Meet Simple Simon
The goal is four complete same-suit King-to-Ace sequences. All cards are face up from the beginning. There are ten tableau columns and no stock pile. Simple Simon on edvbuch.com uses a single 52-card deck with four suits.
A wide starting tableau
The following details apply here. The remaining columns contain seven, six, five, four, three, two and one cards. 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.
Build down by rank
A few details help explain this feature. An exposed card can land on a card exactly one rank higher. Single-card placement does not require matching suits. A King needs an empty column because no higher rank exists. An Ace is the lowest rank and cannot receive another card.
Move matching groups
A few details help explain this feature. A visible card can remain blocked by cards beneath it. A group moves together only when its selected cards descend in the same suit. 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
Open columns can provide space for rearranging suit segments. A mixed build must be separated into legal groups before those groups can move. A mixed-suit descending build can serve as a temporary arrangement. Planning where each segment can land helps avoid blocking a useful card.
Use an empty column
A few details help explain this feature. You do not have to reserve empty columns for Kings. An empty column accepts any exposed card or legal same-suit group. A King-led group cannot land on a nonempty column. Spare columns can help you reconnect separated parts of one suit.
Work with the visible cards
Here are the details for this mode. A difficult position cannot receive another row of cards. Simple Simon has no stock-deal action. Undo and Replay provide ways to investigate a different sequence of decisions. All possible future arrangements depend on the cards already in the tableau.
Four runs finish the game
A few details help explain this feature. Collecting four runs clears all 52 cards. Each collected run must contain one suit in order from King down to Ace. A descending sequence with a suit change does not count as complete. A full qualifying run is removed automatically at the bottom of a column.
Use the controls carefully
Here are the details for this mode. Replay returns to the same opening arrangement. Hint suggests a currently legal move rather than a complete solution. New game deals a fresh face-up arrangement. Random Simple Simon games are not claimed to be guaranteed solvable.
A separate saved game
A few details help explain this feature. 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. My Statistics lists Simple Simon starts, wins and best completed results.