somewhere legal to put the exposed cards while you reach the one underneath.
The Forty Thieves Solitaire game page covers the two-deck setup and single-pass stock. This guide works through the practical role of empty columns: temporary destinations with a planned way out.
A sequence that needs two temporary spaces
Suppose column A contains exactly 8 of spades, 7 of spades, 6 of spades, with the 6 exposed. Column B ends at 9 of spades. Columns C and D are empty. You want the three-card sequence beneath the 9, while freeing A.
| Move | Action | Why it is legal |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 of spades from A to C | Any single card may fill an empty column. |
| 2 | 7 of spades from A to D | The 7 is now exposed; D is empty. |
| 3 | 8 of spades from A onto 9 of spades in B | One rank lower, same suit. |
| 4 | 7 of spades from D onto 8 of spades in B | One rank lower, same suit. |
| 5 | 6 of spades from C onto 7 of spades in B | One rank lower, same suit. |
Column B now ends at 9 of spades, 8 of spades, 7 of spades, 6 of spades. A, C and D are empty. The two temporary spaces have been returned, and you have created a third space by emptying A. This local sequence establishes legal movement, not a solution for the rest of a deal.
Why one vacancy is different
If only C were empty, putting 6 of spades there would expose the 7, but the 7 could not be placed on the 6. Without another suitable destination, you could not reach the 8 using that plan. An empty column is useful only if the next exposed card also has somewhere to go.
Do not turn this example into an absolute claim that a three-card sequence always requires two empty columns. Forty Thieves uses two decks. Another exposed 8 of spades elsewhere could accept the 7 of spades, or a ready foundation could provide a different exit. Count the legal destinations in the actual board, including both copies of each card.
Keep the temporary space’s exit visible
Before placing a waste card into an empty column, name the card that can receive it later or the foundation progress needed to remove it. A high card with no accessible receiver may occupy that space for a long time. Sometimes that is worth doing to expose the next waste card; it is a tradeoff, not a forbidden move.
A useful habit is to describe a small route before starting: “6 to the empty column, 7 to the other space, 8 onto 9.” If the route has a missing destination, the sequence is not ready to transfer. The decision-log routine helps identify exactly where an attempted route failed.
Watch the single-pass waste
Forty Thieves deals one stock card at a time and does not recycle the stock here. Only the waste’s top card is playable, so drawing covers the previous one until you remove the cards above it. Unlike a reusable Klondike stock, you cannot depend on another pass to present an awkward card again.
Once the stock is empty, you may still play accessible waste and tableau cards. The remaining task is to create destinations for them. Sending a card to its foundation can release space, but this implementation does not let you bring foundation cards back as tableau receivers except by undoing the move.
Practice planning each card’s destination
To practice asking where a displaced card will go, plan your next moves in classic Solitaire. Klondike allows a valid descending alternating-color sequence to travel together; Forty Thieves requires the individual same-suit transfers demonstrated here.
Return to Forty Thieves when you want to test the five-move pattern. Compare it with Yukon’s way of moving groups: similar-looking columns can offer very different kinds of freedom.