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Blockade Solitaire is a double-deck Napoleon family game that replaces the traditional stock-to-waste draw with a round-robin deal: each stock draw sends one card face-up to every tableau column. With twelve columns and alternating-color building, the game offers a distinctive rhythm that rewards careful column management between each massive stock deal.
What is Blockade Solitaire?
Blockade uses two standard 52-card decks (104 cards). Twelve tableau columns are each dealt one face-up card (12 cards), with 92 remaining in the stock. Eight foundation piles build from Ace to King in suit. Tableau building follows alternating color, descending rank, and correctly ordered sequences may be moved as a group. When you draw from the stock, one card is dealt face-up to each of the twelve columns simultaneously. Empty columns accept any card or sequence.
How does the round-robin stock deal work?
Instead of drawing a single card to a waste pile, each stock deal distributes one card to every tableau column. With twelve columns, each draw uses twelve cards from the stock. This means you get roughly seven stock deals before the stock is exhausted (7 x 12 = 84, plus the initial 12 = 96, with 8 aces going to foundations). The round-robin deal often buries useful cards, making pre-deal foundation plays critical.
How to play Blockade Solitaire
Rules and objective
Move all 104 cards to the eight foundation piles, each built from Ace to King in suit. Tableau columns build down in alternating color (red on black, black on red). Properly sequenced groups of cards may be moved together. Empty columns accept any card or sequence. Drawing from the stock deals one card to each column. No redeals.
Game setup
- Shuffle two standard 52-card decks together (104 cards total).
- Deal one face-up card to each of twelve tableau columns.
- Reserve space above for eight foundation slots.
- Place the remaining 92 cards face-down as the stock.
Strategies to win Blockade Solitaire
- Play as many cards to foundations as possible before each stock draw. The round-robin deal adds twelve new cards at once. Clear foundation-ready cards first to minimize buried treasures.
- Create empty columns before drawing from stock. An empty column receives a fresh stock card that you can immediately see and play. If every column is occupied, the new cards just pile on top of existing sequences.
- Build alternating-color sequences on fewer columns. Consolidating cards into longer runs on fewer columns keeps more columns short or empty, giving you better visibility after each round-robin deal.
- Move sequences as groups to free buried cards. The ability to relocate entire alternating-color runs is essential for uncovering needed foundation cards buried by the mass stock deal.
- Track both copies of each rank. With two decks, knowing whether the second copy of a key card has been dealt helps you decide whether to dig or wait for the next stock draw.
Blockade vs similar Napoleon family games
| Game | Columns | Stock deal | Build rule | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forty Thieves | 10 | 1 card to waste | Same suit | ~15% |
| Blockade | 12 | 1 card per column | Alternating color | ~30% |
| Interchange | 10 | 1 card to waste | Alternating color | ~30% |
| Busy Aces | 12 | 1 card to waste | Same suit | ~30% |
Winning odds and difficulty
Blockade wins roughly 30% of the time with experienced play. The alternating-color building rule and sequence-move ability make tableau manipulation fairly flexible. The main challenge is the round-robin stock deal that can bury critical cards under twelve simultaneous additions. Timing your draws well is the key to consistent wins.
Blockade Solitaire FAQ
How many cards are dealt when I draw from the stock?
Twelve. One card is dealt face-up to each of the twelve tableau columns simultaneously. This is in contrast to traditional Napoleon family games where one card goes to a waste pile.
Can I move multiple cards at once in Blockade?
Yes. Properly ordered alternating-color sequences can be moved as a group, similar to Interchange Solitaire. This is more forgiving than strict single-card movement games like Forty Thieves.
How many stock draws do I get in Blockade?
About seven or eight, depending on how many cards have gone to foundations. Each draw uses up to twelve cards from the stock (one per column). With 92 stock cards initially, you get roughly 7-8 draws before the stock is empty.
What happens if a column is empty during a stock draw?
The empty column still receives a card from the round-robin deal. This is actually strategic: an empty column that receives a single fresh card gives you maximum visibility and flexibility with that new card.
Is Blockade related to Napoleon at St Helena?
Yes. Blockade belongs to the same Napoleon (Forty Thieves) family of double-deck games. It shares the core structure of ten-plus tableau columns with eight foundations, but distinguishes itself with the round-robin stock deal and alternating-color building rule.