thumb|300px|Patience cards

Games of solitaire, or patience, have their own 'language' of specialised terms such as "building down", "packing", "foundations", "talon" and "tableau". Once learnt they are helpful in describing, succinctly and accurately, how the games are played. Solitaire games are usually for a single player, although a small number have been designed for two and, in rare cases, three or even four players. They are games of skill or chance or a combination of the two. There are three classes of solitaire grouped by object.

It will be obvious that the endeavour to arrange, pair, or combine the cards of a whole pack is a difficult task, varying in degree according to the rules of the particular game. The player must therefore be prepared for a good many failures even when close to success. Hence why the name 'patience games' has been give to recreations of this description.

; available

: A card that is available may be picked up and laid down elsewhere.

; batch

: A number of cards dealt at one time.

; below

: A card is below another if it is nearer to the bottom of the playing board or to the player.

; build down

: To place cards one on top of another in descending sequence. Cards may be 'built downward', e.g. from King to Ace.

; build up

: To place cards one on top of another in ascending sequence. Cards may be 'built upward', e.g. from Ace to King.

; buried

: See covered.

C

; cascade

: Cards are built on one another, starting from the bottom up. Each card's value and suit is face up, and should be able to be viewed by the player. However, only the top card is available for play. It is most commonly found in addition games.

; cells

: In computer games, such as freeCell, cells allow only one card at a time to be placed in them. Any card can be put in a cell. Same as space and formerly known as a depot.

; chockered

: See blocked.

; chocker, chockering

: To become, or becoming, chockered or blocked.

; closed

: A game of incomplete information in which cards that cannot be played are discarded to a wastepile. Also base or base card.

; foundation row

: A row of foundation cards or the spaces for them. Similar to grace.

; move

: Any transfer of an available card from one place to another allowed under the rules.

; multiples

: Cards are placed in multiples when the sequence is a multiple of a number other than one e.g. where cards may only be placed on the card two, three, or four; higher or lower. In multiples, a Jack counts as eleven, a Queen twelve, and a King thirteen. Wrapping is often applied, i.e. if building up by two is required, then the sequence 10 - Queen - Ace - 3 - 5 is permitted.

O

; open

: A game in which play begins with all cards face up on the table. Like chess, an open game is purely a game of skill.

; pile

: A stack of cards one on top of the other and squared such that only the topmost card, whether face up or face down is visible.

; play (a card, cards)

: To place (a card) on the foundations in contradistinction to placing them elsewhere.

; singleton

: A single card of any suit. An empty depot. Also gap or vacancy.

; spots

: See pips.

; spread

: To overlap cards in a row or column such that each card can be made out, but only the topmost card is exposed and therefore available.

; wrapping

  1. Building around the corner.
  2. Using modular arithmetic to build the sequence, e.g. Queen-King-Ace-2-3, 10-Queen-Ace-3-5, 8-Jack-Ace-4-7.

See also

  • Glossary of card game terms

Footnotes

References

Literature

  • Arnold, Peter (2011). Card Games for One. London: Chambers.
  • Barry, Sheila Anne (2010). Great Card Games for One. NY: Puzzlewright.
  • Cadogan, Lady Adelaide (1872). Illustrated Games of Patience.
  • Cheney, Ednah Dow Littlehale (1869). Patience: A Series of Games with Cards. Boston: Lee & Shepard.
  • Dick, William Brisbane (1883). Dick's Games of Patience, Or, Solitaire with Cards. NY: Dick & Fitzgerald.
  • Hoffmann, Professor [Angelo Lewis] (1892). The Illustrated Book of Patience Games. London, NY, Glasgow and Manchester: George Routledge.
  • Jackson, Robin (2001). Solitaire: Over 30 Challenging Solitaire Games. NY: Barnes & Noble.
  • Morehead, Albert and Geoffrey Mott-Smith (1950). The Complete Book of Patience. London: Faber & Faber.
  • Parlett, David (1979). The Penguin Book of Patience. London: Penguin.
  • Parodi, Francesca (2004). Big Book of Solitaire. NY: Sterling.
  • "Tarbart" (1905). Games of Patience, 2nd edition. London: Thos. De La Rue.
  • Whitmore Jones, Mary (1890). Games of Patience for One or More Players. 2nd Series. London: L. Upcott Gill. NY: Scribner’s.
  • Glossary of card game terms provided by The United States Playing Card Company