Firing Squad Help Contents

The following lists all of the Firing Squad Solitaire Help topics.

How to Play

   Overview

   Playing the Game

   Rules of the Game

   Playing Tips

Commands

   Game Menu Commands

   Game Options

   Rules Options


How to Play

This section contains information on how to play Firing Squad Solitaire.

   Overview

   Playing the Game

   Rules of the Game

   Playing Tips


Overview

Firing Squad is a solitaire game of skill and chance in which four cards at a time are dealt onto the tableau piles.  Cards are discarded from the tableau until only the four Aces remain, all other cards in the deck having been moved to the discard pile.

The game begins with a row four cards being dealt to form the tableau.  Any card that is lower than another card of the same suit may be discarded (Aces are high, Deuces are low).  When no further discard possibilities exist, four more cards are dealt from the stock onto the cards in the tableau.  Only the top card of each pile is available for discarding.  Aces, of course, cannot be discarded.

Any spaces left by discarding an entire pile may be filled by moving the top card from any other pile onto the free space.

You win the game when only the four Aces are left in the tableau, all others having been discarded.

Please note that a mouse or other pointing device is required to play Firing Squad.

Related Topics:

   Playing the Game

   Rules of the Game

   Playing Tips


Playing the Game

The object of Firing Squad is to discard the entire deck, leaving only the four Aces in the tableau.

To Start a New Game:

From the Game menu, choose Deal or press F2.

To Replay the Same Game:

From the Game menu, choose Redeal Same Game or press F3.

To Discard Cards from the Tableau:

Move the cursor over the top card in one of the tableau piles.  Press and hold the left mouse button and drag the card to the discard pile at the left below the stock.  Release the mouse button to place the card onto the pile.

Or...

Double click on the desired card with the mouse. If it is a valid card (i.e. it can be discarded according to the rules), it will be moved to the top of the discard pile

To Move Cards into a Free Space:

Move the cursor over the top card in one of the tableau piles.  Press and hold the left mouse button and drag the card to the free space.  Release the mouse button to place the card into the space.

To Deal Four New Cards from the Stock:

Click the down-turned deck.  The cards will be dealt from left to right onto the tableau.

Related Topics:

   Rules of the Game

   Game Menu Commands

   Game Options


Rules of the Game

Firing Squad Solitaire Rules:

Standard Rules

1.	The game begins with a standard deck shuffled together (no jokers) with the first four cards being dealt to form the tableau.  High cards are Aces, followed by Kings, Queens, etc. down to Deuces.

2.	The top cards of each pile are compared.  Any card that is lower in rank than another card of the same suit may be discarded.  Only the top card of each tableau pile is available for discarding.

3.	When no further discard possibilities exist, four more cards are dealt from the stock onto the remainder of the tableau.

4.	Spaces in the tableau may be filled prior to the next deal by moving the top card from one of the other piles onto the free space; this may open up additional discard possibilities before the next deal.

5.	Since there are no cards higher than Aces, they cannot be discarded.  They can only be moved onto free spaces.

Modified Rules

All items listed under the Standard Rules also apply to the Modified Rules, with the following exception:

Aces, and only Aces, may be moved freely onto cards in any other pile (i.e. not just onto free spaces).  However, an Ace may not be moved onto another Ace.

For information on setting up the game to play using the modified rules, refer to the topic Rules Options.

Winning the Game

You win the game by discarding all cards, with only the four Aces remaining in the tableau.  If you complete a game in record time, you will be prompted for your name and be added to the Best Time list.

Related Topics:

   Playing the Game

   Playing Tips

   Rules Options


Commands

This section contains information about the commands in Firing Squad Solitaire.

   Game Menu Commands

   Game Options

   Rules Options


Game Menu Commands

This section contains information about the Game menu commands in Firing Squad Solitaire.

Deal

Deals a new game of Firing Squad.

Shortcut: F2

Redeal Same Game

Redeals the previously dealt game.  If you think you could have won the last game if you had done something differently, this is a good way to find out.

Shortcut: F3

Deck...

Displays a dialog in which you can select from one of six card back designs.

Shortcut: Ctrl+D

Options...

Displays the Options dialog. For a description of the various options, refer to the topic Game Options.

Shortcut: Ctrl+O

Rules...

Displays the Rules dialog.  Here, you can change between the "Standard" or "Modified" versions of the game rules.  Playing with the "Modified" rules increases your chances of winning without making the game too easy.  For more information, refer to the topic Rules Options.

Shortcut: Ctrl+R

Statistics...

Shows the total number of games played, the number of games won, and your winning percentage.

Shortcut: Ctrl+S

Best Time...

Displays the name of the player who completed the fastest game as well as his/her time.

Shortcut: Ctrl+B

Exit

Exits Firing Squad Solitaire.  You can exit at any time, even in the middle of a game.

Shortcut: Alt+F4

Related Topics:

   Overview

   Game Options

   Rules Options


Game Options

To select the game options, choose Options... from the Game menu.  In the Options dialog, you can select the following options:

Card Animation

If you wish to have the cards animated on the screen, choose On.  Choose Off to have the cards simply appear at their destination when clicked.

3D Dialog Boxes

If you wish to have the dialog boxes and message boxes in the game displayed with a three dimensional effect, select this check box.  If unchecked, all dialogs and message boxes will be displayed in the standard Windows appearance.

Note: This check box is disabled if you are running Windows 95 or higher, since a three dimensional interface is a standard part of the system.

Related Topics:

   Game Menu Commands


Rules Options

To select the rules options, choose Rules... from the Game menu.  The Rules dialog allows you to change the rules of the game.  You can choose from the following options:

Standard Rules

Sets up the game to play by the standard Firing Squad rules.  This is the default setting.

Modified Rules

Selecting this option will allow you to play using the Modified Rules.  This increases your chances for a win, but the game still remains challenging.  If you get a bit frustrated with the standard rules, try playing with this option.  For an explanation of the differences between the Standard and Modified rules, refer to the topic Rules of the Game.

Related Topics:

   Game Menu Commands

   Rules of the Game


Playing Tips

Here are a few tips to help you play Firing Squad successfully (these apply mainly to the standard rules).

1.	Take advantage of free spaces to uncover high cards that are buried beneath lower cards.

2.	Avoid the temptation of automatically moving cards into free spaces.  Do so if you know that the card you put there can be immediately discarded.  It is often better to leave a space or two free to provide a means to uncover high cards, but sometimes you may not have a choice.

3.	If an Ace covers another card, try to leave a pile that could possibly be cleared away by further deals to allow the Ace to be moved off of the card. Otherwise, you will have no way of getting at the trapped card.

4.	If all four Aces are spread evenly across all four piles, and one or more Aces are covering another card, the game is lost.  If you find yourself in this situation, just deal a new game. (This does not apply if you are playing using the modified rules).

Related Topics:

   Rules of the Game


Stock

The pile from which the cards are dealt.


Rank

The numerical value of a card.


Tableau

The layout from which the cards are played.  In Firing Squad, the tableau consists of a row of four piles.