Algorithm:

1. Gradually input the card

2. Insert the card at its temperarory 'final' place

3. Start from the next position of the inserted card, rearrange the position of the piles of the cards

 

The idea is implemented as follow:

1 #include 
     
       2 #include 
      
        3 #include 
       
         4 using namespace std; 5  6 struct Pair{ 7     char num; 8     char suit; 9 };10 11 typedef vector< list
        
          > Piles;12 typedef int Position;13 14 bool match(Pair c1, Pair c2){15     return c1.num == c2.num || c1.suit == c2.suit;16 }17 18 Position insert(Pair card, Piles& p, Position pos){19     Position left = pos-1, left3rd = pos-3;20 21     if(left3rd >= 0 && match(p[left3rd].front(), card))22         return insert(card, p, left3rd);23     else if(left >= 0 && match(p[left].front(), card))24         return insert(card, p, left);25     else26         return pos;27 }28 29 void rearrange(Piles& p, Position pos){30     if( pos == p.size() )31         return;32     Pair card = p[pos].front();33     Position new_pos = insert(card, p, pos);34     if( new_pos != pos ){35         p[new_pos].push_front(card);36         p[pos].pop_front();37         if( p[pos].empty() ){38             Piles::iterator it = p.begin();39             p.erase( it+pos );40         }41     }42     rearrange(p, new_pos+1);43 }44 45 int main(int argc, char *argv[]){46 47     Piles p;48     Pair card;49 50     while(cin >> card.num && card.num != '#'){51         if(card.num == '\n')52             continue;53         else54             cin >> card.suit;55         // Find the 'temperary final' position of the card56         Position pos = insert(card, p, p.size());57         if (pos == p.size()){58             list
         
           temp;59             temp.push_front(card);60             p.push_back(temp);61         }62         else63             p[pos].push_front(card);64 65         // Rearrange the cards66         rearrange(p, pos+1);67 68     }69     cout << p.size() << " piles remaining: ";70     for(int i = 0; i < p.size() ; i++){71         cout << p[i].size() << " ";72     }73     cout << endl;74     return 0;75 76 }