Winnable Spider Solitaire Games

cd      a_directory_of_your_choice
unzip   wherever_you_put_the_zip_file/plspider.zip
cd      plspider_source

plspider    -c              # run the program forever (H or control C to quit)

cd  src                     # or switch to the plspider_source/src sub-directory
m                           # and compile the C program to plspider_source/src/plspider

plspider    -h              # tells you command line options

plspider    -c              # plays forever random unplayed games, or lost games (interspered with occasional random won games)
plspider    -a -e -s 1234   # plays game number 1234

Game Number:

The game number is a number that you may specify to the PySolFC program to choose a specific shuffle of the cards to play.

Or, the game number can specify a specific shuffle to the WinSpidr Windows 3.1 program (included in the plspider.zip file).

The game number initializes a pseudo-random number generator. The pseudo-random numbers control the shuffle.

For game numbers over 32000, PySolFC needs to use its LCRandom31() random number method (in pysolrandom.py). Versions 2.1.0+ of the program select this method if you enter the game number with a preceding "ms". E.g. ms51487.

plspider does not play the special game numbers -1 and -2.

Below, the game number of un-won games may be followed by a number indicating the maximum number of empty stacks plspider has been able to achieve. Until the last 10-card flop, plspider is very eager to create empty stacks. On the last 10-card flop, moving cards out of play takes highest precedence.

Moves:

The least number of moves that plspider has used to win the game.

... Or the most moves plspider has been able to make at any time in a losing game.

Note: The program also reports losing games' movements that get the game to the situation with the highest evaluation score of all situations found with at least one empty stack.

In the log file, plspider's won-game moves are stripped of much redundant movement. Lost-games may be optimized in the same way, depending upon the program's version.

Full-Run and Split-Run moves:

Full-run moves are moves when a complete same-suit run of cards is moved to another stack.
Split-run moves are moves when part of a same-suit run of cards is moved - the same-suit run is broken.

Split-run moves are suprisingly often used, and seem necessary to win with. Unfortunately, they can drastically increase the number of moves a dumb program needs to consider each move it makes.

Flop:

Refers to when 10 cards are dealt from the deck, a card to each of the play stacks.

Time:

The shortest (won games) or longest (lost games) play-times in hours:minutes:seconds.

Committed Moves:

A "committed move" is a move that cannot be undone by legally moving the cards back to how they were before the move.

For example, a flop is a committed move. Moving a King to an empty stack from a non-empty stack is another example. Any move that flips (reveals) a card is another example. Moving a full suit up and out of play is another example. And, moving card(s) off a stack that contains an exposed card not one higher than the bottom moved card is another example.

Game number 14934p appears to be unwinnable. It looks like this (printout from showdeal.py):

    Game number 14934p

      1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9   10

    10S   2H   4S   QD   3D  10D   9H   AS   JS   JD
     3C   4H   3H   QH   8C  10H   3D   4D   8H   AH
     KS   KC  10C   7C   8S   3S   7D   3S   6C   5C
     4C   3H   4D   7S   2S   3C   5C   8C   QC   5S
     JH  ---  ---   QC  ---  ---   QS  ---  ---   KS
    ---   KH   2H  ---   JH   6H  ---   2C   KD  ---
     5S             2D             6H             5D

      1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9   10

     6D   AH  10H   9S   9C   6C   AC   6S   9D   4C
     5D   9H   6D   8D   9C   KD   AS  10D   QH   JS
     JC   4H   2S   6S   7H  10C   KH   8D   8H   AD
     5H   2C   2D   4S   8S   AC  10S   7H   5H   7C
     9D   KC   AD   QD   JC   JD   7S   7D   9S   QS

    

First, remember this:

So, examine game 14934, as shown above:

Notice the positions of the 3's, 2's, kings, and 6's. All stacks but the 6th and 7th have kings or 2's in them. So the stacks other than the 6th and 7th cannot be emptied unless another stack is empty (to move a king to), or unless a 3 is exposed (to move a 2 to).

Simplified, that means that, unless 3's are available for the 2's to be played on, only the 6th and 7th stacks can be emptied. (And, without an empty stack, nothing can be done but play a whole suit built up on a king ... which won't happen if a 2 cannot be played on the king's stack.)

But the only 3's available to be played on are on the 6th and 7th stacks. Unfortunately, all of these 3's are hidden by 6's ... which cannot be moved before they are covered by flopped kings ... which cannot be moved because there are no empty stacks to move them to.

    Game number 1748p

      1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9   10

     AH   3D   4S   5H   6H   6H   8H   6C   6S   8C
     6D   2C  10C   5D   6C   6D   7D   KC   3C   QC
     2H   QD   5S   7D   QS   3D   2C   5S   8S   7H
     QH   KD   8D  10S   7C   5H   3S  10D   5D   5C
     KS  ---  ---   3H  ---  ---   6S  ---  ---  10C
    ---   QC   4H  ---   KS   QH  ---  10D   KD  ---
     9H             AD             KH             8S

      1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9   10

    10H   7H   5C   QS   8C   9H   JD  10H   9S   KC
     QD   9C   4C   4H   AH   3H   8H   AS   JS   KH
     9D   4C   JD   AS   JH   2H   4S   7S   2D   4D
     2S   9S   4D   AD   AC   JH   JC   8D   9C   7S
     JC   2S   JS   3S   9D   3C   AC   7C   2D  10S

    

Game 1748 appears unwinnable, too.

    WinSpidr game number 1295w

      1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9   10

     5D   2D   3C   4H   AC   6C   7C   9H   6H   AH
     6D   JC   2S   5C   6S   4D  10H  10C   6D   6H
     QD   7S   AS   9D   2H   5S   6S   4C   8D   6C
     3H   JS   8C   9S   AC   2C   8S   9C   8H   5H
     KS  ---  ---   9S  ---  ---   4S  ---  ---   7C
    ---  10S   2H  ---   4D  10H  ---   KH   KC  ---
     QH             2D             5C             AH

      1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9   10

     4H   4C   8D   KH   KD   QS   5S   KS   7D   2C
     7H   KD   3D   7S   8H   3D  10D   AS   3H   7D
     9D   JC   8C  10S   JD   3S   QD   9H   QH   QS
     JS   4S   AD   JH   5D   QC   QC   JD   3C   KC
     AD   9C  10D  10C   5H   JH   7H   3S   2S   8S

  Example unoptimized moves to 1 empty stack:Lost  1295   3:42   222 seconds    0 keys   97 moves  1 empties V0.85  Mon, 09 Sep 2024 13:32:11 GMT
  5#1>7 1#1>8 5#1>4 10#1>5 D D D 1#1>4 3#1>4 1#1>4 3#1>1 3#1>8 3#1>1 D 1#1>7 3#1>1 7#1>6 4#1>7 D 9#1>8 3#1>6 2#1>4 7#1>10 6#1>7 3#1>4 3#1>8 3#1>9 3#1>2