How to play Accordion Solitaire
Accordion deals all 52 cards face-up in a single row of individual stacks. When two top cards share a suit or a rank, the entire right-hand stack moves onto the stack immediately to its left, or three positions to its left. The top cards determine eligibility, but every card in the moving stack travels with it. The goal is to collapse the entire row into a single stack — which is extremely rare.
The rules in short
- All 52 cards dealt face-up into 52 stacks of one card each, arranged in a row.
- When the top card of a stack shares a suit or rank with the top card of the stack one position to its left, the entire right stack merges onto the left stack.
- The same merge is valid three positions to the left, again when the two top cards share a suit or rank.
- After a merge, the row shortens and positions are recounted from the leftmost stack.
- You win if the row collapses to a single stack. Getting down to two or three stacks is already a strong result.
Tips
- Look three positions back before looking one position back — compare the resulting top cards to see which merge creates the better future match.
- Before merging, consider how the resulting stack's new top card will affect future merges along the row.
- Winning Accordion is rare. Aim to reduce the row as far as possible rather than expecting a complete collapse.
Questions
Does the whole stack move when I merge two stacks?
Yes. The top cards determine whether a merge is allowed, but the entire right-hand stack moves onto the left-hand stack. All cards travel together.
Is there a stock or waste in Accordion?
No. All 52 cards are laid out from the start. There is no drawing phase.
Can I move a card to the right?
No. Cards can only move left — one position or three positions — never right.