Scorpion, deal #6

Rated testing, deal #6 is one of the harder deals in this series. It is winnable: the solver's line takes 51 moves.

Notes on this deal

• A King already sits at the head of a column, so that column never needs 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.
• Simply playing the most promising move each time wins this deal, so it makes a good warm-up.
• At one point the solver moves a run of 23 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	7♣ +3	column 4	8♣, column 6
2	5♥	column 4	6♥, column 6
3	J♠	column 4	Q♠, column 2
4	4♥	column 5	5♥, column 6
5	Q♣ +4	column 5	K♣, column 3
6	8♥ +8	column 6	9♥, 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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