How to Play FreeCell
FreeCell is a solitaire card game where all 52 cards are dealt face up into eight columns. You win by moving every card to four foundations, one per suit, from Ace to King. In the columns you build down in alternating colours, and you can park single cards in four free cells while you rearrange. Because nothing is hidden, almost every deal can be won.
How to set up FreeCell
- Take one standard 52-card deck, no jokers, and shuffle it.
- Deal all the cards face up into eight columns, left to right, one card per column at a time. The first four columns get 7 cards and the last four get 6.
- Overlap the cards downwards so you can read every one.
- Leave room above the columns for four free cells (on the left) and four foundations (on the right). Both start empty.
Computer versions number their deals. The numbering most players know comes from the FreeCell that has shipped with Windows since 1995, and GameLake uses the same numbers, so deal #1 here is the same deal #1 you may have played there.
The rules
| Where | What you can do |
|---|---|
| Columns | Move the front card of a column onto a card one rank higher and of the opposite colour: a black 7 on a red 8. |
| Free cells | Put any one card in an empty free cell. Each cell holds one card, and you can play it out again whenever it fits somewhere. |
| Empty columns | Any card can go into an empty column, not just a King. |
| Foundations | Start each with its Ace, then build the same suit up to the King. Fill all four to win. |
Moving several cards at once
Strictly, you move one card at a time. But if a column ends in an ordered run (like 9♠ 8♥ 7♣), you can move it in one go, as long as you have enough empty space to have done it card by card. Most computer versions, including GameLake, do this for you. The limit is (free cells + 1) × 2 for each empty column:
| Empty free cells | No empty column | 1 empty column | 2 empty columns |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 card | 2 cards | 4 cards |
| 1 | 2 cards | 4 cards | 8 cards |
| 2 | 3 cards | 6 cards | 12 cards |
| 3 | 4 cards | 8 cards | 16 cards |
| 4 | 5 cards | 10 cards | 20 cards |
Your first moves in deal #1
Look at column 6: it ends in 3♦ and 2♣, and right under them sit two Aces. Two moves dig them both out:
- Put the 3♦ in a free cell. Nothing else can hold it yet: it needs a black 4, and both are buried.
- Put the 2♣ in a second free cell. Now the A♣ is free and goes home.
- The 2♣ follows it home from its free cell, and the A♠ underneath goes home too.
Two moves, three cards home, and only one free cell still in use (the 3♦). On GameLake the last three happen by themselves, because cards that can't be needed on the table any more go home automatically. GameLake's solver opens this deal with exactly the same two moves.
Where FreeCell came from
FreeCell grew out of an older patience called Baker's Game, where columns are built by suit instead of alternating colours. Paul Alfille changed that rule and wrote the first computer version in 1978 on the PLATO system at the University of Illinois. It became world famous once Microsoft put it in Windows.
Playing FreeCell on GameLake
- Levels: Easy, Medium and Hard each draw from a set of classic deals that a solver has graded by difficulty. The Daily is a Medium deal, the same for everyone that day.
- Tap to move: tap a card and it goes to the best place: home if it can, then onto a column, then an empty column, then a free cell. You can also drag cards.
- Auto home: Aces and 2s fly up on their own, and so does any card once both opposite-colour cards one rank lower are home, since nothing could ever need it as a resting place.
- Undo and Teach me: undo up to 60 moves, or let Hop highlight a good move and explain why, such as which low card it digs out.
- Classic look: switch to a green felt table if you prefer the traditional style.
Once the rules click, FreeCell strategy shows how to plan a whole game. New to card solitaire in general? How to play Solitaire covers the classic game.
Frequently asked questions
How do you set up FreeCell?
Shuffle one deck and deal every card face up into eight columns: 7 cards in each of the first four, 6 in each of the last four. Leave space above for four free cells and four foundations.
What are free cells for?
Each free cell can hold any single card for as long as you like. They give you room to move cards out of the way, but they fill up fast, so use them sparingly.
Can you put any card in an empty column in FreeCell?
Yes. Unlike classic Solitaire, any card or ordered run can go into an empty column.
How many cards can you move at once in FreeCell?
As many as you could move one at a time using the space you have: (empty free cells + 1), doubled for each empty column. With 4 free cells and no empty column that's 5 cards.
What is the difference between FreeCell and Solitaire?
In FreeCell all cards are face up from the start, there's no stock, and you get four free cells. Classic Solitaire (Klondike) hides most cards face down and adds a stock to draw from, so it has more luck.