Solution to Giza deal number 50832
There are lots of traps in this deal. The 4-9-9-4 stack in the pyramid has to be taken off in sequence by the other two nines and fours. The four of diamonds has to be discarded with one of the column nines, then the fours in the pyramid have to be discarded with the nines in the pyramid. The ace of hearts in the pyramid covers three of the queens, so it must be discarded with the queen of diamonds. We won't be able to reach either ten in the pyramid until after we discard the three of spades (which allows the nines and fours to be removed), so we need both of the other tens to remove the threes of hearts and spades.
So we start by discarding the jack of diamonds and two of hearts, then the jack of spades and two of diamonds (in order to remove a pair of cards where one covers the other, we use this technique of combining them with another discard of the same combination of ranks). Now the queen of spades and ace of hearts are discarded, then the ten of diamonds and three of hearts, and king of diamonds. We cannot use the five of clubs to remove the eight of hearts, because that would create a crossblock: the four of clubs would block both eights which could be used to remove the five of hearts, which in turn covers the nine of hearts which we will eventually discard with the four of clubs. So it is necessary to discard the eight and five of hearts together, and we must reach the nine of clubs in column four in order to discard the four of diamonds. We discard the king of spades, seven of clubs and six of spades, queen of spades and ace of clubs, seven and six of diamonds, and finally the nine of clubs and four of diamonds. Now we discard the queen of hearts and ace of diamonds, ten of hearts and three of spades, and the rest is straightforward: nine of spades and four of hearts, nine of hearts and four of clubs, eight of clubs and five of diamonds, jack and two of clubs, king of hearts, ten and three of clubs, seven and six of hearts, eight and five of spades, eight of diamonds and five of clubs, queen of clubs and ace of spades, jack of hearts and two of spades, nine of diamonds and four of spades, ten of spades and three of diamonds, seven of spades and six of clubs, and finally the king of clubs.
This article is copyright ©2008 by Michael Keller. All rights reserved.