Pasquale's Challenge

Can you defy the odds and win the challenge? Try this simple solitaire game.

During WWII, Master Sgt. Pasquale Fiorello devised this simple solitaire game to pass the time while recovering from wounds.

Pasquale’s Challenge is a simple one that is difficult to accomplish. It consists of four rounds. Before each round a sequence of either 'Ace to King' (A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 ,J, Q, K) or 'King to Ace' (K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, A) is chosen. A card is then drawn from the top of the deck. If the drawn card matches the current card in the sequence, the challenge fails and the game is over. Otherwise, continue drawing cards. When the end of a sequence is reached, the round is over and a new round begins with the selection of a new sequence.

For example, a sequence of 'Ace to King' is selected making the first card in the sequence an Ace. A seven is drawn from the deck. Seven does not match Ace so the challenge continues. The next card in the sequence is a Two. A Two is drawn from the deck which matches the Two card in the sequence. The challenge fails and the game is over. The object is to keep drawing until all the cards are drawn from the deck without matching any cards in the current sequence.

There are six options available for each draw:

1. Draw the next card off the top of the deck. This is Pasquale’s original challenge played without using any other options.

2. Shuffle the deck before drawing a card.

3. Have a random card drawn from the deck for you.

4. Pick a card from any part of the deck.

5. Play the Joker as free card to avoid losing if the next card is a match.

6. Take a peek at the next card. If it’s a match then have a 50/50 chance of avoiding it.