FreeCell is the thinking player’s solitaire: every card starts face up, so nothing is hidden. Four free cells hold one card each and act as temporary parking while you rearrange the eight tableau columns.
Nearly every FreeCell deal is winnable with perfect play — the challenge is sequence planning, not luck.
How to play FreeCell
- Tableau: eight columns built down by alternating color.
- Free cells: each holds at most one card. Cards in cells can move back to the tableau or foundations.
- Foundations: build up by suit from ace to king.
- Moving stacks: you may move a run of length N only if you have enough empty cells and empty columns combined to hold the cards above the segment you are moving (standard FreeCell buffer rule).
- Win: all cards on the four foundations.
Strategy tips
- Keep free cells open when possible — a full set of four occupied cells locks the board quickly.
- Send aces (and often twos) to foundations early unless you need a low card as a tableau anchor.
- Before moving a long stack, count buffers: empty cells plus empty columns must cover the cards you are carrying.
- Empty a column when you need a king parking spot, not just because it is empty.
- If stuck, work backward from foundations: which cards are blocking the next foundation build, and can a cell hold them briefly?
Common questions
Are all FreeCell deals solvable?
Classic FreeCell has a few documented impossible deals, but the vast majority are solvable. If you are stuck, the layout usually needs a different cell assignment, not a new shuffle.
How is FreeCell different from Klondike?
Klondike hides cards and uses a stock. FreeCell shows everything and gives you four buffer cells instead — much more planning, much less luck.
