Cruel Solitaire Rules

Cruel Solitaire is a fascinating card game that lives up to its name. While it may seem unforgiving at first, it is actually a highly logical puzzle that rewards careful planning. Unlike games heavily reliant on luck, Cruel is often compared to FreeCell regarding the level of strategy required, though the mechanics are quite different.

The game's history is somewhat obscure, but it belongs to the family of pile-based solitaires. Its defining feature is the ability to "redeal" or shift the cards in the tableau without shuffling them, a mechanic that changes the available moves and forces players to think several steps ahead. If you find the classic Klondike too routine, Cruel offers a refreshing and rigorous mental workout.

Game Setup

Cruel is played with a single standard 52-card deck. The layout is compact and sets the stage for the strategic maneuvering to come:

Foundations: The four Aces are removed from the deck and placed in a row at the top right (or top left depending on the layout) to start the four foundation piles.
Tableau: The remaining 48 cards are dealt face-up into 12 piles. Each pile contains exactly 4 cards.

There is no stock or waste pile in the traditional sense. All cards are visible from the start, although only the top cards are accessible.

How to Play

The objective of Cruel Solitaire is to move all cards to the foundation piles, building them up by suit from Ace to King.

Valid Moves

Building on Foundations: You move cards to the foundations in ascending order by suit (e.g., 2 of Hearts on Ace of Hearts, then 3 of Hearts, etc.).
Building on the Tableau: You can move cards between the tableau piles, but you must build down by suit. For example, you can place a 9 of Spades onto a 10 of Spades. This is stricter than games like Yukon where alternate colors are often used.
Moving Cards: You can only move one card at a time. You cannot move sequences of cards together.
Empty Piles: If a tableau pile becomes empty, it cannot be filled with any card. The space remains empty until the next redeal. This is a crucial rule that distinguishes Cruel from Spider or other classics.

The Redeal (The Shift)

At any point during the game, when you are stuck or wish to change the configuration, you can click the Redeal button (often found near the empty deck area).

This action gathers all the cards remaining in the tableau (preserving their relative order) and redeals them into 4-card piles again.
This is not a random shuffle. It merely shifts the cards into new positions based on the order they were picked up.
You can typically redeal as many times as you like, which is essential to solving the puzzle.

Tips and Strategies

Winning at Cruel requires understanding how the redeal mechanic affects card availability.

Prioritize Foundations: Always move cards to the foundations whenever possible. Unlike Canfield, holding back cards is rarely beneficial in Cruel.
Match Suits: Since you can only build down by suit on the tableau, look for immediate pairs (e.g., a Jack of Diamonds accessible to be placed on a Queen of Diamonds).
Don't Fear the Redeal: If you make a few moves and get stuck, redeal immediately. The new layout will likely expose the cards you need.
Watch the Rightmost Piles: Since cards are gathered and redealt, cards on the right side of the tableau tend to end up on the bottom of the piles after a redeal. Try to extract high-value cards from there before shifting.
Avoid Deadlocks: Because empty spaces cannot be filled, be careful not to bury low cards under high cards of the same suit unless necessary.