Prince Bismarck
# Layout
In the patience game Prince Bismarck, all 104 cards are laid out. Already during layout, some cards are played up to the center according to certain rules. When laying out, care must be taken to leave space for eight cards in the center. In the left vertical column go four Aces and in the right column next to it, four Kings.
Start at the top left above the center and then always lay out one card from the shuffled stock in a clockwise direction. So top right, then the right side from top to bottom, at the very bottom from right to left and finally on the left from bottom to top and so on, until all cards lie overlapping as flutes from inside to outside. If during layout one each of Ace, Ace, Ace or Ace and King, King, King or King appear in the top and bottom rows, they and their subsequent cards may immediately be placed as foundation cards in the center in any position (Aces on the left, Kings on the right). The space freed up is then filled with a new card from the stock. This can also be checked in the other rows on the left and right, but there the corresponding cards may only be played up within their respective horizontal row.
# Objective
Four Aces are followed by ascending same-suit building and four Kings are followed by descending same-suit building.
# Gameplay
After the layout begins the so-called second phase of Prince Bismarck. In this patience, cards may be moved in both ascending and descending order. Flutes may not be moved, but through cleared rows it is often possible to reverse a same-suit flute and place it correctly elsewhere. You should also always consider whether it is worth playing up a card or whether it is better to use it in the tableau. Sometimes it can be advantageous not to play up a card too early.
When all possibilities are exhausted and nothing can be moved anymore, you may push together row by row and place them face-down on a pile. Start at the top left in a clockwise direction. The new stock may then be laid out again according to the same rules as in the layout. Then cards are moved and played up again until the patience has either succeeded or failed.
# Summary
- Lay out all cards according to a specific pattern starting from the top left
- Leave space in the center for four Aces and four Kings
- During layout, foundation cards and subsequent cards from the top and bottom rows may be played up anywhere, but from the left and right rows only within their respective horizontal row
- Moving is only permitted in the same suit, but both ascending and descending
- Flutes may not be moved
- Empty rows may be filled with any cards
- You may push together the tableau once and lay it out again, starting at the top left again and not reshuffling the stock
- Objective: ascending same-suit building on four Aces and descending same-suit building on four Kings