Huge Spider

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Huge Spider Solitaire is to build complete sequences of 13 cards in descending order from King to Ace of the same suit within the tableau. Once a full suit sequence is completed, it is automatically moved to the foundation. The player wins by creating and moving all possible suit sequences to the foundation, clearing the tableau of all cards.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Huge Spider Solitaire uses four standard 52-card decks (totaling 208 cards).
• Tableau: The tableau consists of 20 columns:
• The first 8 columns each receive 6 cards (with only the top card face up).
• The remaining 12 columns each receive 5 cards (with only the top card face up).
• All other cards in these columns are dealt face down.
• This results in 108 cards dealt to the tableau at the start.
• Stock Pile: The remaining 100 cards form the stock pile. These are used to deal new cards to the tableau during gameplay.
• Foundation Piles: There are 16 foundation piles (one for each possible suit sequence per deck). Completed suit sequences are moved here automatically.
• Play Areas Defined:
• Tableau: The main area where cards are built in descending order.
• Stock: The pile from which new cards are dealt to the tableau.
• Foundations: Where completed suit sequences are collected.

Huge Spider Solitaire Rules:

• Building in the Tableau:
• Cards are built in descending order (King, Queen, Jack, …, Ace) by suit to form sequences that can be moved to the foundation.
• Single cards can be moved onto any card of the next higher rank, regardless of suit.
• Sequences of cards can only be moved together if all cards in the sequence are of the same suit.
• Moving Cards:
• You may move a single card or a valid suit sequence from one tableau column to another, provided the move maintains descending order.
• Only the top face-up card or a valid descending suit sequence can be moved at any time.
• Revealing Cards:
• When a face-up card is moved, the face-down card beneath it (if any) is turned face up.
• Dealing from Stock:
• When no more moves are possible or desired, deal one card from the stock to each tableau column (20 cards per deal).
• You may only deal from the stock if there are no empty tableau columns; all columns must contain at least one card.
• Foundation Movement:
• When a complete descending sequence of 13 cards of the same suit (King to Ace) is formed in a tableau column, it is automatically moved to the foundation.

Gameplay:

• On each turn, the player may:
• Move a single card or a valid suit sequence to another tableau column, maintaining descending order.
• Fill empty tableau columns with any card or valid sequence.
• Reveal face-down cards as cards above them are moved.
• When no moves are available or desired, deal a new row of cards from the stock (one per tableau column).
• The process continues until all cards are moved to the foundations or no further moves are possible.
• Undo: Some digital versions allow a limited number of undos (e.g., 3 times).
• Restart: If stuck, the player may restart the game.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning: The game is won when all 16 suit sequences (King to Ace, by suit) are completed and moved to the foundations, clearing the tableau of all cards.
• Losing/Unwinnable State:
• The game is lost or becomes unwinnable if there are no legal moves left and no cards remain in the stock, or if the remaining cards cannot be organized into complete suit sequences.
• The inability to fill all tableau columns before dealing from the stock also results in an unwinnable state.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Spaces:
• Any card or valid suit sequence can be moved into an empty tableau column.
• All tableau columns must be filled before dealing a new row from the stock.
• Movement Restrictions:
• Only sequences of the same suit can be moved together; mixed-suit sequences cannot be moved as a unit.
• Undo/Restart:
• Some versions allow a limited number of undos; if all undos are used or the game is stuck, a restart is required.
• Automatic Foundation Movement:
• Complete suit sequences are moved to the foundation automatically; players do not need to move them manually.
• Edge Case – Dealing from Stock:
• If there is an empty tableau column, the stock cannot be dealt until all columns have at least one card.

Note: Huge Spider Solitaire is a highly challenging variant due to the use of four full decks and 20 tableau columns, requiring advanced planning and careful management of suit sequences.