A guide to your next move.
Look under the visible cards
Compare possible moves by what they uncover as well as by the length of the sequence they create. A longer visible run is not automatically better than a move that opens the tableau. A move that reveals a hidden card gives you another fact to work with. You cannot know the identity of a hidden card before it is exposed.
Give yourself room
Keep these details in mind. Consider the next destination before filling your only empty column. A whole-column move into another empty column does not reveal anything new on its own. You must eventually fill every empty column before dealing from the stock. An empty column can hold a temporary sequence while you rearrange other cards.
Make groups that can move
Same-suit descending cards remain movable as a group. Matching colors alone do not give that benefit in four-suit Spider. Look for ways to join matching segments without burying a card you need elsewhere. A shorter matching group can be easier to reuse than a longer mixed-suit build.
Use mixed builds deliberately
Only the same-suit descending segment at the bottom moves together. Avoid assuming that every descending column can be moved as one unit. A mixed-suit move can be worthwhile when it reveals a card or frees a column. Before extending the mixed build, look for temporary destinations that could help you separate it.
Plan around Kings
Placing a King in your last empty column may reduce your immediate rearrangement options. A group beginning with a King has the same limitation. A King requires an empty column because there is no higher rank. Moving a King can still be useful when it uncovers an important hidden card.
Pause before dealing
Here is what to know. Keeping all columns occupied is a requirement for using the stock. Dealing remains an option when the visible layout offers no useful improvement. A stock deal adds one card to every column and may disrupt useful sequences. Check whether a visible move can expose a card or join matching suits before you deal.
Look one move ahead
Ask what a move will let you do next rather than considering only the first destination. Try to leave more than one useful destination when the layout allows it. No simple rule can guarantee success on every randomly shuffled deal. Moving a small segment may release a second move that was previously blocked.
Compare a different line
Here is what to know. Compare what each alternative reveals instead of repeating the same sequence without a new idea. Undo restores the previous card state, including flips and collected runs. Replay is useful when you want to revisit the opening arrangement of the same deal. The timer does not move backward when you undo.
Treat hints as options
On this website, the following points apply. Hints search legal moves in the visible position. The suggested move may be useful for investigation without leading to a win. Repeatedly using Hint cycles through the available suggestions for the current position. A hint does not reveal the stock or hidden tableau cards.
Choose a comfortable challenge
Here is what to know. Four suits gives you more suit conflicts to resolve using the same rules. One suit is useful for practicing rank order and the controls. Two suits introduces the difference between a descending build and a movable same-suit group. A short, focused session can be more useful for learning than rushing to finish a difficult deal.