Play Number Ten Solitaire Online for Free (Diplomat Solitaire)
Number Ten is a two-deck Napoleon family solitaire that deals two of its four card rows face-down per column, then lets you move built sequences as a unit. The combination of hidden cards and sequence movement produces a win rate around 40%, making it one of the most accessible games in the Forty Thieves family.
What is Number Ten Solitaire?
Number Ten Solitaire (also called Diplomat Solitaire) uses two standard 52-card decks for 104 cards. Ten tableau columns each receive four cards: the bottom two rows are dealt face-down and the top two rows face-up. The remaining 64 cards form the stock. Eight foundation piles must be built from Ace up to King in suit. Tableau columns build down in alternating colours, and any correctly built alternating-colour sequence may be moved as a unit to another column. Draw one card at a time from the stock; no redeals are permitted.
How Number Ten differs from Forty Thieves
Standard Forty Thieves uses same-suit building and moves only one card at a time with no face-down cards. Number Ten relaxes all three restrictions simultaneously: alternating-colour build rule, sequence movement, and two hidden rows per column. Each change independently increases the win rate; together they push it from roughly 10% up to around 40%.
How to play Number Ten Solitaire
Number Ten Solitaire rules and objective
Move all 104 cards to the eight foundation piles, each built up from Ace to King in a single suit. A card or sequence may be placed on a tableau column if the bottom card of the moving sequence is one rank lower and opposite in colour to the column's current top card. The top face-down card in a column flips automatically when exposed. Empty columns accept any card or sequence. Draw one card at a time from the stock to the waste; the top waste card is always available. No redeals.
Game setup
- Shuffle two standard 52-card decks together (104 cards).
- Deal four rows of ten. Rows one and two go face-down; rows three and four go face-up.
- Reserve space above the tableau for eight foundation slots.
- Place the remaining 64 cards face-down as the stock.
Strategies to win Number Ten Solitaire
- Flip face-down cards as a priority. Each reveal exposes new options and may uncover buried Aces or 2s essential for foundation progress.
- Build long alternating-colour sequences before moving them. A longer sequence is a more powerful unit and frees the column beneath it in one step.
- Protect empty columns. An open column can absorb a blocking sequence temporarily while you reorganise another column.
- Feed foundations steadily but not blindly. Sending a card up prematurely can break a useful in-progress sequence on the tableau.
- Draw from stock only when all tableau and sequence moves are exhausted. Stock is finite with no redeal, so every draw should be deliberate.
Number Ten Solitaire variants and similar games
Number Ten sits in the middle difficulty tier of the Napoleon family, between the strict original and the most forgiving variants.
| Game | Face-down rows | Build rule | Sequences move | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forty Thieves | 0 | Same suit down | No | ~10% |
| Deauville | 3 | Alt colour down | No | ~15% |
| Streets | 0 | Alt colour down | No | ~20% |
| Number Ten | 2 | Alt colour down | Yes | ~40% |
| Rank and File | 3 | Alt colour down | Yes | ~50% |
| Emperor | 3 | Alt colour down | Yes | ~60% |
Number Ten Solitaire FAQ
Is Number Ten the same as Diplomat Solitaire?
Yes. Number Ten and Diplomat are two names for the same game. Both names appear in classic patience references and describe the identical setup: two face-down rows, alternating-colour building, and sequence movement.
Can you move sequences in Number Ten?
Yes. Any correctly built alternating-colour sequence in Number Ten may be moved as a unit to another column, provided the receiving column's top card is one rank higher and opposite in colour. This is the key rule that separates Number Ten from Forty Thieves and Streets Solitaire, where only single cards can move.
What is the win rate for Number Ten Solitaire?
Number Ten has a win rate of approximately 40% with reasonable play. The combination of alternating-colour building and sequence movement gives significantly more flexibility than strict Forty Thieves variants, though the two hidden rows and single stock pass keep the game genuinely challenging.
How does Number Ten compare to Rank and File?
Both games use two decks, ten columns, alternating-colour building, and sequence movement. The only difference is the number of face-down rows: Number Ten deals two rows face-down per column while Rank and File deals three. That extra hidden row makes Rank and File slightly harder and its win rate a few points lower in early turns, though sequence movement keeps both games quite winnable.