How to play Spider

Spider is the big solitaire: two full decks, 104 cards, laid out in ten columns. Your goal is to build complete runs from King down to Ace in a single suit. Each finished run leaves the table by itself, and when all eight runs are gone, you have won.

What makes Spider special is that you may build on any suit, but only runs of one suit can be moved together. That creates a constant tension between making a move now and keeping your runs clean for later. The suit count sets the difficulty: with one suit almost every deal can be won, while four suits is a real test.

How to play on skill.games

When you open the game, the settings popup appears. Choose a level - 1 suit, 2 suits or 4 suits - check your record at that level and press PLAY. The cards are dealt into ten columns, and the rest wait in the stock in the corner.

• Moving cards: tap a card and it moves, together with the cards on top of it, to the best place it can go - preferably onto a card of the same suit. Only a run of one suit going down in order can be picked up.
• Dragging: drag a card or a run and drop it on another column. A move that isn't allowed is refused: the cards shake and slide back.
• Dealing a new row: tap the stock to deal one card face up onto each of the ten columns. Each little pile in the stock is one row still to come.
• Undo: the UNDO button in the top-right corner takes back your last move, including a dealt row. You can undo as often as you like.
• The score line at the top shows your moves, the time and your score.

When a column ends in a complete King-to-Ace run of one suit, the run gathers up and flies to a foundation on its own. After the eighth run the cards cascade off the table, and the results screen shows your moves, time, score and runs, plus your statistics for that level.

The menu button in the top-left corner pauses the game, starts a new deal or turns the sound off. The deal is saved after every move, undo history included, so you can press CONTINUE later. A deal you abandon by starting a new one counts as a loss at its level.

Rules

The layout. Two decks are shuffled together. Ten columns are dealt: the first four get six cards, the other six get five, and only the top card of each column is face up. The other 50 cards form the stock: five rows of ten.

Building. Any card can be placed on a card exactly one rank higher, whatever its suit: a 6 of hearts on a 7 of spades is allowed. An empty column takes any card or run.

Moving runs. You can move a single top card, or a group of cards that goes down in order in one suit - for example 9, 8, 7 of spades. A mixed run such as 9 of spades, 8 of hearts can't be moved as a group; you must take it apart from the top.

Turning cards over. When a face-down card is uncovered at the bottom of a column, it turns face up automatically.

Dealing from the stock. Tapping the stock deals one card onto every column. You can't deal while any column is empty: fill every gap first, even if only with a single card.

Completed runs. A run of thirteen cards of one suit, King down to Ace, is removed to a foundation automatically. Foundations can't be played to or from by hand.

Scoring. Every move scores 10 points, and every completed run another 10. Each 30 seconds of play costs 30 points, but the score never drops below zero. A win adds a time bonus of 600,000 divided by the seconds you took. Undoing a move takes its points back, and an undo counts as a move.

Winning. You win when all eight runs have been completed.

Strategy tips

• Build in suit whenever you can. If a card could go on two different 8s, choose the one of its own suit. Same-suit runs can be moved later; mixed ones get stuck.
• Turn over the hidden cards. Uncovering face-down cards gives you information and options. Work on the columns with the most hidden cards.
• Empty columns are your best tool. A free column lets you take mixed runs apart and rebuild them in suit. Don't fill one with a single card unless you have a reason.
• Deal only when you're ready. A new row lands on top of every column, burying your work. Before dealing, make all the useful moves you can and try to put Kings at the bottom of columns.
• Kings are hard to move. Only an empty column can take a King, so a King sitting on hidden cards needs an empty column to free them.
• Keep runs tidy before the last rows. The final deals cover everything at once, so clean, single-suit runs beforehand pay off.
• Use undo to look ahead. If you are unsure whether a line of moves leads anywhere, try it and take it back.

Difficulty levels

• 1 suit: all 104 cards are spades. Every run you build is in suit, so every descending run can be moved. The best level to learn the game.
• 2 suits: spades and hearts, 52 of each. You now have to choose between building in suit and building at all, and mixed runs start to block you.
• 4 suits: spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs, two of each card. Same-suit runs are hard to build and the stock rows bury your work quickly. A demanding test of planning that takes patience and experience to win.