Napoleon at St Helena


Napoleon at St Helena is a patience or solitaire card game. It is quite difficult to win, and luck-of-the-draw is a significant factor. It is also popularly known as Forty Thieves. Other titles include Roosevelt at San Juan, Big Forty, and Le Cadran, although these can at times refer to variant forms of the game.

Rules

The rules of Napoleon at St Helena are follows:
Napoleon at St Helena forms the basis for several variant games, most of which have been made easier to win. Common variations are dealing the aces to the foundations at the start of the game, having the tableaus build down by alternating colour rather than by suit, and allowing cards built down on top of a tableau to be moved together. Other variations include allowing use of any card from the waste, dealing some of the tableau cards face down, and changing the number of tableau piles and/or the number of cards in each tableau. The number of possible permutations is vast, and solitaire suites often include several variants, such as these:
Other closely related games include Congress, Diplomat, Napoleon's Square, Corona, and Blockade.