Calculation Solitaire

Calculation, originally known in France as "La Plus Belle" (The Most Beautiful), is a solitaire game that truly lives up to its name for players who love pure strategy. Unlike games heavily reliant on luck, such as Golf, Calculation offers a very high win rate for skilled players—some experts claim they can win over 80% of their games! Also known as "Broken Intervals" or "Hopscotch," this game belongs to the Sir Tommy family of patience games. It requires a bit of mental arithmetic, but once you get into the flow, it offers a deeply satisfying puzzle experience that rivals the complexity of FreeCell.

Game Setup

Calculation is played with a standard 52-card deck. The setup is unique compared to classics like Klondike because the suits of the cards do not matter at all; only the rank (number) of the card counts.

To begin, remove one Ace, one Two, one Three, and one Four from the deck. Place these four cards in a row at the top of the play area to form the starting Foundations.

Below these foundations, there is space for four Tableau Piles, which start empty. The remaining cards form the Stock pile, placed face down.

How to Play

The goal of Calculation is to move all 52 cards onto the four foundation piles. However, each foundation must be built up according to a specific mathematical sequence, regardless of suit. The sequences end when a King is reached.

Here is the required order for each foundation:

• Ace Foundation (Count by 1s): A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K
• Two Foundation (Count by 2s): 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, Q, A, 3, 5, 7, 9, J, K
• Three Foundation (Count by 3s): 3, 6, 9, Q, 2, 5, 8, J, A, 4, 7, 10, K
• Four Foundation (Count by 4s): 4, 8, Q, 3, 7, J, 2, 6, 10, A, 5, 9, K

(Note: In these sequences, Jack=11, Queen=12, King=13. If the number exceeds 13, subtract 13 to find the next card. For example, in the 4s pile: 12 (Queen) + 4 = 16. 16 - 13 = 3).

Gameplay Rules:

1. Draw the top card from the Stock.
2. You must play this card either directly onto a valid Foundation or onto one of the four piles of the Tableau.
3. Tableau Piles: You can place any card from the stock onto any of the four tableau piles. However, once placed, you cannot move a card from one tableau pile to another. You can only play the top card of a tableau pile onto a Foundation.
4. The game is won when all four foundations show a King.

Strategies to Win

Calculation is a game of planning, similar to Spider Solitaire, but with numbers instead of suits.

• Reserve a Pile for Kings: Since Kings are the last card needed for every foundation, they tend to block other cards. A common strategy is to designate one of your four tableau piles exclusively for Kings.
• Reverse Order Building: When placing cards in the tableau, try to stack them in reverse order of how they will be needed. For example, if you have a 9 and a 5, place the 9 down first and the 5 on top, so the 5 can be played earlier.
• Manage the 6s, 8s, and Queens: These cards are needed early in several sequences. Try not to bury them too deep in your tableau.
• Watch the Next Moves: Before placing a card in the tableau, check the next required number for all four foundations. Don't block a card you will need in the next two or three turns.