How to Play FreeCell Solitaire

FreeCell Solitaire is a perfect-information card game — all 52 cards are dealt face-up, so there is no hidden information. With skillful play, nearly every deal (99.999%) is winnable, making it one of the most strategic solitaire variants. Unlike Klondike where luck plays a role, FreeCell rewards careful planning and foresight above all else.

Game Setup

1. 1Shuffle a standard 52-card deck.
2. 2Deal all 52 cards face-up into eight tableau columns: the first four columns get 7 cards each, the remaining four get 6 cards each.
3. 3Reserve four empty spaces as "free cells" (temporary card storage).
4. 4Reserve four empty spaces as foundation piles (one per suit).

Complete Rules

1. 1Build tableau columns in descending order with alternating colors (same as Klondike).
2. 2Only one card at a time can be moved — but the Supermove shortcut lets you move sequences (see below).
3. 3Move any single card to an empty free cell. Each free cell holds exactly one card.
4. 4Any card can be placed on an empty tableau column.
5. 5Build foundations by suit in ascending order: Ace, 2, 3, ... King.
6. 6Supermove: you can move a valid sequence as a group. The max cards you can move = (empty free cells + 1) x 2^(empty columns). For example, with 2 empty free cells and 1 empty column, you can move (2+1) x 2^1 = 6 cards.
7. 7Safe auto-play: cards are automatically moved to foundations when they cannot be useful in the tableau (e.g., Aces and Twos are always safe).
8. 8Win by moving all 52 cards to the four foundation piles.
9. 9There is no stock pile or waste pile — all cards are available from the beginning.
10. 10You cannot place a card on top of a lower-ranked card of the same color in the tableau.
11. 11Free cells can hold any card regardless of rank or suit.
12. 12The game is lost when no valid moves remain and you cannot create space.

Strategy Tips

• Plan ahead. Since all cards are visible, think several moves ahead before acting.
• Keep free cells empty as much as possible. Your ability to move sequences depends on free cells.
• Empty columns are even more powerful than free cells — protect them.
• Look for deeply buried Aces and plan how to uncover them early.
• Build foundations evenly. Having one foundation far ahead of others can create problems.
• Do not automatically play every card to the foundation. Sometimes keeping a card in play is strategically valuable.
• Work backwards from your goal. Identify what needs to happen and plan the move sequence to get there.
• If you need to move a long sequence, count your available "Supermove capacity" first to see if it is possible.
• Focus on freeing columns rather than free cells. One empty column doubles your Supermove capacity.
• Early in the game, focus on organizing cards by suit whenever possible — it pays dividends later.

Advanced Strategy

• Calculate your maximum Supermove capacity before attempting complex moves: (free cells + 1) * 2^(empty columns). This number determines the longest sequence you can move.
• Use "cascade analysis" — before your first move, identify which columns will be hardest to unpack and plan your free cell usage around them.
• Sometimes the optimal play is to temporarily build foundations unevenly to unlock a critical sequence, then catch up later.
• In difficult deals, look for "key cards" — cards that, once freed, unlock multiple other moves. Focus your entire strategy on reaching these cards.
• Master the art of "column cycling" — moving cards through free cells and empty columns in a specific order to rearrange an entire column without permanently using resources.

Frequently Asked Questions

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