Westcliff

Westcliff Objective

The goal of Westcliff is to arrange all the cards in the four foundation piles in ascending order, from ace to king, separated by suit.

Westcliff Setup

Westcliff uses one standard 52-card deck and is set up as follows:

• Tableau: The tableau consists of 10 columns of three cards each, with the top card face up and the other two facedown. You build tableau columns in descending order and alternating colors.
• Foundations: Above the tableau, you have four foundation piles separated by suit. Foundations must begin with an ace and are built in ascending order. You can move cards from the waste pile or the tableau onto a foundation pile.
• Stockpile: The remaining 20 cards are placed facedown into the stockpile. You flip cards, one at a time, face up into the waste pile, making them playable. You can cycle through the stockpile only once.
• Waste pile: You can move the top card of the waste pile to the tableau or foundations. If you play a card from the waste pile, the next card is revealed and made available to play.

Westcliff Rules

• Build foundation piles by suit in ascending order from ace to king until each pile is complete.
• Build tableau piles in descending order and alternating in color. Sequence tableau piles in descending order (nine, eight, seven, and so on) and alternating colors (black/red), regardless of suit. For example, a valid sequence could start with a 9♣ and continue with an 8♥, 7♠, and 6♦.
• Move valid sequences onto cards one rank higher and the opposite color. Entire groups of cards that are properly sequenced (alternating in color and descending in order) can move as a unit as long as the highest card of the sequence is placed on a card of opposite color and one rank higher. For example a sequence of 6♥, 5♠, and 4♦ can be moved onto a 7♣ or 7♠.
• Any card or valid sequence can fill an empty space. If you empty all the cards from a tableau pile, you may move any card, regardless of rank, or any valid sequence into that empty space.
• Turn one card at a time from the stock to the waste. When you run out of moves on the tableau, turn the top card of the stockpile face up onto the waste pile. This reveals a new, playable card. You can play this card in the tableau or a foundation pile, and, if you do, the next face-up card is available to play. You can cycle through the stockpile only once.
• Win after you complete all four foundation piles. Just build all four foundation piles in ascending order from ace to king to win the game!

Westcliff Strategies

• Focus on revealing facedown cards. Hidden cards can block your gameplay quickly, so focus on arranging cards in the tableau to reveal facedown cards buried in each column. Discovering important cards like aces, twos, and kings can help you keep the game progressing.
• Move aces and twos to the foundation piles immediately. Because you have so few cards in each tableau column, you’re likely to empty columns quickly, which eliminates possible places to arrange cards. Opening foundation piles gives you more spots to play cards so you don’t get stuck.
• Use the stockpile sparingly. Since you only get one pass, exhaust all tableau moves first. Uncovering hidden cards in the tableau will open up more move options so that the cards you turn over from the stockpile have a high chance of having a sequence, foundation, or empty column to move to.
• Build long sequences in the tableau. To win the game, you must keep cards moving, so building lengthy sequences helps you get as many cards into play as possible. It’s tempting to add cards to the foundation piles as often as possible, but you need the opposite color to build onto each sequence. That means putting a card into the foundation pile could pull a useful card out of play, especially if it gets buried by other cards played to the foundation.
• Balance cards in the foundation piles evenly. This strategy works hand in hand with building long sequences. By making sure that each foundation pile is built within one or two ranks of the rest, you keep the alternating colors in play in the tableau where you need them. With long columns of cards in order in the tableau, you can easily move them to their foundations when you’re ready.

If Westcliff becomes an easy win, you can challenge yourself to other variations of Solitaire, such as Turn 3, or a different style by trying your hand at something different, such as FreeCell.