NUMBER OF PLAYERS: One

AGE APPROPRIATE: 14 to adult

THE DECK: Universal Card Deck – 54 cards with 6 Galaxy cards

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

VALUE OF CARDS: 5 points each

RANK OF SUITS: The suits are not ranked in this game. Each suit is equal.

THE DEAL AND SETUP: The first thirty cards are dealt into six equal stacks all in a row. Each stack gets five cards, four face down and the last one face up on top of the stack, similar in setup to traditional solitaire.

OBJECT OF PLAY: To get all cards onto the bar (the area directly above the row of stacks).

THE PLAY: First determine if any of the six up cards can be moved to another stack. A card can be played on another if it is one rank less in sequence, 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 six stacks. As upcards are moved, the next down cards are exposed and can then be turned over. 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.The remaining stock of thirty cards are turned over one at a time to determine if they can be played on any of the six columns or on the bar. There may be times when a card can be played on either the columns or the bar. That decision is part of the strategy and fun of the game.Variations: The player may choose to turn over every other card from the stock, which allows the player to go through the stock twice. The player may also choose to turn over every third card from the stock, which allows the player to go through the stock three times. A player may not remove just one card from a column, unless it is the only card in that column. Once all down cards have been turned over in any one of the six stacks, cards from the stock can be played behind the top card; e.g., a 7 N can be slipped behind a 6 M.When all the cards from a particular stack have been moved, the empty space 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.Play to the 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; e.g., 1 V followed by the 2 V on top of it and so on. The six foundation stacks on the bar can be directly above the six stacks/columns of the player’s layout. Going out: Playing all the cards from the stock and placing all the cards from the layout onto the bar. Most often the player will not be able to go out completely. The game ends when the player is not able to play any more cards from the stock and place any more cards from the layout onto the bar.

SCORING: 5 points for every card on the bar.300 points – Top of your game200-295 – Expert100-195 – Above average50-95 – Average0-45 – Novice

© Copyright 2001 by John Frampton & Craig Richter