How to Play Castle's End Solitaire

A flexible game where the foundation base rank changes each deal, and tableau cards can build either up or down in the same suit, creating unique strategic puzzles. The goal: Move all 52 cards to the four foundations using a randomly chosen base rank.

Setup

1. The base rank (Ace through King) is chosen at random for this deal: all four foundations start with a card of that same rank
2. Two reserve piles hold one card each face up
3. Ten tableau piles have the remaining cards dealt across them face up

How to play

• Build foundations up in suit from the base rank, wrapping around after King back to Ace
• Build tableau piles up or down in suit, also wrapping between King and Ace: move a 5♠ onto a 6♠ or a 4♠, or a King onto an Ace
• Matching cards automatically move to the foundations once no other move is available for them; you can configure this in Settings
• Empty tableau piles accept any card to free up buried cards
• Use the two reserve piles strategically to unblock important tableau moves

How to win

Objective: Move all 52 cards to the four foundations using a randomly chosen base rank.

You win when all 52 cards reach the four foundations. You're stuck when no cards can be played and the tableau is blocked.

Tips

• Take note of the random base rank right away—it shapes your entire strategy
• Building both up and down in the tableau gives you more flexibility than traditional games
• Use reserve spaces strategically to unblock important tableau cards

Play Castle's End free on Windows

CardTray is a free solitaire app for Windows that includes Castle's End alongside 300+ other games. It saves every move as you play, so you can close the window and pick the game up later, replay any deal, and take on a new Daily Challenge deal every day. Browse every game in the Game Gallery.

Related games

More games from the Beleaguered Castle family:

• Chessboard — A Fortress variant where a random base rank sets the foundations each deal.
• Selective Castle — Selective Castle is based on Beleaguered Castle but adds an interesting twist: the base rank for the foundations is chosen randomly each game and revealed by whichever card is dealt to the first foundation.
• Castle of Indolence — A two-deck game that combines an open tableau with hidden reserve cards, requiring strategic decisions about which cards to expose and when.