Tri Peaks

Rules and help

Twenty-eight cards are dealt face up in three peaks. The next card starts the waste. The other twenty-three cards are the stock.

How to play

• Layout. Ten cards form the bottom row. Three peaks sit on that row. Each peak is three cards, then two, then one at the top. A card is free when both cards overlapping it are gone. The bottom row starts free.
• Remove. Suit does not matter. Take a free card one rank higher or lower than the waste. An ace meets a two and a king. A king meets a queen and an ace. The card you take becomes the waste.
• Stock. Draw one card when nothing fits. The stock is not turned over again. If it is empty and nothing is one rank away, the deal is stuck.
• Win. Clear the peaks. Cards left in the stock do not matter. Not every deal can be cleared.
• Controls. Tap a fitting card, or drag it onto the waste. Tap the stock to draw. Undo takes back a removal or a draw. Hint marks a card or the stock. Left is cards still in the peaks. Moves counts removals and draws.

Tips

• Free a buried peak card before you run along the bottom row.
• An ace plays on a two or a king, so a king on the waste can still reach an ace.
• Draw when the free cards are stuck. Only the new waste rank matters.
• When two cards fit, take the one that uncovers a card still in a peak.

Playing on a phone or tablet

Tap a free card one rank from the waste, or drag it onto the waste. The stock and the waste sit under the peaks. Swipe the peaks sideways if they are wider than the screen.

Frequently asked questions

Do an ace and a king connect?

Yes. An ace may be removed when the waste is a king, and a king when the waste is an ace. An ace also meets a two, and a king also meets a queen.

Do I have to empty the stock?

No. Clearing the three peaks wins, even when cards remain in the stock.

Can every deal be won?

No. The stock is not turned over again. If nothing is one rank away and the stock is empty, that deal is stuck.