docs.lyr · doc 03
Patience, with cards
Clockwork and Squeeze are two old card patiences. How each works, step by step.
Clock patience
Deal the deck into thirteen piles of four: one for each hour from ace to queen, and one in the middle for the kings. Turn the top card of the middle pile and put it at its own hour, then turn the top card of that hour's pile, and carry on. Kings go back to the middle.
The game ends when the fourth king turns up. If that happens with the very last card, all fifty-two have been turned and the clock has struck. Because the last card is always the bottom card of the middle pile, that comes out exactly one time in thirteen.
Accordion patience
Lay the cards in a row. A card may move onto the card directly to its left, or onto the card three places to its left, when the two share a suit or a rank. The moved card sits on top and the gap closes up. The aim is to squeeze the row into as few piles as possible.
Squeeze plays it on a short row of thirteen cards. The order of moves matters: a move that looks good can strand cards later. That is why the site searches every continuation and marks the best next move.
A worked fold
Row: 7♥ 9♣ K♥ 9♥. The 9♥ can move three to the left onto the 7♥ (same suit) or one to the left onto the K♥ (same suit). Moving it onto the K♥ leaves 7♥ 9♣ 9♥, and now the 9♥ can join the 9♣ by rank: two piles. Moving it onto the 7♥ first leaves 9♥ 9♣ K♥, which folds to 9♣ K♥, also two piles. Longer rows are where the choices really bite.
18+ — for entertainment only. No real money play. No prizes of monetary value.