FreeCell

What it is

FreeCell is a solitaire of pure thinking. All 52 cards are dealt face up into eight columns, so nothing is hidden and there is no luck after the deal. You win by moving every card to four foundation piles, one per suit, from Ace up to King.

The first four columns hold seven cards and the last four hold six. Above them are four free cells, each of which can park a single card, and the four foundations. You will use the cells constantly, and the whole game is about not letting them fill up.

By default, deals are checked: every deal has a solution, so a loss comes from the plan, not the shuffle. Winnable deals is on by default in New game and you can turn it off if you prefer a fully random shuffle; very few random FreeCell deals cannot be won. The game saves as you play and keeps a timer, a move count and a score.

How to play

On the columns, build down in alternating colours: a black 8 goes on a red 9. Any card can go into an empty column. A card from a column can also be parked in a free cell, and a card in a cell can go back onto a column or up to a foundation.

You may move several cards at once, but only as many as you could move one by one. The game works out the exact limit for you. It is the number of empty free cells plus one, doubled for every empty column. An empty column that you are moving into does not count towards the limit. A sequence has to be in correct order, alternating in colour, to move as a group.

Drag a card and it lifts and follows your finger, with every valid destination highlighted. You can tap a card instead, and it goes to a foundation if it can, otherwise onto a column that can take it, otherwise into an empty column, otherwise into a free cell. On a keyboard, use the arrow keys, Space to pick up and drop, Enter to play the best move, U or Ctrl+Z to undo, H for a hint and N for a new deal.

Scoring gives 10 points for each card sent to a foundation. Undo has no limit. Hint cycles through useful moves, and the first one it shows is the start of a solving line when the solver finds one. Auto-move, in Settings, sends cards to the foundations when that is safe. When the rest of the deal can go straight up, the game finishes it for you.

Tips

• Keep free cells empty as long as you can. Each full cell cuts the number of cards you can move at once.
• Open a column early, then think hard before you fill it again. An empty column is worth more than a free cell, because it doubles your moving power.
• Look for the Aces and 2s first. If one is buried under a long column, digging it out is usually your first job.
• Before you park a card in a cell, ask where it will go afterwards. A cell is a short loan, not a home.
• Do not build a long ordered run on top of a low card you will soon need. Moving it later costs cells.
• Undo is free and unlimited. Use it to test an idea two or three moves deep, then decide.

Questions people ask

Is every deal solvable? With Winnable deals on, which is the default, every deal has a solution. If you turn it off, the deals are random. We do not claim that your finish is guaranteed, only that a solution exists.

How many cards can I move at once? The number of empty free cells plus one, multiplied by two for each empty column. Moving into an empty column does not count that column. If you try a longer move, the cards shake and stay where they are.

What is the daily deal? Everyone gets the same deal on a given day; the day changes at midnight UTC. Win it on consecutive days to grow your streak; a missed day simply starts the count again. The Daily entry in the menu shows your current streak.

Can I restart a deal? Yes. Restart in the menu puts the same deal back at the start. New game gives you a fresh one.

Does it cost anything? No account and no payment.

What do the settings change? Four-colour mode gives each suit its own colour as well as its shape, auto-move can be turned off, and there are three card backs.