How to play Agnes

The solitaire game Agnes will appeal to those who like Klondike and similar games, but for the fact that only one or two cards are visible at a time from the stock pile. In Agnes solitaire, you have a similar layout to Klondike but instead of a stock pile, you have a series of reserve cards, any of which are available for play. In some sense, the game therefore combines elements of Klondike with elements of Freecell (or at least Hardcell.

Agnes layout in Solitaire Whizz for iPad

Layout

The tableau is laid out as for Klondike with seven columns: one card in the first, two in the second etc. The card at the bottom of each column is face up and available for play; the remaining cards (those with an overlapping card on top of them) are face down.

The next card is dealt on to one of the foundations. This card will define the starting card for all of the foundations. Finally, you deal seven more cards, face up, to form a reserve above the foundations.

Gameplay

The card that was dealt on to the first foundations when the cards were laid out defines the rank that will start the other foundations. For example, if a 5 was dealt on to the first foundation (as in the screenshot), then the remaining 5s will start the other 3 foundations. Then, build upwards on to the foundations in suit, as with Klondike and other games. After building the Kings on to the foundations, you will "wrap round" and build the Aces, 2s, 3s and 4s. (If by chance the card initially dealt on to the first foundation happens to be an Ace, then you will build exactly as for Klondike, from Aces to Kings.)

Cards may be played from one tableau column to another, building in downwards red/black sequence as in Klondike. Whole sequences of cards may also be moved. Unlike Klondike and other games, in Agnes solitaire, you may build Kings below Aces.

Empty columns are filled with a card of one rank less than the starting card for the first foundation. In our example screenshot, the first foundation card was a 5. Therefore, empty columns will be filled with a 4 (or a downward sequence starting with a 4).

Cards are also available to play from the reserve piles. They can be built either on to a tableau column or on to a foundation, respecting the sequence in each case.

Redeals

Once no more moves can be made, there are a total of three redeals. In the first two redeals, you deal seven more cards on to the reserve piles, and these seven cards then become the top reserve cards available for play. (Any other reserve cards underneath them then become available for play again once the top cards have been played.)

After the second redeal– in other words, after a total of three cards have been dealt on to each reserve pile during the game– just two reserve cards will remain. In the third and final redeal, these two cards are placed in the "special" reserve spaces at the top right of the play area. Thus, after the final redeal, up to 9 reserve cards may be available for play.