Beleaguered Castle is a one-player card game played with a single 52-card deck. Every card sits face-up from the deal, so nothing is hidden. That makes it a favourite for players who enjoy FreeCell. The game is also called Sham Battle solitaire.

Setup and Layout

Remove the four Aces from the deck and place them in a vertical column in the middle of your playing area. These are your building stacks. Deal the remaining 48 cards face-up into eight rows of six cards each. Put four rows on the left of the Ace column and four rows on the right. Every card is visible. You can plan every move before you touch the first one.

Basic Rules

Move all cards onto the four Aces. Each stack builds up by suit, from Ace to King. On the Ace of Spades you place the 2 of Spades, then the 3, all the way to the King.

On the rows, cards move under three conditions:

  • Only the outer card of each row can be moved. The outer card is the one farthest from the Ace column.
  • Cards on the rows build down by one rank, regardless of suit. A 7 goes on an 8, a Jack on a Queen, a 2 on a 3. Suit doesn't matter.
  • Move one card at a time. You cannot move a sequence.
  • An empty row may be filled with any card from any other row. This is the rule that frees stuck cards.

Building the Stacks

Each Ace starts a stack in the centre column. Add cards of the same suit in ascending order: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King. Once a King lands, that suit is complete.

Move a card from a row directly onto its stack the moment it is the next rank in that suit. If the Hearts stack shows the Ace, take the 2 of Hearts from any row and place it. Moving a card from one stack to another follows the same ascending-suit rule, though you will rarely need to do it.

Strategy

Winning requires planning. Every card is visible, so the only obstacle is the order you choose.

Empty Rows Are Your Strongest Tool

When a row empties, place any card from any other row into that space. This lets you rearrange cards to expose buried ones or build sequences. Create an empty row early. Then create a second one.

Build Down Aggressively

Suits do not matter on the rows, so you have options. To free a card needed for a stack, move the card covering it onto another row by building down. If the 5 of Clubs is blocked, find the card sitting on it a new home on any row.

Feed the Stacks First

Whenever a card can move to a stack, move it. Every card removed from the rows opens new possibilities. Clear the rows early and the endgame solves itself.

Plan Several Moves Ahead

Look at the cards buried deep in the rows. Work out what must happen to expose each one. Often you need a chain of four or five moves before the card you want becomes free. Map that chain before you touch anything.

Common Mistakes

New players hit the same walls. Avoid these:

  • Filling an empty row too quickly. An empty row is the most valuable asset on the table. Do not fill it with a random card unless that move directly unlocks a stack play.
  • Ignoring the stacks. Check every stack before making any row move. A playable card left sitting on a row is a wasted turn.
  • Forgetting the empty-row rule. Any card fills an empty row. No rank or suit restriction applies. Use that freedom.
  • Running out of moves. If you cannot move to a stack and cannot build down on the rows, the game is lost. Keep at least two options open at all times.

How it Compares to Other Solitaires

Beleaguered Castle is an open-information game, like FreeCell. Both show every card from the start and both build stacks ascending by suit. The difference is the layout. Beleaguered Castle uses one deck in fixed rows. FreeCell uses a different grid. Players who like FreeCell find this game a sharp, simple alternative. The rules are fewer but the depth is real.

Castle solitaire variants share the rule of building down regardless of suit. Sham Battle uses the same ruleset, though some versions tweak the row arrangement slightly.

Playing Online

You can play Beleaguered Castle on sites that host free solitaire games. One option runs the game alongside Klondike, Spider, FreeCell, Yukon, and Scorpion. No download or signup is needed, and the game is available around the clock. The rules on that site match the ones described here.