Scorpion is Spider's harder cousin played on a single 52-card deck. Seven tableau columns, four foundations that fill automatically when you complete a King-to-Ace same-suit sequence, and a three-card reserve that replaces the traditional stock. The defining rule: you can move any face-up card together with all the cards beneath it, regardless of order. That sounds permissive but the same-suit building rule turns it into a deep planning puzzle. Free in your browser, no sign-up. Works offline once the page has loaded.
Goal: build four complete King-to-Ace same-suit sequences. Each sequence flies to the foundation automatically when complete.
Same family, different scale.
| Aspect | Spider | Scorpion |
|---|---|---|
| Decks | 2 (104 cards) | 1 (52 cards) |
| Tableau columns | 10 | 7 |
| Foundations to complete | 8 | 4 |
| Stock | 50 cards, 5 deals | 3-card reserve, 1 deal |
| Group move rule | Same-suit ordered sequence only | Any face-up card + everything beneath |
Scorpion entered the published patience canon in the mid-20th century. The name reflects the scorpion-like shape of the deal — seven columns of seven cards, with the three-card "sting" of the reserve. The game appears in standard patience anthologies and is included in many modern solitaire collections, though Microsoft has never bundled it with Windows.
This Scorpion runs in your browser — free, no download, no sign-up. Install as an app on your phone or computer; once installed it works offline. Unlimited undo, statistics, and a daily challenge that gives every player the same deal that day so you can compare times.
Scorpion uses one deck instead of two, has seven columns instead of ten, and replaces the 50-card stock with a single 3-card reserve. The defining mechanical difference is the move rule: Scorpion lets you pick up any face-up card with every card beneath it (like Yukon), while Spider only moves properly ordered same-suit sequences.
The reserve holds the last three cards from the deck. Click the reserve to deal those three cards onto the leftmost three columns. You can do this once per game. It's your only stock-pile equivalent — use it when the tableau has no more productive moves.
No. There's no peer-reviewed solvability study. The strict same-suit building combined with face-down cards in the first four columns can leave a deal with no solution from the start.
No — only Kings, or any group with a King at the bottom. Same as Klondike and Yukon. This makes the Kings the most positionally important cards in the game.
The shape of the deal: seven columns of seven cards form the body, and the three-card reserve forms the "sting." The name dates to the mid-20th century when the variant entered the published patience anthologies.