-----------------------------
This week: Sakhmet
Solitaire
-----------------------------
This is a variation on one of the oldest solitaire games, variously known as
Klondike or Patience. Side note: the Patience games comprise many similar games,
but the Klondike variety was so popular that it also garnered the name for itself.
Grand Master ranking for Sakhmet Solitaire is a cumulative total like several
other Neopian solitaire games. The rankings are:
0 Beginner
500 Amateur
1000 Novice
2000 Expert
4000 Master
15000 Grand Master
So, though you can just play low scoring games forever and finally get to Grand
Master without ever winning, you can also get some trophies for winning 2 or
more games, and for winning two in a row. We'll look at some strategies here
for how to win the game and get 860 points.
You have two choices for how to go through the cards, either one at a time,
once through the deck, or three cards at a time, three times through. Each style
has its advantages and disadvantages, but there's less strategy to going through
one at a time, so we'll mostly discuss the 3 at a time play.
In one card at a time play, you do need to bring the cards down to the tableau
(where the rows of cards start out) or up to the foundation (where the Aces
go) if at all possible, because once buried in the discard stack, the cards
may never be seen again.
When you're playing three at a time, you can think a bit differently. You can
always see all three of the cards that you draw, so you know if it's important
to uncover some of the triplet. If it's not important to get to those, and it's
optional whether to play a card on the tableau or from the draw pile, play on
the tableau.
Most of the time, because the draw pile is visible and the cards on the tableau
are unknown, you want to try to uncover the tableau. Two cards are important
to uncover and make use of: Aces and Kings. The King is the only card that can
go to an empty column, and the Ace is the only card that can start a foundation
stack. Without these available, you simply won't win.
If you have a choice of which King to play, pick one of each color even if
you don't have any Queens visible. You always want at least one stack of each
color. There's nothing more discouraging than having an entire tableau showing
red cards and draw more red cards in the deal. Variety is important. If you
don't have an advantage to combining two stacks into one, don't. You might be
able to play some other card onto the middle "join" card instead.
One other thing that you should keep in mind, when playing three at a time,
is the effect your plays have on future runs through the deck. With only three
trips, it's not easy to implement this strategy, but remember that using one
card of a triplet will make the lowest cards of all subsequent triplets available
on the next trip through the deck. It may well be worth passing over a chance
to use a card, just to know that you'll get a whole set of unplayed cards next
round. That's really important if you have an Ace or Two hiding down there.
Okay, so about that score. Apart from personal satisfaction and artistic merit,
there's nothing great about loading up most of the cards down on the tableau.
The only way you get points in this game is to get them moved up to the foundation
stacks.
So, here's another thing to remember about the way Neopets has implemented
their game. You can always move cards around on the tableau. So, if you really
need the five of spades, but it has the four of diamonds on it, and the five
of clubs is free, you can move the four and anything below it over to the other
black five, and play the five of spades.
This procedure will not only free up cards to the foundation, but properly
done will also allow some exposure of hidden tableau cards just by shuffling
stacks back and forth. You also want to uncover cards from the shortest stacks
first, if you don't have open spaces or all four Kings deployed. That way you're
more likely to have room to move a King up when you encounter one.
The only way you get points... Oh, I said that already. Well, get to moving
those cards up to the foundation then. You get points as follows for doing that:
20 points for each Ace
10 points for each card 2-Queen
85 points for each King
That's a total of 860 points for a win, but 340 of that comes from just putting
those four Kings up there. Of course, once you've got all the draw pile deployed
and all the tableau cards uncovered, it's just a matter of tediously moving
the cards to the tableau. Where's that "finish for me" button?
Okay, that's about it for this game. Main strategy? Play a lot and you'll make
Grand Master. But work on winning, and you'll have some more bronze, silver
and gold in the trophy cabinet.
Next: Chute
Other articles so far in the series: Nimmo's
Pond, Pyramids,
Swarm!,
Scarab
21 and Pterattack.
-------------------------
Docktor is Grand Master of Sakhmet Solitaire and several other games. He holds
the Grand Master position in the new "Game Strategies Guild" where strategies
such as presented in this article are discussed among the members.
| 
