Play Martha Solitaire Online - Twelve Short Columns

Martha is a friendly one-deck patience. The four aces are already on the foundations when you start. The other 48 cards sit in twelve short columns. Half of them lie face down, so there is something to uncover, but never very much. Games are short and most of them can be won.

How to Play Martha Solitaire

Goal: move all 52 cards to the four foundations, Ace up to King in each suit.

The Deal

• Foundations: the four aces start there, one per suit.
• Tableau: twelve columns of four cards each. That is 48 cards.
• Face down and face up: the cards alternate. In each column the first and third cards lie face down. The second and fourth lie face up.
• No stock: there is no pile to draw from and no waste. Everything is on the table.

Rules of Play

• Foundations build up in suit, from the Ace to the King. There is no wrap.
• The tableau builds down in alternating colours. Red goes on black, black goes on red.
• Move one card at a time. Runs never travel as a group.
• An empty column takes any single card.
• A face-down card turns over as soon as the card above it leaves.
• Cards never come back off a foundation.
• There is no redeal, because there is nothing to deal.

Strategy Tips

• Turn the face-down cards early. Each column hides two. Every one you flip adds a card you can use.
• Work the short columns. A column with one card left is nearly a space. Spaces are the strongest thing you own.
• Hold the middle ranks. Sixes through nines link runs together. Send them up too soon and the tableau seizes up.
• Send low cards up. Twos and threes do little work on the table.
• Use a space as a workbench. Park a blocking card there, free the card underneath, then rebuild.
• Look before you fill. An empty column takes any card, so the choice is yours. Spend it well.
• Count what is left. Only 24 cards start face down. Track them and the endgame plans itself.

Martha and Klondike Side by Side

Feature	Klondike	Martha
Tableau columns	7, of uneven height	12, all four cards deep
Aces	You must find them	Already on the foundations
Stock	24 cards to draw	None at all
Group moves	Runs move together	One card at a time
Empty column	Kings only	Any card

Working With Spaces

Martha gives you twelve columns and only four cards in each. Columns empty faster here than in most games. That is the heart of the game.

An empty column accepts any card. Use one to lift a card that blocks a face-down card. Move the blocker across, flip what was hidden, then decide where both cards belong. Try not to fill your last space with a King unless you have a reason. A King in a space cannot be built on from below.

When to Send Cards Up

Foundation moves are one way only. A card you send up is gone from the table. So think twice about the middle ranks.

• Send up at once: twos and threes.
• Hold back a while: sixes, sevens, eights and nines.
• Send up freely near the end: anything, once the face-down cards are gone.

Common Mistakes

• Rushing every card to a foundation. You lose the cards that hold runs together.
• Filling a space without a plan. A space is worth more than most cards.
• Ignoring a column that is nearly clear. One more move often makes a space.
• Building a long run you cannot move. Runs travel one card at a time here.

Who Will Enjoy Martha

• Players who like an open board with few surprises.
• Anyone who finds Klondike's stock frustrating.
• Players who want a short game with real decisions.
• Newcomers moving on from their first patience game.

Questions Players Ask

Do I build by colour or by suit?

By alternating colour. A red card goes on a black card, and a black card goes on a red one. Suit does not matter in the tableau.

Can I move a run of cards together?

No. Martha moves one card at a time. To shift a run, move it card by card, using spaces to hold the pieces.

Where is the stock pile?

There is none. Martha deals every card at the start. What you see is the whole game.

What can go in an empty column?

Any single card. Kings are not special here.

Do the foundations wrap past the King?

No. Each foundation runs Ace to King and then it is finished.

Why are some cards face down?

The deal alternates them. Each column hides two cards. They turn over on their own as you clear the cards above.

Can I get stuck?

Yes. There is no stock and no redeal, so a deal can run out. The game ends the deal once it can prove that no run of moves can put another card on a foundation - which can happen while cards are still legal to shuffle. The proof is a search with a budget, so on a tangled board the message can arrive a few moves after the deal really died. Undo to try another line.

Deal a hand of Martha and clear the table.