Play Galary Solitaire Online — Gaps Filled From Either Side
Galary is Red Moon with a second way into every gap. The four aces are dealt to the first slot of each row with the gap beside each, and the other forty-eight cards fill the rows from the third slot on. A gap takes the same-suit card one rank higher than the card to its left, or the same-suit card one rank lower than the card to its right. A leftmost gap takes an ace. Two redeals. Win by making every row read ace to king in one suit.
Setup
Shuffle one deck and take out the aces. Place one ace in the first slot of each row, leave the slot beside it empty, and deal the remaining cards face up into the rest of the row. Every row starts with its ace seated and a live gap right next to it.
Rules
- Rows build up in suit from the ace in the first slot to the king.
- A gap takes a card from EITHER side: the card of the same suit one rank higher than the card to its left, or the card of the same suit one rank lower than the card to its right. A gap with a gap on both sides is dead.
- Runs count from the left. A card is safe through a redeal only when it continues its row's run from the first slot; matching the card on its right alone does not seat it.
- A leftmost gap takes an ace, whatever lies to its right.
- The redeal: when no move remains, every card that is not part of its row's run from the first slot is gathered, shuffled and dealt back after the runs, leaving a gap after each run. Two redeals a game.
- Win when all four rows read ace to king in one suit; the last slot of each row stays empty.
Strategy
Filling from the right changes what a dead gap is. A gap after a king still takes nothing from its left, but if the card to its right is, say, the nine of clubs, the eight of clubs may enter from that side. Runs are still judged from the left, so a card placed by its right neighbour is not yet safe; it is a stepping stone.
- Read the runs, not the cards. Every row wants one suit in order from its first slot. Before any move, find the longest run each row already has and work to extend it.
- Never open a dead gap. A gap to the right of a king takes nothing. Moving a card away from beside a king leaves a slot that is lost until the next redeal.
- Prefer the move that creates a live gap. Where a card leaves matters as much as where it lands. Take it from a slot whose left neighbour is a low card with its successor still loose.
- Count the redeals. A redeal keeps the seated runs and reshuffles the rest, with a gap after each run. Seat as much as you can before spending one; what is seated is safe.
- Use the right-hand entry to bridge. Placing a card by its right neighbour lets you build a sequence backwards toward a run and join the two when the missing card arrives.
- Do not shuttle. A card that fits from both sides can move back and forth for ever. Move it only when the move lengthens a run from the left.
- Seat before you redeal. Only cards in sequence from the first slot survive a redeal; a backwards chain that never joined its run is reshuffled.
Where It Sits in the Gaps Family
Galary is the two-sided member of the Blue Moon line on the Gaps engine: Red Moon's deal with a fill rule that reads both neighbours. Free Parking applies the same rule to Montana's board with the aces removed.
Other Games to Try
About This Online Version
Galary 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.