How to play FreeCell
FreeCell uses one 52-card deck, dealt face up into eight columns. Four columns get seven cards and four get six. Above them are four free cells on the left and four foundations on the right. The goal is to move every card to the foundations, building each suit up from Ace to King.
The rules
- In the columns, build down in alternating colors: a red 6 goes on a black 7.
- Each free cell holds one card. Use them to park cards while you dig out the ones you need.
- Any card can go into an empty column.
- Foundations take cards of one suit in order, from Ace up to King.
Moving several cards
Officially you move one card at a time, but this game moves a whole run for you when you have enough room to do it card by card. The limit is (free cells + 1) × 2empty columns. With two free cells and one empty column you can move (2 + 1) × 2 = 6 cards. If you move a run into an empty column, that column does not count toward the limit.
Controls
Drag cards, or tap a card to send it to the best spot: the foundation first, then a column, then a free cell. Hint highlights a move worth considering, and Undo takes back as many moves as you like. Type a number in the deal box to replay a specific deal.
Strategy tips
Plan before the first move
Every card is visible from the start, so look for the Aces and twos and count how many cards sit on top of them. Start where the low cards are easiest to free.
Keep free cells empty
Free cells are your working space. Each card you leave in a cell lowers the number of cards you can move at once. Try to keep at least one or two open, and do not fill the last one unless it wins something concrete.
Empty a column
An empty column is worth more than a free cell, because it doubles the size of the run you can move and it can hold a whole sequence. Short columns are good candidates to clear.
Watch for buried low cards
A two or three stuck under a long column will block a whole suit. Work toward it early instead of building tall stacks on top of it.
A bit of history
FreeCell grew out of older solitaire games such as Baker's Game, which builds in the same suit instead of alternating colors. A computer version written in 1978 made it popular, and the numbered deals became a shared reference for players around the world. Deal #11982 is the well-known exception that cannot be solved.
Want more cards? Spider Solitaire uses two decks and hidden cards. For a number puzzle instead, try Sudoku.
Questions
Can every FreeCell deal be won?
Almost. Among the classic first 32,000 numbered deals, only deal #11982 is known to have no solution. A handful of other deals are famously hard but solvable.
What do the deal numbers mean?
Each number always produces the same layout, using the classic numbered-deal shuffle. You can replay a deal, share its number with a friend, or compare solutions.
Why can I not move my whole stack at once?
You can move as many cards as you could shift one at a time using free cells and empty columns: (free cells + 1) multiplied by 2 for each empty column. Moving into an empty column, that column does not count.
Why do some cards jump to the foundations by themselves?
Cards move up automatically only when they are safe, meaning no card left on the table could still need them as a place to build. Aces and twos always go up.