Meet Simple Simon

The following details apply here. Simple Simon on gmglax.com uses a single 52-card deck with four suits. There are ten tableau columns and no stock pile. All cards are face up from the beginning. The goal is four complete same-suit King-to-Ace sequences.

A wide starting tableau

Keep these points in mind. All 52 cards are placed in the tableau at the start. No hidden cards remain to be turned over later. The first three opening columns contain eight cards each. The remaining columns contain seven, six, five, four, three, two and one cards.

Build down by rank

Keep these points in mind. A King needs an empty column because no higher rank exists. Single-card placement does not require matching suits. An exposed card can land on a card exactly one rank higher. An Ace is the lowest rank and cannot receive another card.

Keep a descending suit sequence

Here are the details for this mode. A group moves together only when its selected cards descend in the same suit. A visible card can remain blocked by cards beneath it. A shorter same-suit segment at the bottom may offer a legal move. Being face up does not make every multi-card group movable.

Manage suit changes

A few details help explain this feature. A mixed-suit descending build can serve as a temporary arrangement. Open columns can provide space for rearranging suit segments. A mixed build must be separated into legal groups before those groups can move. Planning where each segment can land helps avoid blocking a useful card.

Create room to rearrange

The following details apply here. An empty column accepts any exposed card or legal same-suit group. You do not have to reserve empty columns for Kings. Spare columns can help you reconnect separated parts of one suit. A King-led group cannot land on a nonempty column.

Work with the visible cards

The following details apply here. A difficult position cannot receive another row of cards. Undo and Replay provide ways to investigate a different sequence of decisions. Simple Simon has no stock-deal action. All possible future arrangements depend on the cards already in the tableau.

Complete the suits

A few details help explain this feature. Each collected run must contain one suit in order from King down to Ace. A full qualifying run is removed automatically at the bottom of a column. Collecting four runs clears all 52 cards. A descending sequence with a suit change does not count as complete.

Use the controls carefully

Keep these points in mind. Replay returns to the same opening arrangement. New game deals a fresh face-up arrangement. Random Simple Simon games are not claimed to be guaranteed solvable. Hint suggests a currently legal move rather than a complete solution.

Keep your progress

Keep these points in mind. My Statistics lists Simple Simon starts, wins and best completed results. With saving enabled, Simple Simon stores its current game in this browser. Its saved position is separate from Spider and the other variants. Use Privacy & Cookie Settings to manage or clear the local records.