Gaps Solitaire

Game Description: Build the four suits from 2 to King, left to right, using the fewest moves possible.

How to Play Gaps Solitaire:

• Gaps Solitaire is a card game played with a standard 52 card deck, minus the four aces.
• All cards are dealt face up in a grid of 4 rows and 13 columns. Where the four aces would go are four blank spaces called gaps; hence the name Gaps Solitaire.
• When there is a gap to the right of a card, you can move the card that is the same suit and one rank higher. For instance, if a gap is to the right of the seven of spades you may move the eight of spades into that gap. (The easiest way to do this is to place your mouse pointer on the gap. As you do, the card that is eligible to be moved into the gap will be highlighted and grow bigger. To make the move, click the gap and the move will automatically take place.)
• When the gap is at the leftmost column, you can move any 2 to fill the gap. (You must drag a 2 with your mouse).
• When all four gaps are to the right of kings, then you can no longer move (because there are no cards ranked higher than a king) and you need to press the shuffle button to shuffle the cards that are not in order.
• Your score is displayed at the upper left corner of the game screen.
• You begin Gaps Solitare with 60,000 points.
• You lose 100 points each time you move a card into a gap.
• You lose 10,000 points each time you click the shuffle button.
• Your goal is to win the game and get the highest score you possibly can.
• The game ends when you get all four suits built from left to right, from 2 to King.

Gaps Solitaire Game Options: The game options may be accessed by clicking the object that sort of looks like a gear shaft; located just to the right of the question mark near the upper right corner of the game. The game options are as follows:

• The game sounds (which are minimal anyway) may be adjusted from high to low.
• The music volume may be adjusted from high to low. (Personally, I like to play with the music turned all the way down).
• The game may be played in full screen mode (a very nice feature to make the cards nice and big).

Gaps Solitaire Playing Tips: Since moving a card into a gap only costs you 100 points, but shuffling the cards costs you a whopping 10,000 points, obviously you want to keep the shuffles down to a minimum. You will need to shuffle when all four gaps are to the right of the kings. So, your strategy should be to prevent gaps to the right of the kings. Here are a few tips to help you out.

• Try not to move any card that is directly to the right of a king. (As you move that card, this opens up a new gap directly to the right of the king, which limits further moves and brings you that much closer to a shuffle). You may eventually have to make that move, but delay it as long as possible. Other moves may open up.
• Similarly, try not to move a king to the left of an existing gap. Try to make other moves first.

Richard's Rating: 3 out of 5.

Comments: Gaps Solitaire is a fun game of strategy. The cards are nice and big, and easy to see. (You can turn full screen mode on, which makes the cards even larger!) I especially like the feature, where when you place your mouse over a gap, the eligible card that may be moved is highlighted and grows bigger. This makes it so much easier, rather than having to look for each card. If you like solitaire games, you should enjoy playing Gaps Solitaire.

Other Games: If you enjoy playing Gaps Solitaire, you might also want to play Addiction Solitaire. Addiction Solitaire is very similar to Gaps Solitaire but with a few key differences. The scoring for Addiction Solitaire is different. And with Addiction Solitaire, you have a 10 minute time limit and are only allowed 3 reshuffles.

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