FreeCell Rules

FreeCell is a single-player solitaire game played with a standard 52-card deck, jokers removed. What sets it apart from most solitaires is simple: every card is dealt face up at the start. There is no stock, no waste pile and no hidden card. FreeCell is therefore a game of almost pure reasoning, with luck confined to the initial deal.

Objective

The goal is to move all 52 cards onto four foundation piles, one per suit. Each foundation is built up in ascending order, from Ace through King, in a single suit. The game is won as soon as the four foundations are complete.

Setup

Shuffle the deck and deal every card face up into eight columns, which form the tableau: the first four columns receive 7 cards each, the remaining four receive 6 cards each (28 + 24 = 52). Nothing is left in hand.

Above the tableau, leave two areas empty at the start:

1. Four free cells — the cells the game is named after. Each one holds exactly one card at a time, of any rank or suit.
2. Four foundations — empty at first, they will receive the Aces as they become available, then the following cards of the same suit.

How to Play

Cards are moved one at a time, under three simple rules.

1. Within the tableau, only the bottom card of a column (the last one dealt, fully exposed) may be moved. It can be placed on a card of the next-higher rank and opposite colour: a black 7 goes on a red 8, a red 6 on a black 7, and so on. Columns therefore build downward in alternating colours.
2. Into a free cell, any available card may be parked temporarily, provided the cell is empty. It sits there alone and can leave at any moment for the tableau or a foundation.
3. Onto a foundation, an available card may be played if it is the next card of that suit — the Ace first, then the 2, the 3, and so on.

An empty column is a powerful asset: it accepts any card, not just a King.

Moving several cards. With real cards, you move one card at a time. A descending, alternating-colour sequence is therefore relocated card by card, using the free cells as working space — which is why the number of cards you can effectively shift in one go depends on how many free cells and empty columns you have available. Computer versions simply automate that manoeuvre and make it look like a single grouped move.

Example: column 1 ends with the 8♠ and the 7♥ is the bottom card of column 5. Play the 7♥ onto the 8♠ (next-lower rank, opposite colour). A 6♣ freed elsewhere can then go onto the 7♥. If the A♦ becomes available at the bottom of a column, send it straight to the foundations, then the 2♦ as soon as it is exposed.

Scoring and End of Game

There is no scoring in FreeCell. The game is won when all 52 cards have been built onto the four foundations, and lost when no legal move remains — every free cell occupied and nothing left to place. That is the real tension of the game: each card parked in a free cell costs you manoeuvring room.

Common Variants

• Baker's Game: identical to FreeCell, except that the tableau builds down in the same suit instead of alternating colours — considerably harder.
• Eight Off and Seahaven Towers: same principles, but with a different number of free cells and a different deal.
• Reduced-cell FreeCell: played with three, two or even a single free cell, which raises the difficulty sharply.

A Bit of History

FreeCell was created in 1978 by Paul Alfille on the PLATO educational computer system, building on an older solitaire of the Baker's Game family. It became famous worldwide when Microsoft shipped it with Windows in the early 1990s: millions of people met the game on screen without ever having seen it played with real cards. Its reputation rests on a rare property among solitaires — nearly every deal can be solved, which makes a lost game a matter of method rather than bad luck.

Where to Get the Game

solitaire playing cards on Amazon

Beginner Mistakes to Avoid

1. Filling the free cells too early. An occupied cell is one option fewer. Only park a card when you already know the move that will free it.
2. Rushing cards to the foundations. A card sent to a foundation does not come back: a red 5 played too soon may be sorely missed as a landing spot for a black 4.
3. Wasting an empty column. An empty column is worth more than a free cell for manoeuvring. Refilling it with the first card that comes along is usually a mistake.
4. Playing move by move. Since every card is visible, plan several moves ahead — especially to dig out buried Aces.

FAQ

1. Can I use jokers in FreeCell? No. The game is played with the standard 52 cards, jokers removed.

2. Is there a stock or draw pile? No. All 52 cards are dealt face up at the start; nothing is held in reserve. That is the defining feature of FreeCell.

3. What can be placed in an empty column? Any card. Unlike Klondike, empty columns are not reserved for Kings.

4. Can I take a card back out of a free cell? Yes, at any time, to place it on the tableau (next-lower rank, opposite colour) or onto its foundation.

5. Can I move a card back down from a foundation to the tableau? Under the basic rules, no: once a card is on a foundation it stays there. Some computer versions allow it as a convenience, but that is a software feature, not a rule of the game.

6. Is every game of FreeCell winnable? Almost. The vast majority of deals have a solution, so a lost game is usually a question of move order rather than luck.

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