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What is Alexander the Great Solitaire?
Alexander the Great is a demanding fan-based patience game that follows the same layout as Cruel Solitaire but removes all redeals. All four Aces start on foundations. The remaining 48 cards are dealt face-up into 12 fans of 4. Build foundations up by suit from Ace to King. Build down by same suit on fan tops, one card at a time. With no redeals and no empty-fan fills, every card placement is permanent. The win rate is approximately 5 percent.
Alexander the Great Solitaire history
Named after the Macedonian conqueror, Alexander the Great Solitaire lives up to its name by being one of the hardest fan games. It is essentially Cruel Solitaire stripped of its signature redeal mechanic. Cruel allows unlimited ordered redeals (as long as progress is made), giving players multiple chances to rearrange cards. Alexander the Great removes that safety net entirely, demanding that every move count from the very first play.
How to play Alexander the Great Solitaire
The four Aces start on foundations. The remaining 48 cards are dealt into 12 fans of 4, all face-up. Only the top card of each fan is playable. Your goal is to build all four foundations from Ace to King by suit.
- Look for cards that can go directly to foundations. Since Aces are already placed, scan for exposed 2s that match foundation suits.
- Build down by same suit on fan tops to uncover buried cards. Only single cards move between fans.
- Plan several moves ahead. With no redeals, a single bad move can make the deal unwinnable.
- Empty fans cannot be refilled. Once a fan is cleared, that space is gone permanently.
- Continue until all 52 cards are on foundations or no more moves are possible.
Strategies to win Alexander the Great Solitaire
- Study the entire layout before making any move. Trace the full sequence of moves needed to free a key card before committing.
- Keep foundations balanced. Moving one suit far ahead leaves you stuck waiting for lower cards of other suits that may be deeply buried.
- Prioritize uncovering cards that unblock multiple other cards. A move that exposes a needed card for two different suits is worth more than one that only helps a single foundation.
- Accept that most deals are unwinnable. The extremely low win rate means losses are expected; focus on recognizing winnable deals early.
Alexander the Great Solitaire rules and objective
Objective: move all 52 cards to four foundations (A to K by suit). Aces are pre-placed on foundations. 12 fans of 4 cards, all face-up. Build down by same suit on fan tops, one card at a time. Empty fans cannot be refilled. No redeals.
Game setup
| Element | Setup |
|---|---|
| Deck | 1 standard 52-card deck |
| Foundations | 4 piles with Aces pre-placed, build A to K by suit |
| Fans | 12 fans of 4, all face-up |
| Build rule | Down by same suit, one card at a time |
| Empty fan | Cannot be refilled |
| Redeals | None |
| Win condition | All 52 cards on foundations |
Alexander the Great variants and similar games
Cruel Solitaire uses the same layout but allows unlimited ordered redeals (with progress), making it much more forgiving. La Belle Lucie uses fans of 3 with two shuffle redeals. Good Measure uses fans of 5 with any-suit building and two pre-seeded Aces.
How difficult is Alexander the Great Solitaire?
Alexander the Great is one of the hardest fan solitaire games. Without redeals and with no way to fill empty fans, the game demands perfect play from the start. Most deals are simply unwinnable regardless of skill, making each victory a genuine achievement.
What is Alexander the Great win percentage?
Alexander the Great wins approximately 5 percent of the time even with expert play. Compare this to Cruel Solitaire's roughly 30 percent win rate (which uses the same layout but allows redeals). The absence of redeals is what makes Alexander the Great so punishing.
What is the difference between Alexander the Great and Cruel Solitaire?
The only difference is redeals. Cruel Solitaire allows unlimited ordered redeals as long as at least one card was moved to a foundation since the last redeal. Alexander the Great allows zero redeals. Both games use 12 fans of 4, same-suit-down building, pre-placed Aces, and locked empty fans. Removing the redeal drops the win rate from roughly 30 percent to approximately 5 percent.
Alexander the Great Solitaire FAQ
Are there any redeals in Alexander the Great Solitaire?
No. Alexander the Great has zero redeals. Once you run out of moves, the game is over. This is the defining characteristic that separates it from Cruel Solitaire.
Can you fill empty fans in Alexander the Great?
No. Empty fans cannot be refilled. Once all cards have been removed from a fan (to foundations or other fans), that space is permanently unavailable. This is consistent with Cruel Solitaire rules.
Why is Alexander the Great Solitaire so hard?
Two factors make it extremely difficult: no redeals and no empty-fan fills. In Cruel, redeals let you rearrange stuck positions. Without that option, any bad placement is permanent and frequently leads to an unwinnable state.
Is Alexander the Great the hardest fan solitaire?
It is among the hardest. With a 5 percent win rate, it is harder than Cruel (30%), La Belle Lucie (15%), and Shamrocks (12%). Only a few obscure patience variants with near-zero win rates are more challenging.
What is the best opening move in Alexander the Great?
Always start by scanning for 2s that can go directly to foundations (since Aces are already placed). Next, identify which fans contain low cards you need and plan the minimum number of moves to reach them. Avoid unnecessary fan-to-fan moves early because each move can create new blocks.
Other solitaire games I recommend
- Cruel Solitaire - same layout with unlimited redeals
- La Belle Lucie - fans of 3 with shuffle redeals
- Shamrocks Solitaire - fans of 3, any-suit building, no redeals
- King Albert Solitaire - open-information staircase layout
- Classic Klondike Solitaire - the most popular patience game