How to Play Diplomat Solitaire

Diplomat Solitaire is similar to Emperor Solitaire, but with a smaller tableau of all face-up cards.

Objective

The goal is to move all 104 cards from the stock pile and tableau into 8 foundation piles by suit in ascending order.

The Setup and Play Area

Tableau piles: This is the area with 8 columns, each with 4 face-up cards. In total, there are 32 cards.

Stock pile: The remaining cards, or a total of 72 cards, are face-down in the stock pile. You can only go through the stock pile once.

Waste pile: Cards are drawn from the stock pile one at a time and go into the waste pile.

Foundation piles: These are the eight piles at the top of the game where cards are placed by suit in ascending order from Ace to King. There are 2 foundation piles for each suit.

Available moves

• Only Aces can start in the foundation, and subsequent cards must be in ascending order by suit. For example, a 2 of Clubs can be played on an Ace of Clubs
• The last card of the tableau column can be moved to the foundation.
• The last card in the tableau column can be placed on top of a card regardless of which suit that is one rank higher. A 4 of Diamonds, for example, can be moved on top of a 5 of Spades, Hearts, or Diamonds.
• Unlike Klondike, you cannot move a group of sequenced cards in the tableau.
• The most recently drawn card from the stock pile can be moved to the foundation or the tableau.
• If a tableau column is empty, any playable card can be placed there.
• You win when all cards are placed in the 8 foundations.

Strategy

• Create empty columns to move cards and unblock others.
• If you have an empty column, try to place cards of higher ranks, like Kings, to help you create longer sequences in that column. Also, late in the game, consider moving cards from the stock pile into empty columns to get them in the tableau.
• Immediately move Aces to the foundation.
• The first visible sequence may not always be the best one. Plan out your moves to remove as many cards as possible from the tableau.
• Because foundations are built from Ace to King, try to make low cards available so you can move them out of the tableau into the foundation.
• Try to build the foundations evenly. If one foundation is built immediately in the game, you now have fewer cards to help you sequence.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are similar games?

Try Emperor, Josephine Solitaire, Forty Thieves, and Thieves of Egypt.

What is the probability of winning Forty Thieves?

The game is challenging with a low win rate. We looked at 4,089 random games played. Of those, 1,236 were won, or 30.23%.

What are other popular Solitaire games?

Be sure to check out these Solitaire games:

• Solitaire
• Mahjong
• Klondike
• Spider Solitaire
• FreeCell Solitaire
• Yukon Solitaire
• TriPeaks Solitaire
• Pyramid Solitaire
• Golf Solitaire