This is an original game, very similar to Monte Carlo, though the strategy is a bit different. It is a member of the "Simple Addition" family of solitaire games.

Since the tableau consolidates itself after each move, it requires a good deal of foresight to visualize how the layout will change as the game progresses.

Setup

The layout is four rows of five cards each, and the object is to discard pairs of cards that total sixteen (except for aces and twos, which are discarded in pairs -- that is, one ace and one two). In addition to adding up to sixteen (or three), the two cards must also be adjacent, either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

When a pair has been removed, the layout is immediately consolidated by shifting cards to the left and up to fill the empty spaces. Two new cards are then drawn to fill the spaces at the lower right of the layout.

These are the valid moves:

The game is won if you discard all the cards.

Strategy

The key to winning is to try and "line up" a number of pairs at the top of the layout, then watch out for criss-cross blocks.

Odds

Your chances of winning are about one out of every two games. Here are my current statistics:

• Games Played: 36
• Games Won: 20 (55.56%)
• Average Score: 44.30

The rules to this game are copyright Randy Rasa, and neither the rules nor the game they describe may be reproduced without written permission.