Martha (solitaire)

Martha is a solitaire card game that is played with a deck of 52 playing cards. It has a novelty of having half of the cards in the tableau faced down.

Rules

First, the aces are removed from the deck and set up as the bases for the foundations.

Then, the rest of the deck is dealt into 12 columns of four overlapping cards each, with the top card and the third card from the top faced up and the bottom card and second card from the top faced down. To make this easier, here is a simple illustration of a column:

D
U
D
U<--- top card

The top cards of the columns are available for play, to be built on either the foundations or on other columns in the tableau. The foundations are built up by suit to Kings, while the cards on the tableau are built down in alternating colors.

One card can be moved at a time, but sequences that are already built can be moved, in part or in whole, as unit. But when a gap occurs, it can be filled only with a single card.

The game is won when all cards end up in the foundations.

References

• Arnold, Peter. Card Games for One. London: Hamlyn, 2002 (ISBN 0-600-60727-5) p. 50
• Marks, Arnold & Harrod, Jacqueline. Card Games Made Easy. Surrey, England: Clarion, 1997 (ISBN 1-899606-17-3) p. 283

Patience or solitaire (US) - (list)
Adding and pairing	Baroness Fourteen Out Gay Gordons Golf Monte Carlo Nestor Pyramid
Bisley	Baker's Dozen Capricieuse Martha Perseverance
Castle	Beleaguered Castle Congress Fortress Seahaven Towers
Canfield	American Toad Duchess Eagle Wing
Fan	Alternation Bristol Flower Garden House in the Woods Intelligence La Belle Lucie The Plot Shamrocks
Forty Thieves	Deuces Diplomat Emperor Miss Milligan Napoleon's Square
FreeCell	Baker's Game Eight Off Penguin Stalactites
Klondike	Agnes Batsford Gargantua King Albert Seven Devils Westcliff Yukon
Non-builder	Accordion Clock Gaps Maze Perpetual Motion Poker Squares Royal Marriage
Pocket	Decade One-Handed
Spider	Auld Lang Syne Blockade Curds and Whey Labyrinth Mrs. Mop Scorpion Simple Simon
Other	Aces and Kings Algerian Black Hole Carpet King's Audience The Clock Glossary Grandfather's Clock