Play Malmaison Solitaire

About Malmaison Solitaire

Screen shot of the game Malmaison from Pretty Good Solitaire.

Warning! - Pretty Good Solitaire may be addictive. We are not responsible for lost productivity, neglected spouses, children, or pets. We are not responsible for lost sleep because you stay up to play "just one more game".

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Malmaison is a four deck version Forty Thieves type game. It is a four deck version of the game Josephine.

How to Play

There are ten tableau piles. At the start of the game, eight cards are dealt face up to each of the ten piles. The remainder of the cards are dealt to a stock, which will be turned over one card at a time to a waste pile.

In the tableau, building is down by suit. Groups of cards may be moved as a unit if they are in sequence down by suit. Empty spaces can be filled by any card.

The object is to free the Aces to start 16 foundation piles, built up in suit from Ace to King. The game is won when all the cards are moved to the foundations.

Malmaison is a very difficult game to win, in fact it is the 2nd most difficult game to win in Pretty Good Solitaire according to the online statistics - it is won only 0.1% of the time.

Because it is so difficult, there are a couple of easier variations. Rueil is Malmaison with one redeal, which makes the game somewhat easier, and Bonmaison is Malmaison with two redeals, which makes it much easier.