Calculation

About Calculation Solitaire

by Thomas Warfield

Screen shot of the game Calculation from Pretty Good Solitaire.

Calculation is a classic Sir Tommy type game.

How to Play

The game begins with an Ace, Two, Three, and Four dealt to four foundation piles. Underneath are four tableau piles, which start the game empty. The remaining cards form a stock.

Play consists of moving the top card of the stock to either the foundations or tableau.

The foundations are built up in a complicated way. The first pile is built up regardless of suit from the Ace, just as a normal foundation pile, starting with Two, Three, and so on. The 2nd pile is built up regardless of suit from the Two by Twos, starting with Four, Six, Eight, and so on. The 3rd pile is built up regardless of suit from the Three by Threes, starting with Six, Nine, Queen, and so on. Finally, the 4th pile is built up regardless of suit from the Four, starting with Eight, Queen, so on.

You can play the top card of the stock to any of the four tableau piles, regardless of any sequence or suit. The top card of any tableau pile is available for play on the foundations. The trick is to avoid blocking yourself in the tableau - once a card is buried, you have to move all the cards on top of it one at a time to the foundations in order to get it out.

Calculation is won when all of the cards have been moved to the four foundation piles.

The average player wins Calculation about 50% of the time. The mathematical nature of the foundation building makes Calculation excellent mental exercise.

Variations of Calculation