FreeCell rules

About the game

FreeCell is a solitaire card game played with a standard 52-card deck. Unlike many other solitaire games, all the cards are dealt face up from the very beginning, so every move depends on planning and strategy rather than luck.

The objective is simple: move all the cards into the Foundations, building each suit in order from Ace through King. How you get there, though, is where the challenge lies.

Playing the game

The board is divided into three main areas:

FreeCells
- Four open slots in the upper left.
- Each can hold any single card.
- Cards can be moved in and out freely.
- These cells give the game its name!
Foundations
- Four piles in the upper right, one for each suit - (Clubs ♣, Diamonds ♦, Hearts ♥, and Spades ♠).
- Cards must be stacked in order from Ace to King.
- Once a card is placed here, it can't be moved back.
Tableau
- Eight piles / columns where the cards are dealt face-up at the start.
- A card can be moved onto another pile if:
  - The pile is empty, or
  - The top card is one rank higher and a different color.
- Cards can be moved out if:
  - They are the top card, or
  - They are part of a sequence that follows the alternating-color rule, and there are enough empty FreeCells / Tableau columns to allow the move.
    - This works because cards in FreeCell can move only one at a time. Large "super-moves" are just shortcuts for several single-card moves.
    - For instance, moving the sequence { 5♣, 4♥ } on top of 6♥ can be done in one go when there is an empty FreeCell, because it internally breaks down into these three moves:
      1. Move 4♥ to the empty FreeCell.
      2. Then put 5♣ on top of 6♥.
      3. Finally move 4♥ back on top of 5♣.

The game uses a standard 52-card deck. Within each suit, cards are ranked from lowest to highest: A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K.

Winning: Move all cards to the Foundations, building each suit from Ace to King.

How to play

You can

drag a card to where you want it, or
double-click a card and let the game place it automatically.

Remember: you can move sequences in the Tableau as long as they alternate in color and decrease in rank one step at a time.

The game records both your move count and the time taken. There's no real "game over" - the only way to lose is if you give up on a deal and start another.

In game assistance

When dragging a card, valid parent cards in the Tableau are highlighted.
- Example: dragging the J♥ will highlight the Q♣ and Q♠.
You can right-click a card in the Tableau to see it clearly.
- This is useful when overlapping cards hide the suit symbol.
- For example, right-clicking the Q♠ reveals it fully.
You can always undo or redo a move if you need to correct a mistake or try a different approach.

Hint system

The game includes a hint feature to guide you when you're stuck or still learning the rules. It highlights both the card you should move and its destination. For instance, the example below shows a hint for moving the J♥ on top of Q♣. You can have the game make the suggested move by left-clicking the button.

The hint system looks for a path to victory, though it doesn't always find the shortest solution. Since FreeCell is mathematically a hard problem, the solver is designed to run quickly (within about a second). If it fails, even a single move on your part can change the outcome - try shifting a few cards, then use the hint again.

Playing a specific game

This version of FreeCell uses the same deal generator as the classic Windows release. That means you can enter any specific deal number to replay it. For instance, Windows deal #11982 is famously unsolvable!

Tips and Tricks

Don't move cards into the Foundation too quickly.
- Moving them too early can sometimes block you from making sequences in the Tableau. For instance, if the red suits are much higher in the Foundations than the black suits, it's often best to hold off on moving more reds until the blacks catch up.
A good guideline: it's usually safe to move a card into the Foundation if the opposite-colored suits are no more than one rank behind.
- Example: with { 3♣ A♦ 2♥ 4♠ } in the Foundation, moving a red card is fine.
- Another example: with { 8♣ 7♦ 9♥ 8♠ } in the Foundation, it's again a good time to move reds.
Build Tableau sequences that start with a King when you can.
- These are especially effective because they don't block any Foundation cards and help open up other piles.
Be careful with long sequences that have cards at the bottom that don't fit the sequence. Those cards will be harder to free later.
Empty Tableau columns are especially valuable. Unlike FreeCells, which can hold only one card, an empty column can hold a whole sequence.
Super-moves increase your move-count only by 1, so use these to improve your final score.
Remember: most deals have more than one solution. If you get stuck, don't worry - take your time, think ahead, and look for a different path forward.

To learn more

FreeCell has a long history, and you can read more about it on Wikipedia. I first discovered the game back in 1998 when my dad got his first Windows PC. It took me a while to fully understand it, but I was quickly hooked!

I also had a lot of fun coding this version and building its AI. I hope you enjoy playing it as much as I enjoyed creating it!