How to Play Fred's Spider Solitaire

A two-deck Spider variant where every tableau card is dealt face up and cards may be sent to the foundations as they become ready, making it more forgiving than classic Spider. The goal: Sort every tableau pile into one unbroken run from King down to Ace; completed runs then move on to the foundations.

Setup

1. All 104 cards are dealt face-up: 5 cards to each of 10 tableau piles and 54 cards in the stock
2. Eight foundation piles start empty and build up by suit as cards become eligible, starting from each Ace
3. Tableau piles are arranged left to right, and every dealt card in them is face up, not just the top card
4. The stock holds the remaining cards to be dealt one per pile per click, with only one pass through the stock and no redeal

How to play

• Build tableau piles downward by placing any card one rank lower than the exposed card—suits don't need to match for a single-card placement
• Move the top card, or a run of cards in descending sequence of the same suit, from one tableau pile to another
• Click the stock to deal one card onto each tableau pile; you only get one pass, so use it wisely
• Cards automatically build on the foundations by suit once no other moves could be made with them; this behavior can be changed in Settings

How to win

Objective: Sort every tableau pile into one unbroken run from King down to Ace; completed runs then move on to the foundations.

You win once every tableau pile is sorted into a single descending run from King to Ace; those completed runs then move on to the foundations. You're stuck when no more moves are possible.

Tips

• Focus on building same-suit sequences in the tableau before moving cards to foundations
• Deal from the stock only when you've exhausted all possible tableau moves
• Empty tableau piles accept any card, so use them strategically to expose cards you need

Play Fred's Spider free on Windows

CardTray is a free solitaire app for Windows that includes Fred's Spider alongside 300+ other games. It saves every move as you play, so you can close the window and pick the game up later, replay any deal, and take on a new Daily Challenge deal every day. Browse every game in the Game Gallery.

Related games

More games from the Spider family:

• Gypsy — A two-deck game combining Spider and Klondike elements.
• Irmgard — Build in alternating colors across nine tableau piles while the stock feeds new cards.
• Lady Jane — An approachable two-deck game that blends Spider and Klondike mechanics.
• Applegate — Build complete 13-card same-suit runs in the tableau, then move each finished run to a foundation as a group.
• Brown Recluse — A two-deck Spider variant that deals just one card to each of 10 tableau piles, then feeds the rest through a stock and waste pile.