Intermediate difficulty
Gate
Eight tableau piles between two five-card gateposts that refill any space you open.
- One-Deck Games
- Four-Suit Games
- Mobile-Friendly Games
- Tableau Builders
- Foundation-Building Games
- Patience Classics
| Decks | One deck |
|---|---|
| Suits | 4 |
| Typical length | 10 min |
| Difficulty | Intermediate |
| How much skill matters | Medium |
| How much the shuffle matters | Medium |
| Family | Standalone |
There is no playable version of Gate on this site yet — this page covers its rules and strategy. The game suits a touchscreen well, so it is a good candidate once a build exists.
About Gate
Gate opens with eight nearly-empty tableau piles standing between two five-card gateposts, and the reserves are the puzzle: their cards are locked away until a tableau space opens, at which point one is pulled in automatically.
That makes clearing columns unusually valuable — it is the only way to drain the gateposts, and until they are drained you are playing with ten cards out of action. Once they are empty the auto-fill accepts any card and the game loosens considerably. Whole columns move as units, which keeps things fluid, and one pass through the stock keeps it honest.
How to play
Eight tableau piles start with a single card each, flanked by two reserve piles of five — the gateposts. Columns build down in sequence and alternating colour, and you may move a single card or an entire column. Foundations build up in suit from the Aces. Spaces do not stay open: they fill automatically from the reserves while those last, and by any card once the reserves are gone. Cards come off the stock to a waste pile, and there is no redeal.
Strategy
Because spaces auto-fill from the gateposts, clearing a column is how you drain the reserves — which is exactly what you want, since reserve cards are otherwise stuck. So consolidating columns is productive here in a way it usually is not. Once the gateposts are empty the auto-fill takes any card, and at that point space becomes genuinely yours to use. Whole columns move as a unit, which is generous, so build long alternating runs freely. The single pass through the stock is the real limit.
What works
- Clearing a column drains the reserves, so consolidating is productive
- Whole columns move as a unit, keeping play fluid
- Small, symmetrical layout that reads well on any screen
What to know
- Ten cards are locked in the gateposts until you open a space
- Spaces auto-fill, so empty columns cannot be banked
- One pass through the stock and no redeal
Frequently asked questions
- How many decks does Gate use?
- Gate is played with a single standard deck.
- Is Gate good for beginners?
- Gate is generally better suited to players who already know the basics of solitaire, as it involves more planning than a typical beginner game.
- Is Gate based more on luck or strategy?
- Gate involves a mix of the initial deal and the decisions you make along the way.