About FreeCell Solitaire
FreeCell is the solitaire of pure skill. All 52 cards are dealt face up into eight columns at the start, so there is no hidden information and no luck once the cards are on the table: every move you need is in front of you. Four free cells in the top-left corner give you room to park single cards while you dig out the aces, and the four foundations on the right are built up by suit from ace to king.
Almost every FreeCell deal can be won. The deals here use the same game numbers as the classic Microsoft version, so game #11982, famous as one of the very few that cannot be solved, is the same layout you may have met before, and you can compare a numbered game with friends. Moving a long run uses free cells and empty columns automatically, the way the original game did, so you never have to shuffle cards one at a time by hand.
Drag a card or a run with your mouse or finger, or tap it to send it to the best legal spot: a foundation, then a column, then a free cell. Safe cards go up to the foundations on their own, and once every column is in order the rest of the game plays itself out. Undo is free and unlimited, so you can always step back and try a different line. Your game saves automatically in this browser, so you can close the tab and carry on later, and your statistics (games played, games won, best time and winning streak) are kept for each variant.
How to play FreeCell Solitaire
- All 52 cards are dealt face up into eight columns: the first four have seven cards, the last four have six.
- Build down in the columns in alternating colours, for example a red 8 on a black 9.
- Any single card can be moved into one of the four free cells, which hold one card each. A card in a free cell can be played to a column or a foundation.
- Any card or valid run can be moved into an empty column.
- Move aces to the foundations as they become free and build each one up in suit to the king. You win when all 52 cards are on the foundations.
Rules
Strictly, only one card moves at a time. Moving a run is a supermove: a shortcut for moving the cards one by one through empty free cells and columns. You can move up to (free cells + 1) × 2 to the power of the number of empty columns. With 4 free cells and no empty column that is 5 cards; with 2 free cells and 1 empty column it is 6. When the destination itself is an empty column it does not count.
Cards on the foundations stay there in FreeCell.
Hints suggest a useful move, including parking a card in a free cell when that frees an ace or a building move. You get three free hints per game and can watch an optional short ad for three more.
Scoring
Every card that reaches a foundation scores 10 points, so a won game scores 520. What matters more in FreeCell is how few moves you need and how fast you finish; your best time for FreeCell is kept in your statistics.
Tips
- Look before you move. Every card is visible, so plan where the aces and twos are and how to reach them.
- Treat free cells as precious. Each one you fill halves your room to move runs, so empty them again as soon as you can.
- An empty column is worth more than a free cell: it doubles the length of run you can move.
- Try to clear a short column early to win an empty column.
- If you get stuck, undo several moves and look for a different way to free the next card the foundations need.
Frequently asked questions
Can every FreeCell game be won?
Nearly all of them. Among the original 32,000 numbered deals only one, game #11982, has no solution. If you cannot find a way, use undo to try another plan.
Why can I not move more cards at once?
The number of cards you can move in one go depends on your empty free cells and empty columns: (free cells + 1) × 2 to the power of the empty columns. Free a cell or empty a column to move a longer run.
What do the game numbers mean?
Each number is a specific deal, the same as in the classic Windows version. The current game number is shown at the top of the board.
Can I take a card back from a foundation?
No. In FreeCell cards on the foundations stay there, but you can always undo a move.
Is my game saved?
Yes. Your game in progress and your FreeCell statistics are saved automatically in this browser.
More solitaire games
- Klondike Solitaire: the classic seven-column game from Windows, with draw 1 or draw 3.
- Spider Solitaire: two decks and ten columns; build king-to-ace runs with 1, 2 or 4 suits.