Spider

A challenging solitaire game where you build sequences from King down to Ace. The goal is to assemble complete 13-card sequences by suit. When you complete a sequence, it’s removed from the table. Win by clearing all eight sequences.

The Deal#

Ten tableau piles are dealt: the first four piles receive six cards each, and the remaining six piles receive five cards each. Only the top card of each pile is face-up; all others are face-down. The remaining 50 cards form the stock.

The Layout#

• Tableau: Ten piles of cards where you build descending sequences.
• Stock: The remaining cards, dealt in rows of 10 when you need more options.
• Completed Sequences: Removed from play when you build King through Ace in the same suit.

Rules#

1. Building Sequences: Stack cards in descending order regardless of suit. For example, any 6 can be placed on any 7. However, only same-suit sequences can be moved as a group.
2. Moving Cards: The top card of any pile is always available. Face-up cards in sequence by suit can be moved together as a unit. You can break a sequence at any point, moving only the top portion.
3. Revealing Cards: When all face-up cards are removed from a pile, turn the top face-down card face-up.
4. Empty Columns: Any card or sequence may be moved to an empty column.
5. Dealing from Stock: When no more moves are available (or desired), deal a new row of 10 cards face-up onto the tableau, one card to each pile. All empty columns must be filled before dealing.
6. Completing Sequences: When you build a complete sequence from King to Ace in the same suit, it’s automatically removed from play.

Difficulty Levels#

The classic Spider game uses all four suits, making it quite challenging to build same-suit sequences. Soliteur offers simplified versions to help you learn and enjoy the game:

• 4 Suits (Hard): The classic version using all four suits. Building same-suit sequences requires careful planning and strategy.
• 2 Suits (Medium): Uses only Spades and Hearts. Fewer suits means more opportunities to build movable sequences, while still requiring careful play.
• 1 Suit (Easy): Uses only Spades. Since all cards are the same suit, every sequence you build can be moved as a group. Perfect for learning the mechanics.

Strategy Tips#

• Prioritize building same-suit sequences whenever possible
• Try to empty columns early. They’re valuable for reorganizing cards.
• Avoid dealing from the stock until you’ve made all useful moves
• Focus on uncovering face-down cards