Pyramid Solitaire

Pyramid is a quick, tidy solitaire built on one bit of arithmetic: thirteen. Twenty-eight cards are laid out as a pyramid of seven rows, each row overlapping the one above. Your job is to take the pyramid apart, two cards at a time, until the table is bare.

How to play

• Pair two cards whose values add up to 13 and both leave the table. Number cards count their pips, an Ace is 1, a Jack 11 and a Queen 12. So 6 + 7, 4 + 9, Ace + Queen and 2 + Jack all work.
• A King is worth 13 by itself, so it goes the moment it is free.
• A card is free when nothing rests on it: at the start that is only the bottom row. Clearing two neighbours frees the card above them.
• The other 24 cards wait in the stock. Tap it to turn a card onto the waste. The top waste card is free too, and can pair with a pyramid card.
• Tap a card to pick it up; its possible partners light up green. Tap one of them to make the pair. On a computer you can also drag one card onto the other.

Passes through the stock

When the stock runs out you can turn the waste back over and go through it again, as many times as the game allows. Choose 1 pass for a stern test, 3 passes for the classic game or unlimited for a relaxed one. Every deal is checked by a solver before you see it, so each game you are dealt can be won under the rule you picked. The number of passes left is shown at the top.

Scoring

Each pyramid card you clear is worth 10 points and each stock card 5. Emptying a whole row adds 25, clearing the pyramid adds 500, and a fast finish earns a time bonus. Turning the stock over costs 50.

Tips

• Look before you pair. When two different cards could take the same partner, use the one that frees more of the pyramid, or the one that is blocking a card you will need.
• Favour pairs that use pyramid cards. With passes left, a stock card comes round again; a pyramid card left blocking the row above it can cost you the game.
• The higher rows matter most. A card near the top can only leave once everything below it has gone.
• Undo is unlimited, and Hint shows a pair (or a draw) that keeps the game winnable.
• If no pair can win any more, the game tells you, and can take you back to the last position you could still win from.