FreeCell Solitaire

How to Play FreeCell Solitaire

FreeCell deals the entire 52-card deck face up into eight tableau columns — four columns of seven cards and four of six. Because nothing is hidden, you can see every card from the first second, which is what makes FreeCell a game of logic rather than luck. Above the tableau sit the four free cells on one side and the four foundation piles on the other.

The objective is the same as Klondike: build each foundation up by suit from Ace to King. You get there by building the tableau downward in alternating colors and using the free cells as breathing room. Each free cell parks exactly one card, letting you peel a blocker off a column and set it aside until you have somewhere better to put it. A single card moves on its own; to shift a run in one gesture you need enough empty cells and columns to stage the cards behind the scenes.

An empty column is the strongest resource on the board — even more valuable than a free cell — because any card can move into it. Manage your cells and empty columns well and you can untangle almost any deal. Send the last cards home to the foundations and the hand is won.

Strategy Tips for FreeCell

• Plan before you touch a card. Everything is visible, so trace a path to the Aces and low cards before committing to a move.
• Keep free cells empty. Every occupied cell shrinks how many cards you can move at once. Treat them as short-term loans, not storage.
• Race to empty a column. An empty column multiplies your moving power and accepts any card — target the shortest column early.
• Free the Aces and 2s fast. They unlock the foundations; get them out of deep columns before those columns grow.
• Don't flood the foundations. Sometimes a card is more useful bridging two columns than sitting on a foundation — hold it if it keeps a sequence alive.
• Undo and rethink. If you jam all four cells, back up: a small change in move order often unlocks the whole board.

Prefer a little more luck and a familiar layout? Try classic Klondike Solitaire, or unwind with a round of TriPeaks Solitaire — both free, right in your browser.