How to Play Squadron Solitaire

A streamlined Forty Thieves variant using two decks with three reserve cells to temporarily hold cards. Build by rank and suit on the tableau.

Setup

1. Two standard decks shuffle together (104 cards)
2. Deal 40 cards into 10 tableau piles (4 cards to each pile, all face up)
3. Place 3 cards into 3 reserve cells (1 card per cell)
4. 8 foundation piles wait empty
5. Remaining 61 cards form the stock

How to play

• On the tableau, place a card one rank lower in the same suit on top of another card; only the top card of each pile is playable
• Use the 3 reserve cells to temporarily hold single cards—this gives you flexibility to rearrange plays
• Any card can go into an empty reserve cell or an empty tableau space
• Click the stock to deal one card to the waste pile; only the top card of the waste is playable
• Matching cards move to the foundation piles automatically once they're no longer needed for tableau building (you can change this in Settings to always automatic or always manual)

How to win

Objective: Move all 104 cards to the foundations by building eight complete 13-card sequences in suit.

You win when all 8 foundation piles are complete. Since there's no redeal, planning is essential.

Tips

• Reserve cells are precious—use them to unblock critical plays, not to store random cards
• Work toward getting Aces to the foundations early, as they start each foundation
• Empty tableau piles strategically to create space for moving high-value cards

Play Squadron free on Windows

CardTray is a free solitaire app for Windows that includes Squadron 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:

• Algiers — Algiers is a three-deck game with a reserve of 54 cards and two tableau areas.
• Carthage — A two-deck game combining reserve piles that feed cards into play with a separate tableau built in descending same-suit sequences.
• Mamy Susan — A two-deck Forty Thieves cousin with an extra five-card reserve pile on the side, giving you a second source of playable cards alongside the ten tableau piles.
• Saxony — Saxony combines cells for maneuvering with reserve piles that you build on downward by suit.