Solitaire Forever II icon   Solitaire Forever II logo         SF2 on Facebook SF2 Platforms  
  Home  |  Download  |  Games  |  Features  |  Gallery Support  

Backbone solitaire rules (2 separated card decks)<< Australian Patience | Backbone (Relaxed) >>

Goal: Move out the aces when you can and build them up to king in the same suit.

A 'backbone' is dealt into 2 columns of 10 cards each, with the tops of the cards tilted outward. A card is placed across both ends as the 'tailbone' (coccyx). Exposed cards are available for play; just the tailbone at first, then the 2 end cards of the backbone.

Any aces that come up during the deal are moved out and replaced by another card. If the tailbone is a king, it is replaced by another card.

8 'rib' cards are dealt, 4 along each side of the backbone. Build the ribs down in the same suit. Only the top card of a pile may be moved. Empty spaces are filled from the waste pile or deck.

Turn over 1 card at a time from the deck, playing the top card if you can. 1 redeal is allowed, returning the waste pile back to the deck.



Variations: Backbone (Relaxed)

This interesting layout is similar to Wheat-Ear, but also builds on the side piles, like in Plait.

This follows the rules as described by Miss Whitmore Jones and Basil Dalton. David Parlett's 'relaxed' variation deals 2 more cards to the backbone, and allows it to fill spaces in the ribs.

Rules source: Games of Patience - 1st Series, Miss Whitmore Jones ~ The Complete Patience Book, Basil Dalton ~ Patience Games, D. B. Pritchard ~ SolSuite Solitaire, TreeCardGames

Backbone solitaire
This is one of 5 layouts for Backbone in Solitaire Forever II.


Back to top