Forgotten Solitaire — Help & FAQ

See the Games

Grandfather's Clock

The Six Games of Volume I

Congress — a two-deck classic of the 19th-century card rooms. Build all eight foundations from Ace to King while managing eight one-card side piles and a stock with no redeal.

Grandfather's Clock — twelve foundations form a clock face. Build each up in suit until its top card matches its hour: Ace at one o'clock around to Queen at twelve.

Sir Tommy — the oldest patience of all, played since the early 1800s. Draw one card at a time and choose its resting place wisely: foundations build up regardless of suit, and there is no second chance.

Virginia Reel — three rows of foundations climb by threes (2·5·8·J, 3·6·9·Q, 4·7·10·K) in suit. Base cards can swap rows, Aces are dead, and the reserve fills eight at a time.

Royal Cotillion — eight center foundations build up by twos in suit, wrapping past the King. The left wing never refills; the right wing always does. Spend accordingly.

Bisley — one deck, squeezed from both ends: Aces build up while Kings build down, and each suit's two piles must meet in the middle.

How to Play

Tap a card to select it, then tap the pile where it should go.
Double-tap a card to send it straight to a foundation.
Tap the face-down stock to deal.
Undo is unlimited — experiment freely.
Every game has a full illustrated guide: tap the ? button for the objective, the layout, numbered rules, and strategy tips.

The Coach

Stuck? Tap Coach and our resident English gentleman will count the moves available on the board, point at the best one with an arrow, and tell you about it out loud. Tap the play button for "Help Me Play" and he will play the board himself, narrating every move while you watch — the fastest way to learn a new game.

On devices with Apple Intelligence (iPhone 15 Pro and later, and Apple-silicon iPads on iOS 26), the coach's answers and phrasing are generated on your device. On other devices he relies on his own considerable wit. You can also ask him free-form rules questions from any game's help screen.

Saved Games

Games save themselves automatically after every move. Leave any time; your hand will be waiting when you return. Dealing a new game while one is in progress counts the old game as a loss — the coach believes in accountability.

Stats, Winning Days & Achievements

The statistics screen tracks wins, losses, streaks, fastest solves, and fewest moves for each game. Win on every day of the week to light up the Winning Days board — and keep an eye out for surprise days through the year.

Music

Each game has its own original background music. Turn music on or off for all games or per game in Settings.

FAQ

Is there anything to buy inside the app? Any ads?

No. Forgotten Solitaire is a one-time purchase. No advertisements, no subscriptions, no coins, no energy meters. You bought a card table, not a casino.

Does it work offline?

Completely. Nothing in the app requires a network connection.

The coach isn't speaking. Why?

Check Settings → Coach → Spoken hints, your ring/silent switch, and volume. The coach speaks with the system's British voice; downloading an enhanced voice in iOS Settings → Accessibility → Spoken Content makes him sound even more distinguished.

What does Apple Intelligence add?

On supported devices the coach composes his answers with on-device Apple Intelligence. On other devices every feature still works — hints, spoken help, Help Me Play — using the coach's built-in repertoire.

Are these real games?

Every one. All six are documented historical patience games, some dating to the early 1800s — faithfully implemented, including Virginia Reel's swap rule and Grandfather's Clock's wrapping foundations.

Will more games be added?

That is the plan: this is Volume I. Further forgotten games are being dug out of the archives.

I found a bug / I have a suggestion.

Wonderful — write to DavidWRamer@Yahoo.com.