How to Play Forty Thieves
Forty Thieves is a classic two-deck solitaire known for being difficult. Forty cards are dealt face up in ten columns. Build down in the same suit, move one card at a time, and get all eight foundations home with only one pass through the stock.
- Players
- Just you
- Cards
- Two decks (104 cards)
- Game length
- 10–20 min
- Difficulty
- Hard
The goal
Move all 104 cards to the eight foundations, building each one up from Ace to King in one suit.
The layout
- Tableau: ten columns of four face-up cards: the forty "thieves".
- Stock: the remaining 64 cards. Turned cards go onto the waste pile.
- Foundations: eight spaces, two for each suit.
Moving cards
- Place a card on a card one rank higher of the same suit: the 6 of clubs on the 7 of clubs.
- Cards move one at a time. A built stack can still move in one go when empty columns give enough room to do it card by card.
- Any card can go into an empty column.
- Tap the stock to turn one card onto the waste. The stock can be gone through only once.
Playing on this site
- Tap a card to send it to the best place automatically, or drag it (with any cards on top of it) onto a highlighted pile.
- Aces and other cards that are safe to play go up to the foundations by themselves.
- Use Undo as often as you like, and Hint when you are stuck.
Strategy tips
- Empty a column as early as you can; it is the key to moving longer runs.
- Play from the waste whenever possible, since you will never see those cards again.
- Do not rush low cards to the foundations if they could still hold a card of the same suit in the tableau.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Forty Thieves so hard?
You build by suit, move single cards and get only one pass through the stock, so fewer deals can be won than in most solitaires.
What is a good strategy?
Empty a column early: it lets you move longer runs and park a card when you are stuck.
Card games have many house rules. This page describes the most common way Forty Thieves is played, and the version you play on Card Sunday. Does your family play differently, or have you spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will check it.
