FreeCell — Rules
layout
- One deck, 52 cards
- Tableau piles: 8
- Free cells: 4
- Foundations: 4
- No stock — all cards are dealt at the start
goal & play
goal
Move all 52 cards to the four foundations — one suit per foundation, from ace to king.
All cards are dealt face up into eight piles: seven cards in each of the first four, six in the rest, and the whole layout is visible from the start. There is no stock — nothing is left to chance here, everything depends on the order of your moves. Piles are built downward in alternating colors: a black seven goes on a red eight. The four free cells at the top are temporary shelves: each holds exactly one card of any kind, and you may take it back at any time. Any card may fill an empty pile, not just a king. Formally one card moves at a time, but free cells and empty piles multiply that number, so a built chain travels as a whole — the game works out the length for you.
nuances
You can move as many cards as the free cells plus one, doubled for every empty pile; the pile you are moving into does not count towards that total.
tactics
Don't keep all four cells occupied — an empty cell is worth more than any parked card. Almost every deal here is solvable, so a loss is nearly always a mistake rather than bad luck.
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