Two decks, ten columns: build each suit from king down to ace in one column to clear it. Play today's one-suit deal, which a solver has checked can be won, or practise with 1, 2 or 4 suits.
Dealing today's winnable game…
How to play
Two packs of 104 cards are shuffled. 54 go into ten columns (six in each of the first four, five in the rest) with only the top card face up; the other 50 are the stock, top right, for 5 deals of ten.
Put any card on a card one rank higher, of any suit: a 7 on an 8. Cards can only move together as a run when they're the same suit and in order.
When a column's face-up cards are all moved away, the card below turns over. Any card or same-suit run can go into an empty column.
When you're stuck, tap the stock to deal one card onto every column. Every column needs at least one card first.
A full suit from king down to ace in one column leaves the table. Clear all eight to win.
Worked example: the score
You start with 500 points. Clear three suits in 70 moves and your score is 500 − 70 + 3 × 100 = 730. Undoing a move costs another point, and undoing the move that finished a suit takes its 100 back off.
Tips
Build in suit whenever you can: a 7♥ on the 8♥ makes a run that moves as one, while a 7♥ on the 8♠ breaks it, so only the 7♥ and the cards on it can move.
Turn over face-down cards first, starting with the tallest columns, where most cards are hidden.
An empty column is your most useful space: use it to sort a mixed run into suits before filling it for good.
Before dealing, make every move that tidies a column, because the deal covers every column with a new card.
Stuck? Press Hint. On a checked deal it shows the next move of the solver's winning line for as long as you've followed it; otherwise it looks for a new winning line from where you are, and failing that, the most useful move.
One suit (all spades) is the easiest: any card can build on any other, so most deals can be won. Two suits (spades and hearts) is a real step up, and four suits is the classic hard game, where many deals can't be won. The daily game is one suit, and practice lets you pick 1, 2 or 4.
Can every Spider game be won?
No. Even in one suit some deals are stuck from the start. Today's deal, and practice deals in one or two suits, are checked by a solver that plays them with every card visible; a deal is only shown once the solver has won it, so a win is possible. Four-suit deals are plain random shuffles, and many of those can't be won.
When can I deal from the stock?
Whenever you like, as long as no column is empty: a deal puts one card face up on each of the ten columns. The stock holds five deals. Fill any empty column first, with any card.
How is the score worked out?
The classic Windows scoring: you start with 500, each move costs 1 point (an undo counts as a move), and each finished suit adds 100. Your time and number of moves are shown too, and your best time is saved in this browser.
How do I move cards on a phone?
Tap a card and it moves, with the cards below it, to the best place: a card of the same suit one rank higher first, then any card one rank higher, then an empty column. Or drag it. If there's nowhere to go, the tap picks it up and your next tap chooses the column.
Can I play with a keyboard?
Yes. Tab goes through the ten columns and the stock; Enter on a column picks up its movable run, and Enter on another column drops it. The down arrow picks up fewer cards and the up arrow more. Escape puts them back, Enter on the stock deals, and Ctrl+Z undoes.
