The Majestic History and Strategy of Forty Thieves Solitaire
Forty Thieves Solitaire, often titled Napoleon at Saint Helena, is universally recognized as one of the most demanding and strategic two-deck card games ever devised. Legend recounts that during his exile on the remote South Atlantic island of Saint Helena, Napoleon Bonaparte passed the hours testing his wits against this intricate arrangement of cards. Whether historical fact or romantic folklore, Forty Thieves has stood the test of centuries as the quintessential patience game for players seeking genuine intellectual depth.
On GamesHubOnline, our HTML5 Canvas recreation brings this masterpiece into the modern web era with crisp vector-rendered cards, 60 FPS drag-and-drop animation, intelligent tap-to-move routing, multi-tiered difficulty modes (including the popular Josephine variation), procedural Web Audio acoustic card sounds, and local persistence.
How to Play Forty Thieves: Official Rules
- The Two-Deck Layout: The game utilizes two standard 52-card decks combined (104 cards total). At the start, 40 cards are dealt face-up into 10 columns of 4 cards each. The remaining 64 cards form the draw stock pile.
- The 8 Foundations: Eight foundation piles sit at the top of the board (two for each suit: Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, Spades). Foundations must be built up in suit from Ace to King (Ace, 2, 3, ... Jack, Queen, King).
- Tableau Stacking Rules: Cards in the tableau are built down in descending rank and MUST be of the exact same suit (e.g., an 8 of Clubs can only be placed on a 9 of Clubs).
- Single Card Movement: In standard Forty Thieves, only the single bottom exposed card of each column can be moved. Even if you have a descending suited run, you must move cards one at a time using empty columns as stepping stones (Easy mode enables the Josephine rule to move full suited runs).
- Empty Tableau Columns: When a column is completely emptied, any available card may be placed into the void. Empty columns are crucial tactical holding spaces!
- The Stock and Waste Piles: Cards from the stock are flipped one by one to the waste pile. The top waste card is always available to play onto the tableau or foundations.
⚔️ 104-Card Dual Deck
Two full decks combined creating eight complete foundation families from Ace to King.
🎯 Exact Suit Matching
Strict suited tableau sequencing demands careful foresight and tactical column management.
⚡ Smart Tap & Drag
Drag cards seamlessly across 10 columns or tap any card for instant optimal path routing.
💡 Intelligent Move Advisor
Spot hidden foundation transfers and unlock blocked columns with the animated hint advisor.
↩ Unlimited Step Back
Full history rewind lets you evaluate alternate paths without losing your game progression.
🎚️ 3 Difficulty Modes
Play relaxed Josephine with run-moving, standard 2-pass mode, or classic 1-pass hardcore.
Mastering Forty Thieves: Expert Strategies
Strategy 1: Protect and Create Empty Columns
In Forty Thieves, empty tableau columns are your most valuable strategic currency. Because you can only move single cards in standard play, an empty column acts like a temporary free cell. Having two or three empty columns allows you to shift sequential cards one by one to uncover deeply trapped cards. Never fill an empty column haphazardly; keep it open until you can use it to liberate a crucial card!
Strategy 2: Rush the Low-Ranking Cards to Foundations
Whenever an Ace or 2 appears—whether in the tableau or the waste pile—transfer it to the foundations immediately. Moving lower cards to foundations clears clutter and opens up opportunities to build longer suited runs safely.
Strategy 3: Do Not Marry Cards of Different Sequences Blindly
Just because you can legally place a 6 of Spades on a 7 of Spades does not mean you always should! If placing that 6 buries a card you need sooner, or if it locks a column you were close to emptying, it might be better to hold off.