Scorpion Solitaire

Scorpion occupies a unique and slightly unsettling position in solitaire. It looks like Spider — seven columns, mixed face-up and face-down cards, sequences building by rank — but its objectives and movement rules differ in ways that change the game entirely. Players who expect Spider are in for a surprise.

The key difference is where the goal lives. In Spider, you build complete suits in the tableau and remove them to separate foundation piles. In Scorpion, there are no separate foundation piles. The four complete King-to-Ace sequences by suit must be assembled within the tableau columns themselves.

The movement rule is equally distinctive. In Scorpion, you may pick up any face-up card along with all cards on top of it — regardless of whether those cards form a valid sequence — and move the entire group to another column. The card being moved must match the destination column's top card in suit and be one rank lower. This lets you move disorganized piles as a unit, which is powerful but risky.

The game starts with all seven columns filled. Three reserve cards are held back and dealt one to each of the first three columns after initial moves are exhausted.

Scorpion is harder than Klondike and roughly as difficult as one-suit Spider. The suit-matching rule adds clear logical constraints — you cannot make the cross-color moves Klondike allows. But moving disordered groups gives you tools that single- card games lack. Win rates with careful play are around 8%.

1. Shuffle a standard 52-card deck. Deal seven tableau columns. The first four columns each get seven cards: the bottom three face-down, the top four face-up. The remaining three columns each get seven cards, all face-up. This uses 49 cards. Set the remaining three cards aside face-down as the reserve.
2. On each turn, move any face-up card along with all cards on top of it to another tableau column. The card being moved must be the same suit as the destination column's top card and exactly one rank lower. For example, the 8 of hearts (and all cards on top of it) may move onto the 9 of hearts. The cards on top do not need to form a valid sequence — they travel as passengers.
3. When a face-down card becomes the top of a column because all cards above it moved away, turn it face-up. It is now available for play.
4. An empty tableau column may be filled with any King (and all cards on top of it, if any).
5. When no more moves are possible or wanted, deal the three reserve cards face-up to the first three tableau columns, one per column. These may open new possibilities. The game is won when all four complete King-to-Ace sequences are assembled by suit anywhere in the tableau. There are no separate foundation piles.

Scorpion's origins are not tied to a single inventor or era, but the game appears in mid-20th century card game collections as part of the broader Spider family — games that build sequences within the tableau rather than to external foundations. Its name reflects its sting-in-the-tail quality: play looks freer than Spider, but the suit-matching constraint and embedded-foundation goal combine to produce losses that feel decisive and sharp.

A variant called Wasps appears in some collections with minor rule differences, mainly around how empty columns may be filled. Both names reflect the game's reputation for punishing overconfident play.

The digital era brought Scorpion to a wider audience through computer collections focused on Spider variants. It is often recommended to players who have mastered one-suit Spider and want a similar challenge with different constraints. The game has a loyal following among enthusiasts who value its visual clarity — unlike multi-deck Spider, Scorpion's single-deck format keeps the play area manageable while maintaining high strategic depth.

• Identify the best-grouped suits early. Every sequence must be built within a single suit. A suit whose high cards are spread across many columns will be hard to consolidate. Start with the suit that's most grouped.
• Use disordered pile moves to dig. When you need to expose a specific card, you may be able to move the pile sitting on it — even if it's jumbled — as long as the bottom card matches the destination. Use this to uncover face-down cards blocking useful suit runs.
• Keep at least one empty column. Empty columns are critical workspaces. Create them by consolidating cards from the shortest column, then use the space to reorganize elsewhere.
• Time the reserve carefully. The three reserve cards can break a deadlock, but they also add three more cards to a crowded tableau. Deal the reserve only when productive moves are exhausted — not as a reflex when progress slows.
• Build down from Kings. A King at the top of a column can anchor an entire suit sequence if you funnel matching cards to it methodically.