The rules of Spiderette
In brief
Play uses a single deck of 52 cards, divided between 7 columns and a stock. A card can be placed on a card one rank higher, regardless of suit; a group can only move together if all its cards share the same suit. A complete same-suit sequence from king to ace is removed from play; the game is won when all 4 sequences have been removed.
Setup
The game uses 52 cards, a single deck. The app deals them into 7 columns of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 cards, from left to right, for a total of 28 cards. Only the last card in each column is face up; the other 21 are face down. The remaining 24 cards form the stock: 3 deals of 7 cards, followed by a final deal of 3 cards, making 4 deals in total.
The number of suits, chosen at the start of the game, changes the composition of the 52 cards, never their number:
| Suits | In the app | Composition |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Easy | 4 × 13 spades |
| 2 | Medium | 2 × 13 spades + 2 × 13 hearts |
| 4 | Hard | 1 × 13 spades + 1 × 13 hearts + 1 × 13 diamonds + 1 × 13 clubs |
Stock: 24 cards, 4 deals remaining; no runs removed. Column 1: 0 face-down cards, then 4 of clubs; column 2: 1 face-down cards, then ace of clubs; column 3: 2 face-down cards, then 10 of hearts; column 4: 3 face-down cards, then queen of diamonds; column 5: 4 face-down cards, then 3 of hearts; column 6: 5 face-down cards, then ace of spades; column 7: 6 face-down cards, then 5 of hearts.
Placing a card
A face-up card can be placed on the last card of another column if that card is one rank higher, regardless of suit: a 9 of hearts on a 10 of spades, a queen on a king. The ace is the lowest card and the king the highest: nothing can be placed on an ace, and a king can only go in an empty column. When the last card in a column is moved away, the hidden card beneath it turns face up automatically.
Moving a group
Several face-up cards can move together if their ranks descend consecutively, for example 8, 7, 6, and they are all of the same suit. A mixed-suit group stays in place, even if its ranks are consecutive: it must be taken apart card by card. A group is placed like a single card: its first card must go on a card one rank higher, or in an empty column.
The empty column
An empty column accepts any card or any movable group, not just a king. It is the most useful space in the game: it lets you set one card aside to reveal another.
Dealing
Tapping the stock places one face-up card on each column, from the first to the seventh. The app does not allow this while any column is empty: you must first place a card there. The first 3 deals place 7 cards each; the last places only 3, on columns 1 to 3. The stock is then empty.
Removed runs
When a column ends with all 13 cards of one suit, from king to ace, all face up, the app automatically removes that sequence from play after the move or deal that formed it. The hidden card beneath it turns face up. A sequence is only removed if all its cards share the same suit.
The end of the game
The game is won when all 4 runs have been removed: no cards remain. The app does not detect a blocked game: when no move helps any more, it is up to you to restart or begin a new deal.
The app's variants
- 1, 2 or 4 suits (“Easy, Medium or Hard”), at the start of a new game. With 1 suit, there are only spades, with four copies of each card; with 4 suits, it is a standard deck.
- Game code: it indicates the number of suits and the shuffle, such as SD1-S1-AAAAABD for a deal with 1 suit.
Scoring
The game starts at 500 points. Each move and each deal costs 1 point; each removed sequence earns 100 points. The score has no lower limit: a very long game can drop below zero. The move counter counts moves and deals; removing a sequence does not count as a move.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Start of the game | 500 |
| Moving a card or group | -1 |
| Deal | -1 |
| Run removed | +100 |
Example: the game on the Examples page is won in 53 moves. It finishes at 500 − 53 + 400 = 847 points (4 sequences × 100 = 400). This is the app's scoring system; other versions of the game score differently.
App-specific features
- Double-click (enabled by default): the tapped group moves to the best column, preferring the same suit, otherwise an empty column.
- Drag and drop; “Auto placement” (disabled by default) sends the dropped card to the best position.
- Placement assistance: while you drag a card, valid columns are highlighted. Interactive rules: after a rejected move, the app reminds you of the rule.
- Undo: the last 100 actions. The score and move count return to their previous values; a removed run returns when the move that formed it is undone.
- No hints or solver: the app does not tell you whether a deal is winnable.
Spiderette and Spider
Spiderette is the single-deck version of Spider. Wikipedia describes it as using a single deck and seven columns of 1 to 7 cards, the Klondike setup. Spider uses two decks, ten columns and eight sequences to remove; the legal moves are the same. See the sources.