Two decks, ten columns and eight foundations. Build down in suit and get all 104 cards home.
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How to play Forty Thieves
Forty Thieves uses two full decks, 104 cards. The goal is to build all eight foundations up from Ace to King, one for each suit in each deck.
The layout
- Forty cards are dealt face up into ten columns of four. These are the thieves.
- The other 64 cards make up the stock at the top left. The eight foundations start empty.
Rules
- Columns build down in the same suit: the 6♥ goes on the 7♥.
- Only one card moves at a time, though the game moves a run in suit for you when there are enough empty columns 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 top card of the waste can go to a column or a foundation.
- In the classic game you go through the stock once. Choose 2 passes to turn the waste back over and go through it again.
- Cards on the foundations stay there.
Tips
- Empty a column as early as you can. It's the one thing that makes the rest of the game possible.
- Don't rush cards up to the foundations if you may need them to hold a lower card of the same suit.
- Look at the next waste card before you play the one under it, if you can.
A little history
Forty Thieves is an old two-deck patience. It appears in nineteenth-century books of patience games, sometimes under the name Napoleon at St Helena, and the story goes that the exiled emperor played it on the island. There is no evidence that he did.
It has many relatives. Lucas deals the Aces to the foundations first, and Indian, Limited and Streets change how the columns build. They all share the same hard core: two decks, building down in suit, and one card at a time.
Forty Thieves FAQ
Why is it called Forty Thieves?
The forty cards dealt to start the game are the thieves, after the forty thieves in the story of Ali Baba. It's also known as Napoleon at St Helena, from a legend that Napoleon played it in exile.
Is Forty Thieves hard?
Yes. It's one of the hardest common solitaires, and good players win only a small share of deals with one pass through the stock. Two passes make it noticeably easier.
Can I move more than one card at a time?
The rules say one card at a time. To save you the tapping, this game lets you move a run in suit when you could have moved it card by card through empty columns: two cards with one empty column, four with two, and so on.
Can I take a card back off a foundation?
No. Once a card is on a foundation it stays there. Use Undo if you moved it too soon.
What goes in an empty column?
Any card, or a run in suit if you have the empty columns to move it. A King is often the best choice, since nothing can go above it.
Are my stats saved?
Yes, on this device, separately for one and two passes. There's no account, so they stay in this browser.
Ready for more? The Forty Thieves strategy guide → covers what to do in every phase of a game.