NUMBER OF PLAYERS: Two

AGE APPROPRIATE: 16 to adult

THE DECK: Universal Card Deck – All 60 cards

RANK OF CARDS: Galaxy (high), Sun, Moon, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

VALUE OF CARDS: Sun, Moon, and Galaxy cards are valued at 10 points each. The other cards have the same value as their number; e.g., a number 7 card is worth seven points, a number 3 card is worth three points.

RANK OF SUITS: The suits are not ranked in this game. Each suit is equal, except when cutting for deal.

THE SHUFFLE AND CUT: Draw or cut for deal; high suit deals – E (high), J, M, N, S, V (alphabetical order). If both players draw or cut the same suit, the card rankings go into effect. Dealer shuffles. The other player cuts. Deal rotates each hand.

THE DEAL AND SETUP: The dealer gives eleven cards to both players, forming the players’ hands. In addition, the dealer forms two rows of five stacks each in the center of the playing area, with about a six inch space between the rows called the bar. Each stack gets three cards, two face down and the third face up on top of the stack, similar in setup to traditional solitaire. The row of five stacks closest to the dealer becomes the dealer’s board. The other row of five stacks becomes the opponent’s board. The eight remaining cards are placed face down at the end of the bar, forming the stock. The deal rotates each hand. In the unlikely event that a player is dealt the same upcard or the same suit on each of his/her five stacks, the hand is invalid and requires a redeal.

OBJECT OF PLAY: To turn over all down cards and play all cards out of hand.

THE PLAY: Each player may play two cards out of hand during a turn. The non-dealer starts by playing only one card on his/her board. A card can be played if it is one rank in sequence less than one of the five upcards on the player’s board, and if it is of a different suit; e.g., a 5 J can be played on 6 S, but not on a 6 J. This starts the building process, which is forming columns of cards in descending order down from each of the five stacks. After the first card of a player’s turn is played, the player may start building by moving the upcards on his/her board with the intent of exposing and turning over down cards. The top card of any stack, together with all face up cards lined vertically down from it in descending order, may be placed at the bottom of another column only if that top card is the next lower card in rank than the bottom card of the receiving column, and is not of the same suit. This play is similar in concept to traditional solitaire. Empty spaces on a player’s board may be filled with a Galaxy card only. The rule of not playing cards of the same suit consecutively also applies to the Galaxy cards; e.g., a Sun N may not be played on a Galaxy N.When all the building is completed for that player’s particular turn, the second card is played to finish the turn. The second card can only be played on the bar, on the opponent’s board, or placed face up on the discard pile. (Special rule—neither player may play his/her second card on the opponent’s board on the first turn, but can for all following turns.)Play on Bar: Play here is by suits, starting with the 1 cards as foundations for each of the six suits, and then stacking on top in ascending sequence face up; e.g., 1 V followed by the 2 V on top of it and so on. Play on Opponents Board: Play is made here from the player’s hand only. Play here can be made here if the player does not have a card that can be played on the bar, or the player decides it’s more advantageous to play here in terms of strategy. Sometimes play here can be made to intentionally disrupt the opponent’s play, making it harder for the opponent to expose down cards. Play here means only one card per turn by choice, and does not include the moving of any other cards or stacks of cards.Discard Pile: Play is made here face up if a player does not have a card that can be played on either the bar or the opponent’s board, or the player decides it’s more advantageous to play here in terms of strategy.After the first turn a player’s first card may be played on the bar or either players’ board. On any turn both cards may not be played on the same location (a player may not play both cards in a turn on the bar or on the same player’s board). Any cards on one player’s board may not be moved to the other player’s board. A player may not remove just one card from a column, unless it is the only card in that column. Once both down cards have been turned over in any one of the five columns on either players’ board, cards from a player’s hand can be played behind the top card; e.g., a 7 N can be slipped behind a 6 M.The strategy for playing cards on either the bar, opponent’s board, or discard pile will come after playing the game several times. A player may choose to play only one card during a turn for purposes of strategy. If a player makes this choice, he/she must then draw from the stock or top card of the discard pile to complete the turn.If a player is unable to play a card at all (or chooses not to), the player must draw a card from either the stock or the top card of the discard pile and his/her turn is over. If the eight card stock gets depleted before one of the players goes out, players then may only draw from the discard pile.In the event that it becomes impossible for a player to turn over all his/her down cards, or a player chooses to go out quickly, the same rules apply in terms of playing cards out of the player’s hand. Remember – a player’s first and last card of a particular hand must be played on his/her board.Going out: Playing all the cards out of a player’s hand. A player may go out even though he/she may still have down cards on his/her board. Players may not discard during the turn of going out. A player’s last card must be played on his/her board, even if he/she has only one card remaining. If play cannot be made, the player must draw and play continues.

SCORING: The player who does not go out counts up the points of the cards left in his/her hand, plus double the points of any cards still face down on his/her board. The player going out only counts double the points of any cards still face down on his/her board. The player with the least amount of points receives the difference of the two players’ scores as his/her score for that particular hand. A running total is kept for both players. The first player to reach 200 points or more wins the game.

© Copyright 2001 by John Frampton & Craig Richter