Scorpion, deal #23

This Scorpion deal is rated formidable: among the hardest deals in this series. The solver found a winning line of 52 moves.

Notes on this deal

• One King is face down. A buried King can only leave for an empty column, so expect to make room for it.
• One same-suit pair already lies in order.
• Playing without a plan stalls early here: a test play of the most promising moves gets only 0 of 52 cards home.
• 6 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 10 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	J♣ +3	column 1	Q♣, column 4
2	9♦ +1	column 4	10♦, column 7
3	Q♣ +2	column 4	K♣, column 3
4	7♥ +2	column 5	8♥, column 3
5	10♥ +2	column 5	J♥, column 7
6	5♣ +1	column 6	6♣, column 1

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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