There are times when a King is blocking access to so many cards that moving it is the only hope of winning.

As a general rule, this might be good advice, but not always. Most seem to believe that a King should never be placed into the only vacant column.As well, with only a few rare exceptions, the King is the only rank that can be removed from the Tableau without the player ever moving it. Up to 12 ranks can be piled onto a King, more than for any other rank. Even though most players dread the King because it can only be moved from a pile by placing it into a vacant column, it has a few advantages.Also, keep in mind that no suit can be built without the Ace, so burying then too deeply can backfire. When an Ace in a pile is blocking access to many cards, whether visible or not, it's often a good idea to move the Ace, if possible.

At times it's best to not move a card from atop of an Ace, even though it's possible.Before deciding, the player should take into account everything contained in the current game state, not just the number and location of hidden cards. The convention wisdom is to choose the column which contains the fewest number of hidden cards, thinking that the chances of soon regaining a vacant column are maximized. There are many occasions in games where the player is presented with a choice of which column to turn a hidden card in.For example, if moves are played in the correct order, it could be possible to guarantee a card turned in more than one column while moving cards in a different order would not. It's often possible to accomplish more than one objective concurrently. Please refer to Spider Solitaire 1 Suit and to Spider Solitaire 2 suits for basic strategy and tips.

Advanced Spider Solitaire Strategy (4-suit)

Spider 4 suit solitaire