These rules describe Scorpion as implemented in the app: one deck across seven tableau piles, cards building down by suit while any face-up card moves with everything stacked on it, and the goal of assembling four full King-to-Ace runs, one per suit, built in place and banked automatically as they complete. A three-card stock deals onto the first three piles, once, at any time.
Complete four King-to-Ace runs, one per suit, built in place on the tableau. Each completed run is removed from the tableau automatically — the game is won when all four are done.
- Tableau: Seven piles where all building happens.
- Group move: Any face-up card together with every card stacked on top of it, moved as one, even out of order. Only the selected (bottom) card must connect at the destination.
- Completed run: A full King-to-Ace run of one suit at the end of a pile — it leaves the tableau on its own. Four complete the game.
- Stock: Three face-down cards, dealt face up onto the first three piles at any time — but only once.
- Use a standard 52-card deck (no jokers).
- Tableau: Deal 49 cards into seven piles of seven. In each of the first four piles the bottom three cards are face down, while the last three piles are entirely face up.
- Stock: The remaining 3 cards, face down.
- Completed runs: Four spaces bank finished runs as they leave the tableau.
- A card lands only on the card one rank higher of its own suit, which must be face up at the end of a pile (e.g., 7♣ onto 8♣ only). Nothing may be placed on an Ace.
- Move any face-up card along with all cards on top of it, even if they are not in sequence — only the selected card must connect at the destination.
- Only Kings (with any cards stacked on them) can fill an empty pile.
- When a face-down card becomes the top of its pile, it flips face up.
- Tap the stock to deal its three cards face up, one onto each of the first three piles, empty or mid-run piles included.
- The stock may be dealt at any time — but only once. There is no waste and no redeal.
- The moment a pile's top thirteen cards form a face-up King-to-Ace run of one suit, the run is removed automatically and banked.
- A dealt card can complete a run, and one removal can expose another complete run beneath it.
- +5 for turning a tableau card face up.
- +100 for each completed run.
- Tableau moves and the stock deal are free.
- On a win, a time bonus is added: it starts at 900 and drops by one point per second of play.
- The score never drops below zero.
You win the moment the fourth run banks. The game is lost when the stock is spent and no legal move remains before all four runs are complete.
Published Scorpion rules genuinely disagree on what happens to finished runs and when the stock may be dealt. This implementation uses:
- Automatic banking of completed runs. The common digital convention, matching this app's Spider, rather than the traditional description that leaves finished runs lying in the tableau.
- Deal the stock at any time (Solitaire Network's "or sooner if desired" and most digital versions), not only when play is blocked.
- Kings only on empty piles (universal for Scorpion — the any-card variant is a different game, Wasp).
- Three face-down cards in each of the first four piles (the standard deal — Scorpion II, which hides cards in only three piles, is not implemented).