Two foundation types, one priority order — feed the center and the corners follow.
Windmill uses two decks and two kinds of foundations that interact constantly. The center King pile builds downward from King through Ace, repeatedly — it ultimately accepts 52 cards. The four corner Ace piles each build upward by suit to King. Managing the interplay between these is the game’s defining challenge.
Last updated: June 2026
The cross layout and its two foundation types
Windmill (also known as Propeller) is a two-deck patience game played with 104 cards. The opening deal places one King in the center of a cross-shaped layout, four Aces at the four compass positions (corner foundations), and eight cards face-up in the eight blade positions of the windmill (two in each blade extending from each corner foundation).
The two foundation types serve opposite purposes:
- Center King foundation— builds down from King, wrapping from Ace back to King as needed, accepting any suit. This pile ultimately accepts all 52 cards from both decks that do not go to corner foundations — that’s a target depth of 52 cards. Each wrap cycle (K down to A) covers 13 cards, so four complete cycles fill it.
- Corner Ace foundations (×4) — each builds up by suit from Ace to King. Four foundations, four suits, 13 cards each, totaling 52. These function like standard patience foundations.
The total card destination: 52 to center + 52 to corners = 104 cards from both decks.
Priority: center always leads
The defining strategic principle of Windmill is that the center foundation should be fed before the corner foundations whenever there is a choice. This is because the center accepts any card of the correct rank (regardless of suit), making it far more flexible than the suit-specific corner foundations. Feeding the center also clears blade positions, which opens the reserve slots that unlock the mid-game.
The opposite — advancing corner foundations while neglecting the center — leads to a specific failure mode: the center stalls when the next needed rank is buried under corner foundation candidates in the blade positions. Since corner foundations are suit-specific, one suit’s cards advance the center and block another suit’s corner, or vice versa.
When a card could go to either the center foundation (correct rank, wrong suit for corners) or a corner foundation (correct suit and rank), choose the center. The corner foundations will fill themselves as cards arrive in suit order; the center needs active feeding because it spans all suits.
Reserve management: blade positions as tempo resources
The eight blade positions surrounding the center hold face-up cards available to play to either foundation type. These are the game’s primary resource between stock draws. Managing them well means understanding their dual role: they are both storage and supply.
As a storage resource, blade positions hold cards that are not yet playable, preventing them from being buried in the waste pile. Filling a blade position with a card that has no near-term destination wastes a slot that might be needed for a more urgent card.
As a supply resource, blade positions give instant access to eight different cards — much faster than digging through the stock. When a foundation advances, the matching card in a blade position plays immediately without consuming a stock draw.
Filling blade positions strategically
When you draw a card from stock that has no immediate foundation destination, evaluate which blade position to place it in. Prefer placing it where it covers a card that has already played (an empty position) rather than stacking on an active card. Each blade position holds only one face-up card; stacking is not possible. The choice of which open blade to use is a choice of which card remains visible.
Navigating the King-to-Ace wraparound
The center foundation’s wrapping mechanic is its most unusual feature. After all thirteen ranks (K down to A) have been played, the next card played is another King of any suit — and the cycle repeats. With two decks, each rank appears eight times (four per deck, two decks). The center foundation needs one of each rank twice per cycle, for four complete cycles totaling 52 cards.
The wraparound creates a timing danger: when the center foundation approaches Ace (the bottom of its current cycle), the next card it needs is a King. If all eight Kings have already been diverted to corner foundations or are buried in the stock, the center stalls at Ace with no continuation.
Track Kings carefully throughout the game. Keep at least two Kings accessible (in blade positions or waste pile top) whenever the center foundation is within three ranks of Ace. Kings that play to corner foundations prematurely cost the center its restart cards.
The center foundation is at 3 (recently wrapped through Ace). The corner foundation for clubs is at Queen and a King of clubs sits in a blade position. The center foundation needs 2, then A, then another King to continue.
Do not immediately play the King of clubs to the corner foundation to complete it. First confirm that another King is visible somewhere — in a different blade position or on the waste pile top. If no other King is visible and the stock is running low, hold the King of clubs for the center wrap. A completed clubs corner foundation is worthless if the center foundation stalls for lack of a King three steps later.
Stock and waste timing
Windmill is typically played with a single pass through the stock, turning cards one at a time onto a single waste pile. Only the waste pile’s top card is available between stock draws. This means cards buried in the waste pile are unavailable until everything above them has been played.
The practical implication: do not waste blade position space on cards that just arrived from stock and can play to a foundation on the next draw. Feed the foundations directly from stock when possible; use blade positions for cards that need to wait for the correct foundation rank to arrive.
When the stock is exhausted, the waste pile can typically be turned over for a second pass (depending on the variant rules). Plan card placement with the second pass in mind: if a needed card is in the waste pile, it will arrive in the second pass in the same order it was placed. Burying a needed card deep in the first pass means it arrives late in the second pass, when blade positions may already be full.
Frequently asked questions
Can any suit go to the center foundation?
Yes. The center foundation is suit-independent — it accepts any card of the correct rank. The rank sequence runs K–Q–J–10–9–8–7–6–5–4–3–2–A, then K again, repeating four times total.
What happens when a corner foundation is completed?
A completed corner foundation (Ace through King in suit) stays in place. Its blade position does not become available; the foundation pile itself remains as a reference. Completing a corner foundation eliminates thirteen future placement decisions — those suit cards no longer need managing.
Is Windmill easier or harder than standard two-deck games?
Windmill is moderately difficult among two-deck patience games. The center foundation’s flexibility (any suit) makes it easier to advance than in strictly suit-specific games like Crescent. The challenge comes from managing both foundation types simultaneously and protecting the wraparound Kings. Win rates for skilled play are typically 40 to 60 percent.
How do I handle a stalled center foundation?
If the center foundation needs a rank that is not in any blade position and not on the waste pile top, draw from stock until it appears. If the stock is exhausted, check whether any blade position holds the needed card. If the card is buried in the waste pile, the position may be unwinnable — the card will arrive in the second pass (if allowed) only after everything above it in the waste pile has been played.