Forty Thieves
Forty Thieves is the stern member of the family: two packs, building in suit only, one card at a time and a single pass through the stock. A win here is worth remembering.
How to play Forty Thieves
Forty Thieves is played with two packs, 104 cards. Forty of them are dealt face up into ten columns of four. The other 64 form the stock. There are eight foundations, one for each suit of each pack.
- Build the foundations up by suit, from Ace to King.
- In the columns, build down in the same suit: the 7 of spades on the 8 of spades.
- Move one card at a time. A run in a column does not move as a unit.
- Any card may go into an empty column.
- Tap the stock to turn one card onto the waste. The top card of the waste can be played. You go through the stock only once.
Strategy and tips
An empty column is worth more than anything
With single-card moves, an empty column is the only place to put a card aside. Work towards emptying the shortest column early, and think hard before you fill it.
Do not build long runs you cannot move
A run of six spades looks tidy, but it can only be taken apart one card at a time. Build in suit when it frees something or when the cards are heading home soon.
Play the tableau before the stock
With only one pass, every stock card you turn is a card you may never see again in a useful place. Before you turn the next card, make every move in the columns that helps.
Watch the waste
Cards on the waste pile up. If the card you need is two cards down in the waste, it is gone until everything above it has been played. Think about which waste cards you can still use before you turn more.
Questions and answers
Why is Forty Thieves so hard?
Three rules work against you at once: building in suit only, moving one card at a time and a single pass through the stock. Many deals cannot be won at all, so a low win rate is normal.
Are the numbered Forty Thieves deals checked by the solver?
No, and we say so on every deal. Our solver did not finish a single random Forty Thieves deal within its search budget, so these deals are described from their opening layout and from a simple test play instead.
Does Forty Thieves have another name?
It is also known as Napoleon at St Helena.
