How to Play Nestor Solitaire

A simple single-deck pairing game. Discard cards by matching ranks. Only the top card of each pile is available, and empty spaces stay empty, making this a puzzle about exposure and sequence.

Setup

1. Two tableau areas: 8 piles with 6 cards each (48 cards), and 4 piles with 1 card each (4 cards)
2. Each of the 8 larger piles is dealt so its 6 cards are all different ranks—no duplicates within a single pile
3. You can only play the card sitting on top of each pile
4. Once a pile empties out, it stays empty for the rest of the game

How to play

• Identify two cards of the same rank (two Aces, two Fives, etc.) that are both uncovered
• Drag one uncovered card onto its matching partner to remove both to the discard pile
• A card is uncovered when it's on top of its pile
• Empty tableau spaces stay empty—you can't move cards into them
• Continue until no more matching pairs are available

How to win

Objective: Clear all 52 cards from the table by pairing cards of equal rank.

Win when all 52 cards are discarded. You're stuck if cards with matching ranks are buried and can't be exposed.

Tips

• Expose buried cards by removing pairs above them; plan moves that free up high-value cards
• Look for cascading opportunities—removing one pair might expose another pair below it
• Since each of the 8 large piles never repeats a rank, you can count out which ranks are still buried and plan ahead

Play Nestor free on Windows

CardTray is a free solitaire app for Windows that includes Nestor 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 Pairing family:

• Patient Pairs — Patient Pairs asks you to clear the whole tableau by matching up cards of equal rank, two at a time, using only the cards left uncovered at the top of each pile.
• Pile Up — A puzzle-style game where you organize cards into same-rank runs.
• Shuffle — A clever pairing game based on Neptune where you remove pairs of cards one rank apart.
• The Wish — A relaxing memory game using only high cards (7 through Ace).
• Doublet Cell — A pairing game with four temporary cells (like FreeCell) to help maneuver.