How to Play Maria Solitaire

Work through nine overlapping tableau piles to build eight foundations up in suit. Draw from the stock one card at a time when tableau moves aren't available.

Setup

1. Place eight empty foundation piles to the side (two for each suit, since you're playing with two decks)
2. Deal four cards face up to each of nine tableau piles
3. Keep the stock separate; draw cards one at a time when needed

How to play

• Move cards from the tableau or waste pile to build foundations up by suit (Ace through King).
• On the tableau, build sequences downward in alternating colors (such as placing a 10 of spades on a Jack of hearts).
• Only the top card of each tableau pile can be moved.
• Empty tableau piles can be filled with any available card.
• Stuck cards automatically move to the foundations when they can't be played elsewhere. You can adjust this behavior in Settings if preferred.
• When no tableau moves help, click the stock to draw one card to the waste pile.
• Play the top card from the waste pile to the tableau or foundations if possible.

How to win

Objective: Move all cards to the eight foundations, building from Ace to King in each suit.

You win when all cards are built to the eight foundation piles. The game ends in loss when the stock runs out and no more moves are available.

Tips

• Send cards to the foundations as soon as you can, since only the top card of each tableau pile is available to play.
• Keep tableau piles organized in long sequences so you can uncover new cards.
• Create empty spaces on the tableau when you can, as they give you flexibility to maneuver cards from the waste pile.

Play Maria free on Windows

CardTray is a free solitaire app for Windows that includes Maria 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 Forty Thieves family:

• Midshipman — Build eight foundations using two decks while managing nine tableau piles that begin with a couple of cards face down in each.
• Napoleon's Shoulder — A relaxed variant of Napoleon's Square using two decks.
• Rows of Four — Move all cards to eight foundations by building suits upward while arranging tableau piles in any order.
• Thieves of Egypt — This two-deck game deals its tableau in a pyramid, and you build alternating-color runs there while filling eight foundation piles.
• Waterloo — A two-deck stock-based solitaire with minimal tableau space and relaxed building rules.