FreeCell — Rules, Free Cells and How to Win Almost Every Deal
FreeCell is the solitaire for people who do not like losing to luck. All fifty-two cards are dealt face up into eight columns at the start, so nothing is hidden and nothing is left to chance once the deal is made. Every decision is yours, which is why it became the solitaire people played for hours on office computers, and why a good player wins nearly every game.
The goal is the same as in Klondike: move every card onto the four foundations, one per suit, from Ace up to King. In the columns you build downward in alternating colours, a red 9 on a black 10, a black 8 on that red 9. The four free cells in the top left are the twist. Each one holds a single card of any kind, which gives you somewhere to park a card while you dig out the one beneath it. An empty column works as a bigger free cell: any card or valid run can go there, not only a King.
Strictly, you move one card at a time. In practice, a run of cards in order can move together as long as you have the room to do it one card at a time through the free cells and empty columns. This version works that out for you. With two free cells empty you can move a run of three; every empty column doubles that. If a run is too long for the space you have, the game tells you rather than refusing silently.
The habits that win FreeCell are mostly about the free cells. Treat them as scarce: a cell filled early is a cell you do not have later, when you need it most. Look for the Aces and low cards first and plan how to reach them. Emptying a whole column is worth more than any single free cell, so it is often worth a few moves to clear one. And before you commit to a long plan, use Undo to test it. There is no penalty for taking moves back.
Every deal has a number. The same number always gives the same layout, so you can restart a deal that went wrong, or tell a friend the number and race each other on exactly the same cards. Tap a card to pick it up and tap where it should go. Tap it twice to send it straight to its foundation, or to a free cell if it cannot go home yet. Once every column is in order, Auto-finish plays the rest for you.
How to play FreeCell
- Press Deal to start a random numbered deal.
- Tap a card or a run to pick it up, then tap the column, free cell or foundation where it should go.
- Build columns down in alternating colours. Build foundations up by suit from Ace to King.
- Tap a card twice to send it home, or to an empty free cell if it cannot go home yet.
- Use Undo freely, Restart to replay the same deal, and Auto-finish once every column is in order.