FreeCell free · big cards · tap a card to move it

How to play FreeCell

FreeCell is a solitaire game where every card is dealt face up, so it’s a game of skill rather than luck. Almost every deal can be won.

The layout

• Eight columns hold all 52 cards, face up.
• Four free cells (top left) each hold one card for a while.
• Four foundations (top right) are where each suit is built up from Ace to King.

The rules

• In the columns, build down in alternating colors: a red 6 goes on a black 7.
• Any card can go into an empty free cell or an empty column.
• Build each foundation up by suit, starting with the Ace.
• You win when all four suits are home on the foundations.

Moving several cards at once

Officially you move one card at a time, but you can move a whole ordered run in one go if there’s enough room to do it one card at a time. With f empty free cells and e empty columns, you can move (f + 1) × 2^e cards. The game does this counting for you and simply won’t let a run move if it’s too long.

How to play here

1. Tap a card to move it. The game sends it to the best place: a foundation if possible, otherwise onto another column, an empty column, or a free cell.
2. Tap a card inside a column to move it together with the ordered cards on top of it.
3. Prefer to choose the spot yourself? In the Menu, pick “Let me pick where”. Then tap a card, and tap where it should go.
4. Undo as often as you like, and tap Hint when you’re stuck.

Tips

• Free the Aces and 2s first; they’re often buried near the bottom.
• Keep free cells empty for as long as you can. Each empty one lets you move longer runs.
• An empty column is worth even more than a free cell. Think twice before filling one.

Questions