Scorpion, deal #22

Rated formidable, deal #22 is among the hardest deals in this series. It is winnable: the solver's line takes 53 moves.

Notes on this deal

• 2 Kings are face down. Buried Kings can only leave for an empty column; plan for the space they will need.
• Playing without a plan stalls early here: a test play of the most promising moves gets only 0 of 52 cards home.
• 7 useful moves are open from the start. Prefer the ones that turn over a card or free an Ace.
• At one point the solver moves a run of 21 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	Q♥ +3	column 4	K♥, column 5
2	7♣ +2	column 2	8♣, column 7
3	A♣ +1	column 3	2♣, column 5
4	2♠	column 4	3♠, column 3
5	2♣ +2	column 5	3♣, column 2
6	6♦ +3	column 1	7♦, column 5

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.

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