How to Play FreeCell

FreeCell is a solitaire card game played with a standard 52-card deck. Unlike many solitaire variants, nearly every FreeCell deal is solvable, making it a game of pure skill rather than luck. The key mechanic is the four free cells that give the game its name -- temporary storage spaces that let you maneuver cards with precision.

Objective

Move all 52 cards to the four foundation piles. Each foundation is built up by suit from Ace to King. The game is won when all four foundations are complete (Ace through King of each suit).

Setup

The playing area consists of three zones:

• Four Free Cells (top-left): Empty spaces that can each hold one card at a time. These are your temporary storage.
• Four Foundations (top-right): Build each suit from Ace up to King here. This is your goal.
• Eight Tableau Columns: All 52 cards are dealt face-up into eight columns. The first four columns receive 7 cards each; the last four columns receive 6 cards each.

Gameplay Rules

Moving Cards in the Tableau

Cards on the tableau are built down in alternating colors. For example, a black 6 can be placed on a red 7, or a red Queen can be placed on a black King. Only the top card of each column is directly accessible.

Using Free Cells

Any top card from a tableau column can be moved to an empty free cell. Each free cell holds exactly one card. Cards in free cells can be moved to a valid tableau position or to a foundation at any time. Managing your free cells wisely is the core skill in FreeCell.

Building Foundations

Move Aces to the foundations as they become available, then build up in suit (Ace, 2, 3, ... Queen, King). Cards placed on foundations are typically not moved back.

Moving Multiple Cards

Strictly speaking, only one card may be moved at a time. However, a sequence of cards in descending order and alternating color can be moved as a group, provided there are enough empty free cells and empty tableau columns to theoretically move them one at a time. The maximum number of cards you can move at once is:

(1 + number of empty free cells) x 2 ^ (number of empty columns)

For example, with 2 empty free cells and 1 empty column, you can move up to (1 + 2) x 2 = 6 cards at once.

Empty Tableau Columns

Any card or valid sequence of cards can be moved to an empty tableau column. Empty columns are extremely valuable because they effectively double your moving power, much like an extra free cell but even more flexible.

Winning and Losing

You win when all 52 cards have been moved to the four foundations. The game is lost when no more legal moves are available and the foundations are not complete. Because all cards are visible from the start, you can always plan ahead -- making FreeCell one of the most strategic solitaire games.

Statistically, about 99.999% of randomly dealt FreeCell games are solvable. The original Microsoft FreeCell numbering system included one famously unsolvable deal: Game #11982 out of the original 32,000 deals.

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