Little Napoleon

Little Napoleon is probably one of the best-known patience games, at least by name. Forward planning is essential here – so you need to bring enough patience and time.

# Layout

Draw one card from the stock, this is the first foundation card (here a 3), which is placed in the center at the top. Then place five face-up cards next to each other on the left and right of it. Do this in three more horizontal rows below as well. As soon as cards with the same value as the first card appear during layout, i.e. here the 3, 3 and 3, they also go in the center below the first foundation card. In the fifth horizontal row, only four cards are laid out on each side, the center remains free for a cellar card (see graphic).

# Objective

The goal of this patience is to build up or down same-suit families on the foundation cards – you may decide for yourself. With each game, there are therefore different foundation cards and a different direction in which you want to play up the cards.

# Gameplay

In Little Napoleon, cards may only be moved individually. The outer cards of the horizontal rows are always eligible to play. You may place individual cards in ascending or descending order in the same suit on other cards. You must look at the tableau carefully and consider whether the foundation cards should be built up in ascending or descending order. Then you must plan precisely how to clear a row from outside to inside. Because empty rows are very important to move flutes and get to cards that you need for further gameplay. Since you are ultimately allowed to move ascending and descending, you can simply reverse flutes with empty rows.

However, a special rule applies in the last row, where there are only four cards per side. No cards may be placed there and if this so-called helper row is cleared, it may not be filled again. These cards may also only be used from outside to inside. The same also applies to the cellar card, which can help you. You may place any outer card there, but only take it out again when the helper row to the left or right of it has been cleared. So you should think carefully about when to place which card there. In the empty cellar, you can always place a card again.

The patience has only succeeded when all cards have been built up on the foundation cards in the same suit, either ascending or descending.

# Summary

• Draw one card from the stock, it is placed in the center as the first foundation card
• If more cards of the same value appear, they also go in the center below the first foundation card
• Then a total of eight horizontal rows are laid out face-up with five cards next to each other on the left and right of the four foundation cards
• Below comes a helper row with four cards on both sides – no cards may be placed on these and once they are cleared, they remain free; space remains in the center for a cellar card, which can only be removed when a helper row has been cleared
• Only the respective outer individual cards may be moved in descending and ascending order in the same suit, flutes may not be moved
• However, flutes can be reversed card by card through empty rows
• Objective: ascending or descending same-suit build on the foundation cards