How to play: Simple Simon

Simple Simon has some similarities to Klondike but differs in not having a stock pile and in having all cards laid out face up from the start of the game.

Layout

All 52 cards from a standard deck are laid out in columns. There are a total of 10 columns: the first with 1 card, the second with 2 cards etc, up to a maximum of 8 cards. "Doing the math", this means that the last 3 columns have 8 cards in them, and the layout is as shown in Figure 1 below. (In the version included in the Solitaire Whizz app, the 1-card column is on the right, though this is arbitrary.)

There are also four foundation piles, initially empty.

Simple Simon layout in Solitaire Whizz for iPad

Aim

The aim is to build all cards on to the foundation piles, one pile per suit.

Gameplay

The bottom card of any column is available for play. Cards are built on to the foundations, one pile per suit, starting with the Aces. Otherwise, a card can be built on to another column in downwards sequence. When building on to columns, suit does not matter: e.g. you can build any 7 down on to any 8, etc.

Sequences of cards can be moved from one column to another. However, in order to move whole sequences, in addition to being in descending order, the cards must be of the same suit.

Empty columns can be filled with any card or valid sequence.

You win the game if you manage to get all 52 cards built on to the foundations from Ace to King, one pile per suit.