Scorpion, deal #1

Deal #1 is one of the harder deals in this series. Our solver won it in a line of 50 moves, so it can certainly be won.

Notes on this deal

• 2 Kings already sit at the head of their columns, so those columns never need emptying.
• 2 Kings are face down. Buried Kings can only leave for an empty column; plan for the space they will need.
• One same-suit pair already lies in order.
• This deal punishes autopilot. A test play of the obvious moves gets just 0 of 52 cards home before it is stuck.
• At one point the solver moves a run of 22 cards in one go.

Stuck? The solver's first moves

These are the first moves of the solver's winning line, with automatic moves to the foundations switched on.

#	Card	From	To
1	9♠	column 3	10♠, column 1
2	3♥ +2	column 4	4♥, column 2
3	4♠ +4	column 5	5♠, column 4
4	6♣ +5	column 6	7♣, column 4
5	J♠ +4	column 4	Q♠, column 6
6	5♣ +5	column 2	6♣, column 4

Scorpion in a nutshell

Build down in suit; any face-up card moves with everything on it, and only Kings go into empty columns. Finished King-to-Ace runs leave the table. The three stock cards are dealt once.

How to play Scorpion → · Play a random Scorpion deal →