Queen of Italy strategy
Queen of Italy uses two decks. You choose one of four exposed cards to start the first foundation; the other three start tableau columns. Five more stock cards seed columns, leaving one of nine columns empty. Eleven face-up terrace cards form a top-only reserve whose cards may go to foundations only. Foundations build upward in alternating colors from the chosen rank, wrapping after King.
Last updated: September 2026
Choose a base for the visible routes
The chosen rank becomes the base for all eight foundations. The selected card also leaves the opening row, while the other three become tableau starts. Compare which choice lets another exposed base-rank card start a foundation and which leaves an immediately usable opposite-color successor. The terrace top can help only if a foundation is ready for it.
Treat the terrace as a foundation queue
Only the top terrace card is playable, and it cannot move into the tableau. If its rank and color do not fit any foundation, use tableau and waste cards to build the required foundation step. All eleven terrace cards are face-up, but cards beneath the top remain blocked.
A short position
Constructed position: a red Six sits atop one foundation and a black Seven is the terrace top. That Seven may advance the foundation. A red Seven cannot, even if its suit is different: the engine requires the next rank and opposite color, not a matching suit.
Preserve tableau access
Tableau cards build down in alternating colors without wraparound, and an empty column accepts any card. The stock draws one card to waste with no redeal. The Canfield guide explains chosen base ranks; Queen of Italy's color-built foundations and terrace-only foundation access call for a separate plan.