If two top cards on the table are in the same suit, you may remove the lowest one. Any card may be played to an empty space. When you can't remove more cards (or just don't want to) you may put four more cards on the table, one of each pile. The goal is to end the game with only the four aces on the table.
>Topic<General comments
Usually, this game seems very appropriately named: you just flip cards and remove the few you can, which is too often fewer than what you need. You will rarely win this game.
However, this is a game that improves a lot by using multi-step undo/redo. Not only will it increase your chance to win, but it also makes the game a lot more interesting. So, this is a game where you should not consider undoing moves to be cheating!
This game is also known as Aces High or Aces Up.
>Topic<Rules
The table consists of four piles (initially empty).
Each time you click on the deck, four cards are dealt, one to each pile.
When two top cards are of the same color, you may discard the lower one. You do that by double-clicking or dragging it to the higher one.
You may play any free card on an empty space.
If you can discard all cards except the four aces, you have won the game.
>Topic<Strategy
The important moment in this game is when you have a free space. What card should go on it? When you allow yourself to backtrack with multiple undo's, you can sometimes find that re-arranging cards using free spaces can get you out of a deadlock.
>Topic<Source
I found The Idiot in the book "Att lägga patiens". I have also found a Mac implementation of it, called Aces High, and it is included in some multi-game solitaires, like Solitaire Till Dawn.
>Topic<Related games
Despite its simplicity, there are few games like The Idiot. It seems like if its principle doesn't allow much variations.
There are, however, other games that have een called The Idiot. One is Idiot's Delight, a game where you put four cards at a time on the table, but unlike The Idiot, you join cards with the same value rather than discard cards of the same suit. I am sure there are quite a few more "idiots" around.
