Can I move a group of cards in Forty Thieves like in Spider?

No. Only one card can be moved at a time. You cannot move a sequence of cards together, even if they are in the same suit and in descending order.

What happens when I turn all 64 stock cards to the waste pile?

The stock is exhausted and there is no redeal. You continue playing using only the cards on the tableau and the waste pile. If you cannot make any more moves, the game ends.

How do I start the foundations?

Foundations begin when you place an Ace on one of the eight foundation spaces. You can take an Ace from the tableau, from the waste pile, or directly from the stock. After the Ace, you place the 2 of the same suit, then the 3, and so on up to King.

Is Forty Thieves the same as two deck Spider?

No. While both use two decks and build down in suit on the tableau, Spider allows moving groups of cards, has no foundations, and deals ten cards from the stock to the tableau. Forty Thieves uses a waste pile, builds foundations, and restricts you to one card moves.

Forty Thieves Solitaire: Rules and Strategy

Forty Thieves is a two-deck patience game. Deal ten columns of four cards face up, and then build eight Ace-to-King sequences in suit, using a stock you turn once with no redeal. Also called Napoleon at St Helena, it is widely considered harder than one-suit or two-suit Spider. You move only one card at a time. The stock gives you a single pass. Those two constraints make winning rare.

Setup and Layout

Use two standard decks, 104 cards total. Deal forty cards face up into ten columns of four. These forty cards form the playing area. The remaining 64 cards become the stock. Turn them one at a time to a waste pile as the game proceeds. No redeal. Once you pass through all 64, the stock is dead.

Above the columns, reserve space for eight foundations. Each starts with an Ace and builds up in suit to King. Foundations are empty at the start. Place Aces there as they become available from the columns or the waste pile.

How to Play

Move all 104 cards to the eight foundations. Those are the rules:

Move one card at a time. No sequences, no piles.
In the columns, build down in suit. Place a 7 of Hearts on an 8 of Hearts, or a Queen of Spades on a King of Spades.
Any card can fill an empty column. Take it from the columns, the waste pile, or the stock.
Foundations build up by suit from Ace to King. A card placed on a foundation stays there.
Turn stock cards singly to a waste pile. The top card of the waste pile is available for play to the columns or a foundation.

Key Differences from Spider Solitaire

Both games use two decks and build down in suit. Forty Thieves differs in ways that reshape every decision.

Where Cards Finish

Spider has no foundations. You build same-suit sequences from King down to Ace, and completed sequences leave the game. In Forty Thieves, eight foundations build up from Ace to King and are the final destination for every card. You cannot remove a completed sequence. You keep building on the foundations until every card is placed.

How Many Cards You Move

Spider lets you shift groups of cards that form a complete in-suit sequence. Forty Thieves restricts you to one card at a time. This makes long sequences in the columns less useful and forces you to plan each move cold.

The Stock

Spider deals ten fresh cards to the columns when you stall. Forty Thieves turns stock cards singly to a waste pile. Only the top card of that pile is available. No redeal. Every stock card appears exactly once. The order of the deck is fate.

Forty Thieves Strategy

One card per move and one pass through the stock. Early choices decide the game. Use these tactics.

Build Foundations Immediately

Place an Ace on a foundation the moment you can. Every card on a foundation is one fewer card clogging the columns. When you have a choice between a foundation move and a column move, ask whether the column move frees a card you need later.

Make Empty Columns

Empty columns are precious because any card can land there. Create them by moving cards to foundations or by building down in suit. An empty column gives you a holding spot for a card that blocks a needed sequence.

Keep the Waste Pile Shallow

When you turn a stock card, decide immediately: play it or leave it. Playing it to the columns may block other moves. Leaving it on the waste pile locks the cards beneath it until you use or move the top card. Play cards to the columns or foundations whenever doing so helps. A shallow waste pile keeps options open.

Protect Same-Suit Sequences

Columns build down in suit, so keep sequences of one suit together. A long same-suit run is more flexible because you can move the top card to a foundation or another column. Avoid mixing suits unless you have no choice.

Why Forty Thieves is Harder Than Spider

Most players find Forty Thieves far harder to win than one-suit or two-suit Spider. The rules are the reason. Single-card moves mean you cannot shift a long sequence to another column. The stock gives you each card once, no second look. The eight foundations demand every Ace, then every 2, and so on, in the correct suit. In Spider, completed sequences vanish, thinning the layout. In Forty Thieves, the columns stay full until you move cards to foundations. You have all 104 cards to place. No shortcuts. Winning is a rare achievement.

Comparing to Napoleon at St Helena Solitaire

Forty Thieves is the same game as Napoleon at St Helena. Same rules, same strategy. If you have seen references to Napoleon at St Helena, follow the instructions on this page exactly. Both names describe a two-deck, in-suit patience that challenges you to build eight foundations with a single pass through the stock.