Play Red and Black Solitaire Online for Free
Red and Black is a double-deck Napoleon family patience with eight columns of four face-up cards each. Alternating-colour building and a compact layout make it one of the more approachable Forty Thieves variants, while the narrower tableau of only eight columns keeps the challenge alive. Win rate is around 35%.
What is Red and Black Solitaire?
Red and Black Solitaire uses two standard decks (104 cards). Eight tableau columns are dealt four cards each (all face-up), giving 32 tableau cards and leaving 72 in the stock. Tableau columns build down in alternating colours. Only one card at a time may be moved; sequences cannot be relocated as a unit. Eight foundations (four per deck) must be built from Ace up to King in suit. One card is drawn at a time from the stock; no redeals.
Red and Black Solitaire layout explained
The name describes the core mechanic: every card placed on the tableau must contrast with the card below it - a red card must go on a black card and vice versa. Eight columns (narrower than the standard ten-column Forty Thieves layout) and all cards face-up from the start give you full positional information. The 72-card stock is the largest in the standard Napoleon family, as the compact tableau leaves more cards in reserve.
How to play Red and Black Solitaire
Red and Black Solitaire rules and objective
Move all 104 cards to the eight foundation piles, each built from Ace to King in a single suit. A card may be placed on a tableau column if it is one rank lower and opposite in colour to the current top card. Only one card at a time may be moved. Empty columns accept any single card. Draw one card at a time from the stock to the waste; no redeals.
Game setup
- Shuffle two standard 52-card decks together (104 cards total).
- Deal four rows of eight, all face-up, into eight columns.
- Reserve space above for eight foundation slots.
- Place the remaining 72 cards face-down as the stock.
Strategies to win Red and Black Solitaire
- Identify colour alternation patterns early. Because all cards are face-up, you can immediately see which tableau columns are already in valid alternating sequences and which need reorganisation before foundations can be built.
- Prioritise uncovering Aces. Scan all eight columns for Aces before drawing from the stock. Even with alternating-colour building, an Ace buried under three cards may require several preparatory moves to reach.
- Use the large stock strategically. With 72 undrawn cards, the stock is a substantial resource - but each card drawn is a one-time opportunity. Exhaust all productive tableau moves before drawing to give each stock card the best chance of being useful.
- Manage the eight columns carefully. Eight columns is two fewer than Forty Thieves; empty columns are harder to create and extremely valuable when available. Avoid occupying empty columns with cards that serve no immediate purpose.
- Balance foundation suits. Alternating-colour building means a Spade sequence and a Club sequence compete for red cards to sit below them; keep all four suits advancing at similar rates to avoid colour bottlenecks.
Red and Black vs similar Napoleon family games
Red and Black Solitaire FAQ
How does Red and Black differ from Streets Solitaire?
Both games use alternating-colour building and a double deck with all cards face-up. The key difference is the number of columns: Streets has ten columns of four (40 cards in tableau, 64 in stock), while Red and Black has eight columns of four (32 in tableau, 72 in stock). The narrower tableau of Red and Black means fewer initial moves but a proportionally larger stock, which can be a help or a hindrance depending on the deal.
Can you move sequences in Red and Black Solitaire?
No. Red and Black follows the single-card movement rule common to most Napoleon family games. Alternating-colour sequences build naturally on the tableau, but each card must be moved individually. For a game with sequence movement and alternating-colour building, try Number Ten Solitaire or Rank and File Solitaire.
Why is the stock so large in Red and Black?
The compact eight-column tableau holds only 32 cards, leaving 72 of the 104 cards in the stock. This is the largest stock proportion of any standard Napoleon family variant. The large stock provides more draws but also means the game depends more heavily on the order in which cards emerge from the stock compared to wider-layout variants like Forty Thieves or Limited.
Is Red and Black the same as any other named solitaire?
Red and Black Solitaire appears in several patience collections under this name or variants of it. It is not the same as "Black and Red" or "Alternation," which are distinct games. Within the Napoleon family, it is closest to Maria (nine columns, alternating colour) and Streets (ten columns, alternating colour), sharing their building rule but differing in tableau width.