It is easy to dismiss solitaire as a game for killing time while waiting for a bus. But some variants demand you actually engage your brain. One such game is famous for the empty spaces that define its entire structure. The name itself describes the layout: Gaps Solitaire. Once you start moving cards, the board fills up with holes. If you can’t see the strategy, those holes will block your path to victory. Here is how to win.
The Objective and Setup
You are using a standard 52-card deck. The goal sounds simple enough. Build four rows. Each row must be twelve cards long. They need to follow a single suit. The sequence runs from two all the way up to king.
Start by dealing the entire deck into four rows. Each row gets thirteen cards. Then, hunt for the four aces. Pull them out of the layout. Set them aside. Do not touch them again until the very end of the deal cycle.
How to Play
The rules for movement are specific. You fill an empty space with the next higher rank of card found to its immediate left. Let’s say you have a ten. If there is a gap to its right, you can move the jack into that hole. The jack comes from wherever it was sitting on the board. This creates a new empty space exactly where the jack used to be.
There are strict rules for the edges of the board. You can place any deuce (a two) into an empty space at the far left of a row. This starts a new sequence. However, you cannot fill a space that sits directly behind a king. A king blocks the path. That is, unless you move the king behind its proper queen. Then the space opens up.
If you hit a wall and all four gaps sit behind kings, you are stuck. Gather up every card in the layout that isn’t in the correct sequence behind the deuces. Shuffle these cards. Add the four aces back into the deck. Deal them out again to refill the four rows. Remove the aces once more.
You get two re-deals per game. If the second re-deal also stalls you, the game is over. You lose.
Strategy Tips
Most games start with three or four possible moves once you remove the aces. These initial moves trigger a chain reaction. But some paths lead to dead ends. You might create a useless space behind a king early on. Avoid those traps.
The game is confusing at first. Try to visualize the moves ahead of time. Pick a card you want to move. Work backward. See what other cards need to shift to make that move possible. It helps to look at the whole board, not just the immediate neighbors.
Common Variations
Some players handle the re-deals differently. They omit the aces entirely. When a row is complete, they leave a gap in that row behind the last correctly positioned card. If a row hasn’t started yet, leave a gap at the far left for the deuce. This changes the rhythm of the game significantly.
Card Terminology
If you are new to card games, here is a quick glossary for terms used above.
- Deal: The act of distributing cards to players. Also refers to the period of play between one deal and the next.
- Deuce: Another name for a two. Sometimes called a two-spot.
- Sequence: Two or more cards in consecutive numerical order.
For a complete list of card terms, check a standard glossary. The basics are enough to start playing.
