Broken Deck

Goal

Repair every torn card and build all four foundations from Ace through King.

What am I trying to do?

Repair all six damaged cards, then put all 52 whole cards in four suit foundations from Ace to King. The deal begins with 58 pieces: 46 whole cards and 12 halves, all face-up in eight columns. Four free cells provide temporary space. A win needs all six repairs and all foundations. With no legal move a started deal ends unsuccessfully; assisted modes allow Undo recovery. Restart repeats the same layout; numbered deals range from 1 to 1,000.

How do I select and move pieces?

Click, tap, or press Enter on a piece, then choose its destination. Dragging also works. Double-click a fragment to try the Repair Slot; double-click a whole card to try its foundation, then an empty free cell when moving from a column.

How does the Repair Slot work?

Join opposite halves of the same rank and suit. Either half may arrive first. Two matching halves become one whole card and increase the repair count. An empty slot accepts one half; an occupied slot accepts only its matching half. Whole cards cannot enter the slot. Move the repaired card out before starting another repair.

Where can I put a half?

An exposed half can enter an empty free cell or the Repair Slot. From a free cell, a half can move only to the Repair Slot. A waiting half in the slot can move to an empty free cell. For example, park that half, place its match in the slot, then return the parked half.

Why will this half not move onto a column?

Halves cannot enter columns or foundations, or move between free cells. A half blocks any group containing it from moving, and a whole card cannot land on an exposed half. Find and repair its match first.

How do whole cards and foundations work?

A repaired card moves like any whole card: to a legal column, an empty free cell, or its foundation. Columns build down one rank in alternating colors: a black Ace fits on a red 2, or a red 7 on a black 8. Foundations build up within one suit, one card at a time: Ace, 2, 3, through King. A foundation card can return only through Undo. Some practice positions have all six repairs already complete so you can focus on whole cards.

How can empty spaces help?

Each free cell holds one whole card or half, never a stack. Whole cards may move between empty cells and back to legal columns or foundations. Any whole card, at any rank, may enter an empty column; halves may not. Keeping spaces free helps you uncover useful cards.

Why can I not move this whole group?

Every card in a moving group must be whole, descending by one rank, and alternating colors. Capacity is (empty free cells + 1) × 2 for each spare empty column. Exclude an empty destination column. The Repair Slot contributes no capacity. Emptying two occupied Ace cells onto their foundations raises capacity from one to three. One empty cell and one spare empty column allow four cards, including when the group moves to a different empty column.

How do Hint, Undo and automatic finishing work?

Hint suggests a useful move, prioritizing repairs. Undo and Redo preserve exact card halves and repair counts; undoing a repair restores the separate halves. Up to 128 prior boards are retained. Undo reduces displayed moves and increases the undo count. Relaxed and Standard can automatically finish only after all halves are repaired and a complete foundation path is proven.

What changes with difficulty?

Start with Relaxed. Relaxed and Standard use the same card and repair rules and provide Hint, Undo, Redo, destination highlights and safe automatic finishing. Challenge keeps the placement rules but disables those assists, including automatic finishing. Change difficulty in Game Options; it restarts the same deal number. A red 7 still fits on a black 8 in every mode.

What if no moves remain?

A started deal ends unsuccessfully when no legal whole-card or half move remains. Filling the last free cell may block the deck even after all repairs are complete. Undo can recover in assisted modes. Restart repeats the layout; numbered deals run from 1 to 1,000.

Are there points or a time limit?

There is no point target or time limit. Normal play records repairs, moves, time, hints, undos and wins, with best moves and times per difficulty. New Deal chooses another verified layout. Tutorial practice does not enter these records.

How do I finish a game?

Repairing the last King completes the sixth repair. Placing it on its suit’s Queen finishes that foundation. A win requires all six repairs and all four complete Ace-to-King foundations.