Forty Thieves
Two packs, ten columns, one pass through the stock.
The classic two-pack patience, also known as Napoleon at St Helena. Forty cards lie face up in ten columns: build them down in suit, one card at a time, and send all 104 up to eight foundations from ace to king. The stock turns only once, so every free column counts. Three levels, every deal checked by a solver so it can be won, and a new deal for everyone every day.
- Category
- Cards & Board
- Modes
- Easy · Medium · Hard · Daily
- Controls
- Mouse · Touch
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How to play
Drag a card where it should go. Or tap it to pick it up, then tap where it should go; tap it again to send it to the best place. Columns build down in suit (a 7 of hearts goes on the 8 of hearts) and only the top card of a column moves. A free column takes any card, so you can still move a run by parking its cards there one at a time. Tap the stock to turn its next card onto the waste; the top card of the waste plays too. Foundations build up in suit from the ace, and cards nobody can still need go up on their own. There is one pass through the stock. On easy, a run in suit moves as one when your free columns could carry it, and the waste turns over once for a second pass. Undo costs 5 seconds, a hint 30.
What is Forty Thieves?
Forty Thieves is the two-pack patience that has humbled card players for a century. The forty cards of its name lie face up in ten columns of four, and the other 64 wait in the stock. Build the columns down in suit, one card at a time, and send all 104 cards up to eight foundations, from ace to king. Older books call it Napoleon at St Helena, Big Forty or Le Cadran.
It is one of the hardest patiences there is: the stock turns only once, and the classic books give a skilled player about one win in ten deals. So every deal here has been checked by a solver before it reaches you, and each one can be won. Easy relaxes two rules, medium and hard play by the book, and a new deal, the same for everyone, arrives every day.
How to play
Tap a card to pick it up, then tap the column or foundation where it should go. Tap the same card again and it goes to the best place on its own.
- Columns. Build down in suit: a 7 of hearts goes on the 8 of hearts, never on another suit.
- One card at a time. Only the top card of a column moves. To move a run, you park its cards one by one.
- Free columns. An empty column takes any card, and it is the only spare room on the table: with one free column you can shift a run of two, with two free columns a run of four.
- The stock. Tap it to turn its next card onto the waste. The top card of the waste plays like the top of a column. There is one pass through the stock.
- Foundations. Each suit builds up from the ace, on two foundations of its own. Cards nobody can still need go up on their own.
- Easy level. A run in suit moves as one when your free columns could carry it, and the waste turns over once for a second pass.
- Undo and hints. Undo adds 5 seconds to your time, a hint 30.
Strategy tips
- Empty a column early. A free column is worth more than any card: it is where you take runs apart and put them back together in suit. Go for the short columns first.
- Look before you turn. Before you tap the stock, make every useful move on the table, because the waste only gives up its cards from the top.
- Keep the waste short. Every card left on the waste buries the ones under it. Play waste cards onto the columns whenever their suit is waiting for them.
- Do not rush low cards up. With two packs, a card on a foundation can no longer take another card. The game sends up the cards nobody can still need; think twice about the others.
- Fill a free column only for a reason. A card dropped there just to tidy up takes the most useful space on the table.
FAQ
Is Forty Thieves free to play?
Yes. Like every game on Play, it runs free in your browser, with no download and no account needed.
Can every deal be won?
Every deal handed out here can. A solver that sees every card, the stock included, has won each one before it reaches you. You cannot see the stock, so you can still lose: undo and try another line.
What is the difference between the levels?
Easy lets a run in suit move as one when your free columns could carry it, and gives you a second pass through the stock. Medium and hard keep the book rules, one card at a time and one pass. Hard deals are the ones where the way through is narrowest.
What is the daily deal?
Everyone gets the same medium deal that day, so times compare directly on the leaderboard.
How is my time scored?
Your score is the time it takes to send every card home, plus 5 seconds for every undo and 30 for every hint. Lower is better, and each level has its own leaderboard.
