Complete information means every loss is a sequencing error — all the cards are visible from move one.
Giza replaces Pyramid’s stock and waste with eight open reserve columns, making every card in the game visible from the start. There is no draw uncertainty and no luck of the next stock card. The challenge is pure sequencing: finding the removal order that clears all three pyramids before the reserve columns run out of useful complement partners.
Last updated: June 2026
How Giza differs from standard Pyramid
Standard Pyramid has one pyramid (28 cards) and a stock that deals cards sequentially into a waste pile. Most of the stock cards are hidden; you discover complements as the game progresses. Giza has three pyramids and eight open reserve columns. All 52 (or 104) cards are visible face-up from the start.
The removal rule is identical: pairs totaling 13, Kings alone. But the context is entirely different. In standard Pyramid, the core question is “when will my needed complement appear from the stock?” In Giza, the question becomes “in what order should I remove these cards to unlock all three pyramids without exhausting the complement supply in the reserve columns?”
Giza is a combinatorial puzzle. Given complete information, an optimal sequence always exists for winnable deals. The challenge is finding that sequence.
Full rules
Three pyramids are laid out side by side, each with the standard seven-row blocked structure. A card is blocked until both cards overlapping it from the row below are removed. Reserve columns hold the remaining cards face-up — all visible, all immediately available to pair with any exposed pyramid card.
Available cards: any uncovered pyramid card from any of the three pyramids, and any card in any reserve column (columns are stacked; typically only the top card of each reserve column is accessible). Pairs totaling 13 are removed; Kings are removed alone. Win when all cards are cleared.
Reserve columns are finite — count your complements
Unlike a stock that recycles or has hidden depth, reserve columns in Giza are strictly finite. When a reserve card is spent in a pair, it is gone. If the reserve columns are depleted before all pyramid cards are cleared, the game is lost.
Before making any move, count the complements available for each pyramid card you know will need reserve help. Specifically, identify:
- Which pyramid cards in all three pyramids cannot be paired pyramid-to-pyramid? These cards will require reserve column partners.
- How many reserve cards of each rank are available? If a pyramid card of rank 7 needs a rank-6 complement, count all 6s in the reserve columns.
- Are there pyramid-to-pyramid pairs available that eliminate the need for reserve cards? These are always preferable and should be taken when possible.
A pair where both cards come from the pyramids costs zero reserve cards. These pairs extend the reserve’s life for cards that truly cannot be paired pyramid-to-pyramid. Always check all three pyramids for mutual pairs before using any reserve card.
Which pyramid to advance first
With three pyramids competing for reserve card support, the order in which you advance them matters. The general priority:
- Advance the pyramid with the most pyramid-to-pyramid pairs first.A pyramid where many internal pairs exist requires less reserve support. Clearing it early frees those cards from blocking the reserve’s complement budget.
- Identify cross-pyramid pairs.If an exposed card in pyramid 1 can pair with an exposed card in pyramid 2, take that pair first — it advances two pyramids simultaneously with no reserve cost.
- Prioritize the pyramid that unlocks the most high-demand complements.If one pyramid’s upper rows contain many Kings or Queens (high-rank cards that require rare low-rank complements), clearing those rows unblocks the high-rank cards which must then be paired from the reserve.
Pyramid 1 has 8♥ exposed at row 5. Pyramid 2 has 5♣ exposed at row 4. The reserve column nearest to both holds 8♠ and 5♦. No pyramid-to-pyramid pair totaling 13 is available within either pyramid.
Check: does 8♥ (from pyramid 1) pair with 5♣ (from pyramid 2)? 8 + 5 = 13. Yes. This is a cross-pyramid pair that costs zero reserve cards and advances both pyramids. Take this pair before considering any reserve-card use. The reserve’s 8♠ and 5♦ are preserved for other pyramid cards that lack cross-pyramid matches.
The reserve as a shared resource across three pyramids
In standard Pyramid, the waste pile belongs to one pyramid exclusively. In Giza, the reserve columns serve all three pyramids. This means reserve cards can be more efficiently used (any reserve card can pair with any exposed pyramid card across all three layouts), but also means all three pyramids compete for the same finite supply.
A reserve card spent on pyramid 1 is gone for pyramid 2 and 3. Track which pyramids need which specific reserves, and sequence your moves so that each reserve card’s use unlocks the most downstream pyramid progress.
Giza vs. Pyramid and Apophis
- Standard Pyramid: Hidden stock, single waste, sequential discovery. Luck-influenced; strategy is about timing draws and complement preservation.
- Apophis: Hidden stock, three waste lanes, same pyramid structure. More complement choice than Pyramid, but still stock-hidden.
- Giza:Complete information, three pyramids, open reserve columns. No luck component — every loss is a sequencing error. Win rates reflect solving skill, not card luck.
Giza is unusual among solitaire games in being completely deterministic given an initial deal. Players who enjoy combinatorial puzzles and solve-path analysis tend to prefer Giza over the luck-influenced Pyramid variants.
Where Giza games break down
- Taking easy pairs without checking cross-pyramid options first.A pyramid-1 + pyramid-2 pair is always better than a pyramid-1 + reserve pair because it costs no reserve card. Scan all three pyramids before any reserve use.
- Depleting one reserve column completely before checking whether its later cards were needed elsewhere. Even with full information, it is easy to work column-by-column and deplete one reserve before accounting for how its lower cards serve the other pyramids.
- Advancing one pyramid too quickly while leaving the others stuck.All three pyramids must be cleared to win. A nearly-complete first pyramid is worth nothing if the second and third pyramids are locked for lack of reserve complements.
- Not planning Kings.Kings go alone and represent “free” removals that cost no complement. Identify all pyramid Kings early and plan to clear them as soon as they are unblocked to open rows without spending reserve cards.