Agnes (card game)

Agnes is a solitaire card game which is a variant of the very popular game Klondike. It is similar to the latter except on how the stock is dealt.

Dealing the first 28 cards onto the tableau is a lot like in Klondike. Then a card is placed in the first of the four foundations. This card will be the first card of that foundation and all other cards with the same rank should be placed at the other three foundations.

Seven cards are then dealt in a row either above or below the tableau. This will act as the reserve. The cards in the reserve are available for play.

Playing the game is a lot like Klondike except that any gaps are filled in by a card a rank lower than the first card of the foundation. For instance, if the first card of each foundation is a 10, gaps are only filled by 9s. Foundations are built up by suit, while the columns on the tableau are built down in alternating colors, wrapping from Ace to King if necessary. When play is no longer possible on the tableau, any card on the reserve can be used to continue the game. Gaps in the reserve are not filled until a new set is dealt.

If the game cannot continue even from the reserve, a new set of seven cards is dealt from the stock to the reserve. The stock is good for two deals on the reserve with two cards left over. So after the third new deal and no more moves possible, the two left over cards are dealt as if they each have a reserve pile on their own.

The game is won when all cards have made their way to the foundations.

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There are two versions of the game of Agnes. The one described above is called Agnes Bernauer. In another version called Agnes Sorel (no connection to the woman with the same name), the game is played the same way except the cards in the tableau are built down by color, i.e. Red suits on red, black suits on black. Furthermore, in Agnes Sorel, spaces are not filled. David Parlett gave these two versions their separate names. ^{[http://www.goodsol.com/pgshelp/agnes_bernauer.htm] [http://www.goodsol.com/pgshelp/agnes_bernauer.htm]}