As much as possible, build up ordered sequences in the tableau.

Moving an Ace or a Two into the foundation is never a mistake.

However, be aware that it's not always possible or advantageous to place a King into a vacant column. This is because the King is highest in rank, and the only card that cannot be placed onto another card.

When an empty column is to be filled with a card, the best card to fill it with is a King.

An empty column can be very useful for moving ordered sequences between piles.

Since an empty column is much more useful than a free cell because it can hold more than one card, vacating the pile of cards in as many columns as possible should be given a high priority.

This is not to suggest that a King should never be moved into a free cell. Remember that a King moved into a free cell can only be moved into the tableau if there exists a vacant column.

Because using up free cells limits mobility, care should be taken when moving a card into a free cell.

Since Aces must go first into the foundation, they should be given a very high priority of uncovering.

At any point during a game, making a quick and obvious move without first exploring the consequences is usually not the best strategy.

Look for a strategy that you believe might lead to a victory. Study the layout of the cards in the tableau very carefully before making any move.Here are seven gameplay tips on how to win at Freecell:

However, provided that a sufficient number of combined free cells and tableau columns are empty, an ordered sequence of more than 1 card may be moved all at once from one pile either onto another pile or into an empty column. For example, from the bottom up, the Two of Diamonds, the Three of Clubs, and the Four of Hearts constitutes a 3-card ordered sequence. It's also possible to move a card from the foundation to a free cell or the tableau.Īn ordered sequence consists of consecutive cards in a pile that are both in-rank and with alternating colors, with the lowest rank being at the bottom. Note that since the King possesses the highest rank, it cannot be moved from a free cell onto a pile.Ī card may also be moved either from a free cell or the bottom of a pile to the foundation, providing that it is an Ace, which begins a suit build, or the next in rank for a suit, which extends a build. For example, the Four of Spades might be moved from a free cell onto either the Five of Hearts or the Five of Diamonds at the bottom of a pile. When moving a card from a free cell to the tableau, it can only be placed either into a vacant column or onto the lowermost card in a pile that is next-in-rank and of the opposite (red or black) color. Any single card may be moved to an empty free cell. In the first 4 columns, piles of 7 cards are dealt, and in the remaining 4 columns, piles of 6 cards are dealt.Ī card may be moved by the player back and forth between the tableau and the free cell area. When the game starts, all 52 cards are dealt face-up into the 8 columns in the tableau. The goal of FreeCell is to build up all 4 of the suits in the foundation, each in order from Ace to King. The most popular version played today is the Classic version. Originally, the game had several different variants.

Working at the University of Illinois, he programmed the first computerized version of the game in 1978. Paul Alfille is credited with the invention of FreeCell. From low to high, card ranks run in order from Ace, to Two, to Three, and so on up to Ten, Jack, Queen, and finally King. You can play this deal from the top menu (choose 'Numbered Games').īoth ranks and suits of cards are important in FreeCell. A rare example of a deal that is considered to be unsolvable is deal number 11982 from Windows 95's version of FreeCell. The only real difference is that in FreeCell, they are built by alternate (red and black) colors, while in Baker's Game cards are built by suit.Īlmost all FreeCell games are winnable. It's a modification of the solitaire game called Baker's Game. Classic FreeCell is played with one 52-card deck of standard playing cards.

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