Play Clover Leaf Solitaire Online — Fan With Split Foundations

Clover Leaf is a one-deck Fan game with its foundations pointed in two directions. The two black aces and the two red kings start on the foundations; the other forty-eight cards are dealt face up into sixteen fans of three. Fans build up or down in suit one card at a time. Clubs and spades are banked up from the ace; hearts and diamonds down from the king. An empty fan takes an ace or a king. There is no stock and no redeal. Bank all 52 cards to win.

Setup

Take the ace of clubs, the ace of spades, the king of hearts and the king of diamonds out of the deck and place them on the four foundations. Shuffle the rest and deal three cards face up to each of sixteen fans, spread so every card shows.

Rules

• Black foundations (clubs, spades) build up in suit from the ace to the king.
• Red foundations (hearts, diamonds) build down in suit from the king to the ace. Neither turns the corner.
• Fans build up or down in suit, one rank at a time, no wrapping.
• Only the exposed card of a fan is in play: the last card dealt to it, on top of the spread.
• One card at a time. A sequence never moves as a unit.
• An empty fan takes an ace or a king and nothing else.
• No redeal. The game ends when no move remains.
• Win when all four foundations are complete.

Strategy

Half the deck is wanted from the top and half from the bottom. The black suits need their twos next, the red suits their queens. That asymmetry decides which fans to open first: a black two or a red queen under two other cards is the most valuable buried card on the board.

• Chase the second card of each suit. The two of clubs, two of spades, queen of hearts and queen of diamonds each unlock a run of banking. Dig for them before anything else.
• Keep the rest of the suit's start in reach. A red ace is the last card its foundation wants; a black king likewise. Do not bury them deeper, but do not spend moves rescuing them either.
• Spaces are for the extremes. Only an ace or a king may fill an empty fan. A black king or a red ace that is in the way can be parked in a space and left there — it is the last card its foundation needs, so it does no harm sitting alone.
• Build to expose. Up-or-down building is reversible, so a build that uncovers a bankable card costs nothing even if you move the card back later. A build that uncovers nothing is a wasted turn.
• Read the fans by suit. With sixteen fans it is easy to miss a host. Before you decide you are stuck, check every exposed card of the suit you are working for a neighbour one rank away.
• Leave single cards as hosts. A one-card fan can take a card above or below it; an empty fan takes only an ace or a king.

Where It Sits in the Fan Family

Clover Leaf is the Fan line with foundations running both ways on a single deck. Alexander the Great is the same game dealt into twelve fans of four; House on the Hill takes the same split to two decks.

Other Games to Try

• Alexander the Great — Clover Leaf in twelve fans of four
• House on the Hill — two decks, one pile per suit each way
• Trefoil — all four aces up, down in suit, two reshuffles
• Shamrocks — up or down in any suit, fans capped at three

About This Online Version

Clover Leaf runs in your browser — free, no download, no sign-up. Install it as an app on your phone or computer and it works offline. You get unlimited undo, a hint button that names a legal move, statistics that track your wins and times, and seeded deals: every game has a seed you can replay, so a board you enjoyed (or lost) can be played again exactly.