Hemispheres is an ancient solitaire rule that is described in Lady Cadogan's Illustrated Games of Solitaire or Patience, New Revised Edition, including American Games (Lady Cadogan 1914). The game is moderately easy but unlike any other that you might have played before.

The setup builds the earth and its northern and southern hemisphere. The northern hemisphere is inhabited by red people and the southern by black people. In lady Cadogan´s words: “Cards may only marry those belonging to their own Race, but cards from the talon may marry those of any Race.” [Note: marry means build up or down, and talon is the stock/waste] Unfortunately, there is limited space on the iPhone, so the original layout with the equator and poles could not be reproduced, and 4 foundations needed to be moved to the corners of the screen.

Red cards can only build on each other (descending) on the northern hemisphere and black cards can only build on each other (ascending) on the southern hemisphere in suit.  EXCHANGES are made by dropping a red card on a black card in the northern hemisphere or vice versa.

The cards are built in stacks (not cascades), which makes stacking cards underneath impossible. It is prohibited to sort cards from the wrong hemisphere onto the foundations. You need to exchange them to their home-hemisphere first.

Empty playing areas must be filled immediately, so many times this introduces cards of the wrong race into a hemisphere. Then they need to be exchanged back home.

Hint: you can choose which card will automatically move from the waste to the hemispheres by combining cards only if a good card is on top of the waste. Draw one or two from the stock to the waste.

Good Luck!