La Belle Lucie Solitaire

La Belle Lucie (also known as The Fan) is one of the most elegant patience card games. All 52 cards are dealt face-up into 18 fans — 17 fans of 3 cards and 1 fan of 1 card. Build foundations up by suit from Ace to King, stacking tableau cards in descending same-suit order. With only 2 shuffled redeals and the special Merci rule, every move demands careful planning.

How La Belle Lucie Works

Deal all 52 cards face-up into 18 fans. Only the top card of each fan can be moved. Stack on the tableau in descending same-suit order — place a 5♠ on a 6♠. Empty fans cannot be filled. When stuck, use one of your 2 redeals to gather, shuffle, and re-deal all remaining tableau cards into fresh fans of 3. After the final redeal, the Merci lets you rescue one buried card.

The Merci Rule

After using both redeals (on the third deal), you gain a one-time privilege: draw any single buried card from any fan and play it to a valid destination. This powerful move can rescue a trapped Ace or unblock a critical sequence. Use it wisely — you only get one Merci per game.

Learn More

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