Play Ripple Fan Solitaire Online — Cruel With a Thirteenth Column

Ripple Fan is Cruel with two changes: the aces are not founded — all fifty-two cards are dealt — and there is a thirteenth column to hold them. Thirteen columns of four are dealt face up; columns build down in suit; a packed run in suit moves as a unit; an empty column takes nothing. When stuck, the columns are gathered and redealt four to a column without shuffling, as often as you like. Bank all 52 to win.

Setup

Shuffle one deck and deal all fifty-two cards face up into thirteen columns of four. The four foundations start empty. There is no stock; the redeal pile shows the unlimited redeals.

Rules

• Foundations build up in suit from the ace, which must be found and banked first.
• Tableau builds down in suit.
• Runs travel: a packed run in suit moves as a unit.
• Spaces take nothing.
• The redeal: when you are stuck, click the redeal pile. The columns are gathered in order, the first column's cards first, and dealt back four to a column without shuffling; columns at the end may be left empty.
• Redeals are unlimited. The game is over only when no move remains and a redeal would reproduce the board.
• Win when all four foundations are complete.

Strategy

The buried aces are the opening problem: nothing banks until an ace surfaces, so the first redeals are about bringing aces and twos to the tops. After that it is Cruel's arithmetic with one more column, which makes each redeal shift the cards a little less.

• Find the aces first. Move runs to expose them; a redeal that brings an ace to a top is worth more than any build.
• Bank everything that will go. A banked card leaves the cycle and changes every redeal after it.
• Unbalance before you redeal. Thirteen columns of four come back unchanged. A five and a three shift every card after them by one.
• Count in fours. The next deal is knowable: walk the columns in order and count off fours to see the coming tops.
• Keep runs in suit long. A long run moves as one and banks in order once its ace is up.
• Watch the last column. Cards at the end of the packet land in the thirteenth column or fall off into empty ones; an empty column at the end changes the count.

Where It Sits in the Castle Family

Ripple Fan is Cruel's easier cousin — one more column, and the aces buried instead of founded — on the same gather-and-redeal the castle engine took for the Cruel line. Relaxed Cruel is Cruel with runs; Indefatigable and Perseverance cap the redeals at two.

Other Games to Try

• Cruel — twelve columns, the aces founded
• Relaxed Cruel — Cruel with runs
• Perseverance — kings buried, two redeals in reverse
• Baker's Dozen — thirteen columns with no redeal

About This Version

Ripple Fan 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.