How to play Scorpion Solitaire

Scorpion is a one-deck solitaire with no foundations at the top. Instead, you build each suit right in the columns, from King down to Ace. Like in Yukon, you can pick up any face-up card together with every card on top of it, even if those cards are a jumble. The catch: a card goes only on the next higher card of its own suit, so every card has exactly one place to go.

The deal

• Seven columns of seven cards each.
• In the first four columns, the bottom three cards are face down. Every other card is face up.
• The last three cards wait in the corner. Tap them once, at any time, to deal one card onto each of the first three columns.

The rules

• A card goes on the card one higher of the same suit: the 6 of hearts on the 7 of hearts, the Jack of clubs on the Queen of clubs.
• You may pick up any face-up card. Everything on top of it comes along, in whatever order it is.
• Nothing goes on an Ace. When the last face-up card leaves a column, turn over the hidden card under it.
• An empty column takes only a King, with whatever sits on that King.
• When a column holds a whole suit in order, King to Ace, it leaves the table. Build all four suits and you win.

How to move cards

Tap a card and it goes to its one place, taking the cards on top of it along. Or drag it there. Tap a face-down card that is uncovered to turn it over. Undo as often as you like.

Tips

• Turn over the hidden cards in the first four columns early. One of them is often the card that unlocks a whole suit.
• Watch for a card sitting on top of a lower card of its own suit, like the 9 of spades above the 4 of spades. That knot has to be untied, and it usually takes an empty column.
• Kings are the only cards that fill an empty column, so a King near the bottom of a column is a good thing.
• The last three cards can be dealt at any time. Sometimes it pays to wait until they land where they help.
• Every deal here can be won. If you get stuck, Undo a few moves, or ask for a hint: it knows a way to the end.

Relaxed rules

In Settings you can let any card go into an empty column, not just a King. It is a gentler game, good for learning how the knots work.

Questions

Can every deal be won? Yes. Scorpion is a hard game, and most random deals cannot be won at all, so every deal you get here has been played through by the computer first to make sure there is a way.

What if I run out of moves? The game tells you, and you can replay the same deal and try another way.

Is there a daily deal? Yes, with classic rules: everyone gets the same deal each day, and you can compare your moves with others.