FreeCell deals all 52 cards face-up into eight columns, so nothing is left to luck once the cards are down. Nearly every deal can be won. When you lose, the cause is almost always an earlier choice, often one that seemed harmless, like parking a card you didn't need to park. That makes FreeCell a game of planning. Read the board, find what's blocking you, and spend your free cells only where they buy something.
Read the deal before you move
Take a moment at the start. Find all four aces and count how many cards sit on top of each. Do the same for the twos. Those buried low cards decide your opening.
- Start with the ace that's easiest to free. An ace under one or two cards is a quick win and often frees a column's worth of moves.
- Look for a column you can empty. One of the four six-card columns, holding cards that already fit on other columns, is a good target.
- Note where the kings sit. A king that was dealt first into its column is already where it belongs. A king near the open end of a column will need an empty column later.
Cells and columns: what they're worth
Free cells and empty columns both make room, but they don't count the same. Each empty free cell lets you move one more card in a run. Each empty column doubles the number you can move. So an empty column is usually worth more than two free cells.
Here is the arithmetic in a real position. You have two empty free cells and no empty columns. You can move a run of three cards at once. Now empty a column. With the same two cells, you can move six cards between other columns. Move a run into the empty column itself, though, and you're back to three, because that column is no longer spare.
- Use a free cell only to reach something. Parking a card is right when it frees an ace, a two, or a card that lets a run move. Parking a card just to see what's under it is the most common way to run out of room.
- Get cards out of the cells soon. A card stuck in a cell for many moves costs you a cell for all of those moves.
- Treat an empty column as a tool. Move a single card or a short run there briefly, then clear it again, rather than filling it for good.
A worked opening
Say the ace of clubs is covered by two cards. A 9 of hearts sits on it, and the open 4 of spades sits on that. The 4 has no red 5 to land on, so park it in a free cell. The 9 of hearts can go on a black 10 that's open elsewhere. Now the ace of clubs goes up. If the 2 of clubs is also open, it follows. Now look at the 4 of spades in the cell. If a red 5 turns up, move it out of the cell at once. You used one cell for a short time and freed two foundation cards. That's a good trade. Using two cells to reach a 9 is not.
Mistakes to watch for
- Filling all four cells. With no free cell and no empty column, you can only move one card at a time. Most lost games reach this state first.
- Moving a run into an empty column without need. You give up half your moving power.
- Building on cards you'll need soon. Burying the 2 of hearts under a long run will cost you later.
Improving step by step
Every deal is a fresh shuffle, and undo has no limit, so a lost game is never really lost. When you get stuck, rewind to the last point where you filled a free cell and try a different line. Your move count is a good target. A tidy win usually takes far fewer moves than a messy one. If you prefer some hidden cards and a stock to draw from, Solitaire adds an element of luck to the same building rules.
