Grandfather's Clock

Grandfather's Clock is the gentlest of the clock-face games and one of the most winnable games in the catalogue at roughly three deals in four. Twelve cards form the dial, each climbing by suit to the rank that matches its own hour, and eight short columns of five supply them.

With no stock, no hidden cards and spaces that accept anything, there is nothing adversarial about it — you can see the whole problem and it is usually solvable. What makes it pleasant rather than dull is the finish: the foundations resolve into a correct clock face, so the win state is something you can actually look at. A good game to unwind with.

Twelve named cards are set out in a circle as foundations, positioned so that each will finish on the rank matching its own hour — the two of hearts at five o'clock, the three of spades at six, and round from there. The other forty cards are dealt into eight columns of five. Those columns build down with suit ignored, one card at a time, and any available card may fill a space. There is no stock at all: everything is on the table from the start.

Three quarters of deals go the distance, so this is a game you should expect to finish, and the way to lose it is carelessness rather than bad luck. Since each foundation has a known target rank, count what each still needs and clear the columns holding those cards first. Where two cards of the same rank are both available, take the one from the deeper column — that is where the article notes the real choice lies. Spaces accept any card and there is no stock to bury them, so an empty column stays useful for the rest of the game.