How to play FreeCell
- Build down in the eight columns in alternating colors: a red 6 goes on a black 7. Tap a card to move it to the best spot, or drag it.
- Use the four free cells at the top left to park one card each, and the empty columns to hold whole runs. Every card starts face up, so you can plan ahead.
- Move all four suits to the foundations at the top right, from ace to king. Cards that nothing else needs go up by themselves.
Tips for winning FreeCell
- Keep free cells empty. Each empty cell lets you move one more card at a time, and an empty column doubles that. Park a card only when you have a plan to get it back out.
- Free the aces and twos first. Look for the low cards buried deepest and work toward them. Once they’re up, the cards above them can follow.
- Empty a column. An empty column is worth more than any free cell, because it holds a whole run. The shortest column is usually the quickest to clear.
- Count before you commit. Every card is face up, so check where each card can go before you move, especially before filling the last free cell.
- Restart instead of undoing everything. Restart deals the same game again from the start, which is often quicker than a long run of undos.
About FreeCell
FreeCell is a solitaire game played with one deck, where every card is visible from the start. The four free cells and the empty columns are what make it a game of skill: with them, almost any deal can be solved. Paul Alfille wrote the first computer version in 1978 on the PLATO system. FreeCell then came with Windows 95, which numbered its 32,000 deals so players could replay and compare them, and game 11982 became famous as the one deal in that set that can’t be won.
This version uses the same numbered deals, moves runs of cards in one go when you have the space, sends finished cards up by itself, gives hints from a solver, and keeps your game, wins, winning streak and best time on this device.