Can a Spider King Be Placed on Another Card?
No occupied column can receive a King because no rank is higher than it. A King or King-led same-suit group can move only into an empty column.
No occupied column can receive a King because no rank is higher than it. A King or King-led same-suit group can move only into an empty column. Spider uses one rule for placing on a destination and a stricter rule for moving a group. Keeping those two tests separate resolves most apparent contradictions.
Worked position
- Legal: K♠ → empty column; K♠–Q♠–J♠ → empty column
- Illegal: K♠ → occupied column
A King is Spider’s highest rank, so no occupied column can provide a card one rank above it. A King creates a long commitment because it has no ordinary parent. Before occupying a space, compare what the King releases and whether a useful Queen or suited tail can follow.
K♠, or a same-suit group led by K♠ such as K♠–Q♠–J♠, can therefore move only to an empty column. An empty column is temporary workspace, not free storage. Its value comes from supporting several rearrangements and, ideally, being restored after the operation.
A second position
- Move: Q♥ → K♠
- Legal: yes
- Effect: starts a descending build, not a movable suited group
Q♥ may be placed on K♠, but the off-suit join prevents the pair from moving as one suited group. For a Spider group, every selected card must be contiguous, descending by one and in the same suit. A suit break below or inside the selection divides the stack into separate movable units.
Committing a King uses valuable space, so check the Queen follow-up before moving it. Verify legality in three layers: the source card or tail must be available, the moving cards must be ordered correctly, and the leading card must satisfy the destination rule.
When to change the plan
If the selected cards fail the same-suit, contiguity or destination-rank test, shorten the move to a legal tail or choose another destination. After moving K♠ / Q♠ / J♠ / Q♥, count the suit breaks that remain.
Common mistake
Do not confuse a legal single-card placement with a legal group move. The cards around K♠ / Q♠ / J♠ / Q♥ must pass both tests separately.
Practical check
- Is every selected card contiguous and in the same suit?
- Does the leading card fit a destination exactly one rank higher?
- If the destination is empty, have you kept the group rule separate from the rank rule?
- What suit break will remain after the move?
The rule applies in Spider 1 Suit, Spider 2 Suits and Spider 4 Suits. Suit count changes difficulty, not this move test. Re-evaluate the dependency around K♠ / Q♠ / J♠ / Q♥ after every removal, return or newly exposed card.
Sources used
This guide distinguishes PlaySoli's current game rules from historical variants and marks disputed claims instead of presenting them as settled facts.