FreeCell
Overview
FreeCell is an "open" solitaire card game played with a standard 52-card deck. Unlike Klondike Solitaire, all cards are dealt face-up from the start, making it a game of pure strategy where nearly every deal is solvable.
Card Rank
K (high), Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, A (low).
Setup
The game begins with three types of areas:
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Tableau (8 columns): The first four columns have 7 cards each, and the last four have 6 cards each. All cards are face-up.
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Free Cells (4 slots, top left): Empty temporary storage slots. Each can hold one card.
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Foundations (4 slots, top right): One for each suit (hearts, diamonds, clubs, spades). These start empty.
How to Play
Building Foundations
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Move Aces to empty foundation piles.
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Build each foundation in ascending order (A, 2, 3, ... K) of the same suit.
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Cards can be moved to foundations from the tableau or from free cells.
Moving Cards in the Tableau
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Build tableau piles in descending order with alternating colors (red on black, black on red).
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You may move a single card or a valid sequence of properly ordered cards from one tableau column to another.
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Any card (not just Kings) may be placed in an empty tableau column.
Using Free Cells
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Each of the 4 free cells can hold one card at a time.
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Any top card from a tableau column can be moved to an empty free cell.
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Cards in free cells can be moved back to the tableau or onto a foundation at any time.
Moving Sequences (Supermove)
Technically you can only move one card at a time, but the game allows moving sequences as a shortcut:
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The number of cards you can move at once depends on how many empty free cells and empty tableau columns are available.
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More empty spaces = larger sequences you can move.
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Formula: (1 + empty free cells) x 2^(empty columns) when moving to a non-empty column.
Strategy Tips
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Don't fill free cells early — treat them as precious resources. If all four are full, you lose the ability to move sequences.
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Clear columns quickly — an empty column is more powerful than a free cell because it effectively doubles your moving capacity.
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Prioritize Aces and low cards — unbury them as quickly as possible to start building foundations.
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Plan several moves ahead — since all cards are visible, think strategically about the order of operations.
Winning
The game is won when all 52 cards have been moved to the four foundation piles. Each foundation should contain 13 cards from Ace to King of a single suit.
Losing
If every free cell is full, every column is occupied, and no card can move to another column or a foundation, the game ends and the deal is lost.