cardgamerulesGOOD GAMES START HERE. THIRTEEN COLUMNS. NO SECOND CHANCES.Baker’s Dozen deals the entire pack into thirteen columns of four. Kings begin underneath the other cards in their columns. Build down by rank regardless of suit, move exposed singles to four same-suit foundations, and remember the restriction that shapes every choice: an emptied column cannot be filled again.
Only exposed end cards move. Select a card, then a column heading or foundation. In Aces Up, use Discard selected card. Wide boards scroll inside this frame.
Learn rank-only joins, exposed single-card moves, closed empty columns and foundations in four short lessons. Then try a full thirteen-column shuffle.
Four lessons · One full packReplace this position and start the selected mode?
Baker’s Dozen deals the entire pack into thirteen columns of four. Kings begin underneath the other cards in their columns. Build down by rank regardless of suit, move exposed singles to four same-suit foundations, and remember the restriction that shapes every choice: an emptied column cannot be filled again.
See the key move ↓Four open cards each; move each pile’s kings underneath its other cards.
Build down one rank without suit or colour restrictions.
An empty column cannot be refilled; send singles home by suit.
Build down one rank, any suit. Exposed singles only. Empty columns stay empty. Foundations build ace to king in suit, with no returns.
Shuffle one standard pack and deal thirteen face-up columns of four cards. Within each column, relocate any kings to the bottom, underneath its non-kings. Keep the other cards in their existing relative order.
All fifty-two cards begin in the tableau, with four empty foundation spaces. There is no stock, waste, hidden card or free cell. Several kings may be buried together in one column.
Only a column’s exposed end card is available. Move it onto the exposed card of another column exactly one rank higher. A seven of hearts can join an eight of spades, hearts, clubs or diamonds.
Move singles, not a whole descending run. You cannot select a covered leader and take its tail. There is no king-to-ace wrap, so kings cannot join occupied columns.
An empty column cannot be filled, even with a king. This is a central Baker’s Dozen restriction, unlike many familiar solitaire games. Moving its final card removes that column as a future destination.
An available move is not automatically a useful move. Consider whether closing a column will reduce your ability to rearrange the remaining exposed ranks. Undo lets you explore the effect without losing the original shuffle.
An exposed ace starts an empty foundation. Continue with two, three and the remaining ranks of the same suit through king. A two of spades cannot follow an ace of hearts.
Only a single exposed card moves home. Foundation cards do not return to the tableau at this table; Undo can reverse an earlier decision. Building the tableau ignores suit, but foundations always follow suit.
Win when every card is on a foundation. Merely uncovering every card or arranging long descending sequences does not complete the game. There are no stock draws to rescue a blocked layout.
If the full deal has no legal forward action, it is marked blocked. Use Undo, restart the same deal or choose a new shuffle. Random deals are not pre-checked for solvability.
Baker’s Dozen differs from Baker’s Game, which uses cells and same-suit tableau building. It also differs from variants that permit kings or other ranks to refill empty columns. Those easier gap rules are not used here.
The practice table implements exposed single-card moves throughout, with no automatic group shortcut. Hints show a legal option rather than a complete solution, and the original shuffle is available through Restart deal.
Reference: eSolutions’ Baker’s Dozen rules. This wording, lesson positions and implementation are original.
Print the Baker’s Dozen Solitaire reference or save it as a PDF from your browser’s print window.
The aim: move all fifty-two cards to four same-suit ace-to-king foundations.
Random deals are not pre-checked for solvability. The rules above state this table’s conventions.
LEARN IT. DEAL IT. ENJOY IT. ♣A baker’s dozen means thirteen; the pack is divided into thirteen four-card columns.
Underneath the other cards in their own dealt columns.
No. Any suit can join the next higher exposed rank.
No. This table uses exposed singles only.
No. No card may refill an empty column.
No. The entire pack is dealt at the start.
No at this table. Undo can reverse a previous move.
Shuffles are random and are not checked for solvability.