The terrace holds half your cards face-down — managing what you release, and when, shapes the entire game.
Queen of Italy (also known as Terrace) is a nine-column patience game with a distinctive terrace reserve of eleven face-down cards above the tableau. Cards from the terrace become available only when the tableau below them creates a valid destination. Releasing terrace cards at the right moment — not before — is the game’s defining discipline.
Last updated: June 2026
The terrace: what it is and why it matters
Queen of Italy begins with eleven cards dealt face-down in a row above the main tableau. These eleven cards form the “terrace.” Only the leftmost uncovered terrace card is accessible, and it can only move when a valid destination exists in the tableau (a tableau column top of the correct rank and colour to accept it).
The terrace is not optional — it must eventually empty for the game to be won. But releasing terrace cards prematurely (before a valid destination exists) is not possible, and trying to clear the terrace too aggressively by creating destinations for terrace cards at the expense of the main tableau’s health is a common losing strategy.
Think of the terrace as a structured queue: you know the next terrace card is coming and must plan a destination for it, but the card after it is unknown until the current one is released. This forces a “just-in-time” planning discipline rather than a “long-range reservation” approach.
Alternating-colour foundations
Queen of Italy’s foundations build in alternating colours, not by suit. Red cards and black cards alternate on each foundation pile: an Ace foundation starts with Ace (any suit), and the next card must be of the opposite colour at rank 2, then opposite colour at rank 3, and so on. This differs from Klondike, where foundations build by suit.
The alternating requirement has a specific consequence: the same rank of two different colours must play to different foundations. A red 5 and a black 5 cannot go to the same foundation — one goes to each of the two colour-appropriate foundations.
Tracking which colour-alternation each foundation is at helps anticipate what the next needed colour is. If both red foundations are waiting for black cards, incoming red cards must be parked in the tableau without overcommitting any column to red.
The two red Ace foundations and two black Ace foundations alternate their colour needs in lockstep. When a red foundation needs a black 6, the other red foundation also needs a black 6. Keep both colour groups advancing at the same pace — a lagging pair stalls the rhythm and creates tableau congestion for one colour.
Nine-column tableau management
The nine-column tableau builds in descending alternating colour — similar to Klondike but across nine columns rather than seven. This larger tableau gives more working space but creates more opportunities for colour-group imbalances to develop.
Effective tableau management in Queen of Italy requires:
- Distributing both colours evenly across column tops. If seven of nine column tops are red, incoming black cards have fewer destinations and black colour-group advancement suffers.
- Preserving at least two or three columns with accessible sequences.Columns that have built long alternating-colour sequences are most valuable for receiving terrace cards. Protect these sequences by not disrupting them for marginal foundation plays.
- Avoiding single-colour column clusters.A cluster of five or six same-colour cards in one column creates a bottleneck: those cards cannot sequence with each other and the column’s alternating structure breaks down. Build columns with genuine alternation from the start.
Terrace release timing
The terrace card is released when a valid destination exists in the tableau (a column top of the correct rank, one higher, in the alternating colour). The question is whether to release it the moment a destination appears, or to wait for a better destination.
Generally, release the terrace card as soon as a destination appears. Waiting costs nothing in most cases — the terrace card stays accessible. However, if releasing the terrace card to a specific column would disrupt that column’s future value as a sequence receiver (the terrace card is a rank that stalls the column’s current direction), finding an alternative destination is worth the effort.
The leftmost terrace card is a black 7. Two column tops can accept it: column three (red 8 on top, long sequence below) and column seven (red 8 on top, just two cards, shallow sequence).
Place the black 7 on column seven. Column three’s long sequence is more valuable — adding the black 7 there extends it one card, but column seven has nothing much to lose. Preserve the longer sequence for future terrace releases and tableau building. Column three’s red 8 top is better served receiving a future black card that continues a sequence already building there.
Stock management
Queen of Italy deals from a stock through a waste pile. Only the waste top is available between draws. In most implementations, redeals are limited (one or two). This makes the stock a valuable but finite supply.
Prioritize stock cards that serve two purposes: advancing a foundation and creating a terrace-card destination. A stock card that simultaneously plays to a foundation (or tableau) and enables a terrace release is the highest-value draw in the game.
When drawing produces a run of cards that are neither foundation-ready nor terrace-enabling, those cards must be placed in the tableau. Distribute them evenly across colour groups to maintain balance. Avoid stacking the same colour in a single column.
Frequently asked questions
How many terrace cards can I see at once?
Only the leftmost uncovered terrace card is visible and accessible. The others remain face-down until each card to their left has been released to the tableau. This makes the terrace a sequential queue, not a selectable reserve.
Is Queen of Italy the same as Terrace Solitaire?
Yes. Queen of Italy and Terrace are two names for the same game, described in various patience books under both names. The rules are identical.
What happens if I cannot release the next terrace card?
If no valid tableau destination exists for the leftmost terrace card, you continue with the stock and tableau moves. The terrace card waits. If the stock is exhausted and no tableau move creates a valid terrace destination, and no other moves are possible, the game is lost.
What win rate should I expect?
Queen of Italy is moderately difficult. The terrace creates uncertainty that standard tableau games do not have. Skilled players win roughly 30 to 50 percent of deals. Deals where the terrace cards happen to match the foundation sequence well early produce much higher win rates than deals where the terrace is misaligned with tableau development.