The goal of FreeCell

The goal of FreeCell is to move all 52 cards to four foundation piles, one for each suit. Each foundation begins with an ace and builds upward in suit through the king.

Unlike Klondike Solitaire, every card is face up from the beginning. That means FreeCell is mainly a game of planning rather than discovery. You can see the obstacles immediately, but you must create enough temporary space to move around them.

How a FreeCell game is set up

The deck is dealt face up into eight tableau columns. The first four columns receive seven cards each, and the remaining four receive six cards each. Above the tableau are four free cells and four foundation spaces.

A free cell can hold one card at a time. It is temporary storage, not a foundation. Empty tableau columns are also useful working spaces and usually provide more flexibility than a single open cell.

Legal FreeCell moves

  • Build tableau columns downward in alternating colors. A black 8 may go on a red 9, for example.
  • Move the exposed bottom card of any tableau column into an empty free cell.
  • Move a card from a free cell back to a legal tableau position or onto its foundation.
  • Move an ace to an empty foundation, then build that foundation upward in the same suit.
  • Move any exposed card into an empty tableau column.
  • Move a correctly ordered sequence when the available free cells and empty columns provide enough temporary space.

How many cards can move together

FreeCell appears to move a whole sequence at once, but that shortcut represents a series of legal single-card moves. The number of cards you can move depends on the working spaces available.

With no empty tableau columns, you can move one more card than the number of open free cells. One open cell allows a two-card sequence, two open cells allow three cards, and four open cells allow five cards.

Each usable empty tableau column doubles that capacity. When moving a sequence into an empty column, that destination does not count as an extra working column. Keeping cells and columns open therefore makes long reorganizations possible.

A strong way to start

Begin by locating the aces and low cards. Look at what covers them and identify moves that release several useful cards rather than only one. An early move is strongest when it opens a foundation card, creates an empty column, or preserves an open free cell.

Avoid filling all four free cells immediately. A card placed in a cell may be difficult to remove, and every occupied cell reduces the length of sequence you can move. Before using a cell, decide where that card is likely to go next.

Use empty columns carefully

An empty tableau column is the most powerful resource on the board. It can hold any exposed card or legal sequence, and it increases your ability to move longer runs elsewhere. Try to clear a short column when doing so does not permanently fill your free cells.

Do not rush to fill an empty column with a king simply because the move is legal. A king creates a long permanent stack unless you can move it again. Use the space for a king when that stack releases important low cards or supports a clear plan.

Foundation strategy and common mistakes

Aces and 2s are usually safe to send home quickly. With higher cards, check whether the opposite-color cards one rank lower are still needed in the tableau. Advancing one suit too far can remove a card that would help organize another column.

Common mistakes include filling every free cell, building one very long sequence without enough space to move it, and using an empty column for a card that does not improve access. When stuck, work backward from the lowest buried card and ask which columns or cells must be opened to reach it.

  • Keep at least one free cell open whenever practical.
  • Prefer moves that uncover aces, 2s, and cards blocking short columns.
  • Build useful alternating runs, but make sure you still have the capacity to move them.
  • Compare both red or both black destination choices before committing a card.
  • Use undo to study why a promising line closed the board, then try a different move order.