Use both directions to uncover the next foundation card.
All 52 cards start face-up across ten rows. An exposed row top can move onto another card of the same suit one rank higher or lower. Empty rows accept any single top card. Suit foundations start with exposed Aces and build upward.
Last updated: September 2026
Compare both same-suit destinations
A Seven of Hearts can land on a Six or Eight of Hearts when either heads a different row. Both moves free the card under the Seven, but they cover different destination tops. If the Six is the next heart foundation card, putting the Seven on it delays that play. The Eight may be a better landing place if it has no immediate foundation route.
The heart foundation ends at Five. A Seven of Hearts covers the Ace of Clubs in one row; Six and Eight of Hearts head two others. Moving the Seven onto the Eight exposes the Ace and leaves the Six available to advance the heart foundation. Moving the Seven onto the Six also exposes the Ace, but covers the Six until the Seven moves again.
Make an empty row useful
A cleared row accepts any exposed single card. Moving a blocker there can reveal its former row without covering another card. Before using the gap, identify how that blocker could later leave; otherwise the new row may simply hold a different obstruction.
The Castle family guide covers the shared problem of accessing foundation cards. Fortress needs its own guide because its tableau placement requires the same suit and permits either adjacent rank.