How to play
Accordion is a solitaire with no columns, no foundations and no building in sequence. There’s just a line of cards that you fold up, the way an accordion closes, until (if luck and planning allow) only a single pile remains.
The deal. Thirteen cards are laid face up in a row, reading left to right. The rest of the deck, 39 cards, sits in the stock. On a wide screen the row wraps every 13 cards; on a narrow one it wraps sooner, but it’s still one continuous line read like text.
The move. Any pile can jump onto another pile that is:
- directly to its left, or
- exactly three places to its left,
as long as the two top cards match in suit or in rank. A 7 of clubs can land on any club or any 7. The whole pile moves together, its top card becomes the new top, and the gap closes up so everything to the right slides along.
Dealing. Tap the stock to add its next card to the end of the row. You can deal at any moment, even while moves are available, and moves stay open at any time too.
Winning. Deal all 52 cards and finish with exactly one pile. If the stock is empty and no pile can move, the game is over.
Tap a pile to move it to its best target, or drag it onto the pile you choose. Hint looks a few moves ahead, Undo works without limit, and the game saves as you play.
How a move changes the row
A short example shows why Accordion is more about order than matching. Suppose the row reads:
K♠ · 4♥ · 9♠ · J♦ · 4♣
The 4♣ at the end has two possible targets. Directly to its left is the J♦: no match. Three places left is the 4♥: same rank. Jumping onto it leaves:
K♠ · 4♣ · 9♠ · J♦
Now the 4♣ sits next to the K♠, and the J♦ is back at the end of the row, where the next stock card will land beside it. Every move reshuffles who is next to whom, so a move that looks good on its own can break up a match you were about to use.
Strategy
Look before you leap. When several moves are open, play each through in your head. Which new neighbours does it create? Does it destroy a match further right? The hint button does this search a few moves deep if you want a second opinion.
Three-left moves are powerful. Jumping three places shortens the row by one, just like a one-left move, but it changes the neighbours of three cards at once. It’s often the only way to bring two matching cards together.
Don’t rush the stock. Each new card lands at the far end of the row, where only the last few piles can reach it. Clear what you can first, then deal.
But don’t wait forever either. Sometimes the row is stuck until a new card arrives. Dealing early can give a long, matchless row the one card that starts a chain.
Keep tops varied. A pile whose top card shares neither suit nor rank with anything one or three places away is a dead end. Moves that bury awkward cards under more common suits keep the row flexible.
Judge by pile count. Winning Accordion is rare; most deals can’t be reduced to a single pile. Ending with three or four piles is a strong game, and the score worth comparing between games.
Aces Up is another quick single-deck patience, and Pyramid swaps matching for adding up to 13.
If you enjoy Accordion Solitaire, try Aces Up Solitaire or Altmışaltı next.
