Play Three Blind Mice Solitaire Online for Free (10-Column Scorpion)
Three Blind Mice Solitaire is a wide-tableau Scorpion variant named after the nursery rhyme, using ten columns, hidden-card pressure on the right side, and two face-up reserve cards that demand careful timing. The wider board creates longer planning lines and richer tactical rerouting than seven-column Scorpion, making it ideal for experienced players.
What is Three Blind Mice Solitaire?
Three Blind Mice uses Scorpion-style movement rules but expands the board to ten columns of five cards each. You still build down by suit and clear complete King-to-Ace runs, but the wider tableau and right-side hidden-card placement create distinct pacing from standard seven-column Scorpion.
Three Blind Mice Solitaire history
The name comes from the nursery rhyme - the three hidden columns on the right side are the "three blind mice" that you cannot see until you work toward them. The variant appears in modern solitaire collections as a Scorpion-family alternative focused on board breadth rather than depth, dating back to traditional English card game compilations.
Three Blind Mice deal layout
Unlike standard Scorpion where hidden cards are on the left, Three Blind Mice puts the hidden pressure on the right side (columns 8-10). The two reserve cards deal face-up when triggered.
| Column | Total cards | Face-down | Face-up | Reveal priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-7 | 5 each | 0 | 5 | Normal - fully open from the start |
| 8 | 5 | 3 | 2 | High - 3 hidden cards ("the mice") |
| 9 | 5 | 3 | 2 | High - 3 hidden cards ("the mice") |
| 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | High - 3 hidden cards ("the mice") |
| Reserve (stock) | 2 | 0 | 2 | Face-up reserve - deal when tactically ready |
How to play Three Blind Mice Solitaire - step by step
- Start with the seven fully open left columns (1-7) - build same-suit descending sequences immediately using the full information available.
- Use the wide open columns to pre-build suit structure that will give hidden-card reveals somewhere useful to go when they emerge.
- Work toward exposing hidden cards in columns 8-10 by moving the two face-up cards in those columns to legal destinations.
- Manage at least one column as a staging lane for King-led repositioning - empty columns only accept Kings in Three Blind Mice.
- Deploy the two face-up reserve cards when they unlock specific blocked sequences or chain multiple reveal moves together.
Strategies to win Three Blind Mice Solitaire
- Prioritize revealing hidden cards in columns 8-10 before the left columns become over-fragmented from casual moves.
- Use the width of the ten-column board to stage temporary stacks without permanently over-splitting suits.
- Keep at least one flexible column available for King-led repositioning at all times.
- Time the two reserve cards for moments that unblock a hidden card or complete a suit chain, not routine tempo moves.
- Merge near-complete same-suit chains before opening new tactical fronts on the left side.
Scorpion family comparison
| Game | Columns | Hidden cols | Reserve cards | Est. win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Three Blind Mice | 10 (1 deck) | Cols 8-10 (3 each) | 2 face-up | ~28% |
| Scorpion | 7 (1 deck) | Cols 1-4 (3 each) | 3 face-down | ~28% |
| Scorpion II | 7 (1 deck) | Cols 1-3 (3 each) | 3 face-down | ~36% |
| Wasp | 7 (1 deck) | Cols 1-4 (3 each) | 3 face-down | ~50% |
| Double Scorpion | 10 (2 decks) | Cols 1-4 (4 each) | 4 face-down | ~12% |
How difficult is Three Blind Mice Solitaire?
Difficulty is medium to hard. The broader tableau offers more routing options, but the right-side hidden pressure creates delayed bottlenecks that punish players who spend all their early energy on the open left side.
What is Three Blind Mice Solitaire win percentage?
A practical estimate for Three Blind Mice is about 28% wins - similar to standard Scorpion despite the different layout. The ten-column width provides more options, but the right-side hidden-card timing challenge balances it out.
What is the difference between Three Blind Mice and Double Scorpion?
Three Blind Mice uses one deck and ten shorter columns of five cards, while Double Scorpion uses two decks and ten columns of ten cards. Three Blind Mice is one-deck fast with right-side reveal timing as the core challenge; Double Scorpion is deep two-deck play with left-side hidden pressure and long sequential run building.
Three Blind Mice Solitaire FAQ
Why do the hidden cards go on the right in Three Blind Mice?
The design places hidden pressure at the far end of the board (columns 8-10) to create a different tactical rhythm from standard Scorpion. In Scorpion, you reveal from left to right. In Three Blind Mice, the open left side tempts you into cosmetic sorting while the hidden right side quietly becomes a bottleneck - reflecting the nursery rhyme's theme of something unseen lurking at the edge.
When should I play the two reserve cards?
The two reserve cards deal face-up, so you know exactly what they are when you trigger the deal. Use them when they directly unlock a blocked move in columns 8-10, enable a King repositioning, or chain into a same-suit sequence completion. Never use them just to generate board activity when no clear benefit is visible.
Is Three Blind Mice harder than Scorpion II?
Generally yes. While Scorpion II has fewer hidden columns (3), Three Blind Mice has a wider board that requires broader planning across ten columns. The extra visible space is advantageous but also creates more decision points where a weak move can have cascading consequences.
Can I win without creating empty columns?
It is possible in very favorable deals but unusual at the medium-to-hard level. Empty columns, even temporary ones that form when you deplete a five-card column, are critical for the sort-and-reassemble operations needed to build clean same-suit runs across a ten-column board.
Why do my near-complete runs collapse late game in Three Blind Mice?
Late-game collapses almost always come from splitting same-suit chains too early for positional convenience on the open left side. When the hidden right columns finally open, the recovered cards have no clean suit chain to join. Maintain the integrity of your strongest suits throughout mid-game even if it temporarily limits mobility.