Rules & strategy
How to Play FreeCell: A Beginner’s Guide
FreeCell makes every card visible from the start. The puzzle is working out how to reach the cards you need without filling all your temporary spaces. Start by looking for access, rather than trying to move as many cards as possible.
By Idea2Play · 2 min read · Updated
Read the table before moving
A normal deal has 52 face-up cards in eight columns, four empty free cells and four foundations. There is no stock to draw from. Your goal is to build each foundation from Ace to King in a single suit.
Columns build downward in alternating colors. A red 7 can land on a black 8. A free cell holds just one exposed card; an empty column can accept any rank. In this version, foundation cards cannot be moved back directly, so use Undo if you need to reconsider.
Plan a small opening sequence
Look at the cards covering an Ace or a low card you need next. Before moving a blocker into a cell, identify where that blocker could return to the columns.
- Find an accessible Ace and the next few cards in its suit.
- Use a legal column move first if it reveals a useful card without occupying a cell.
- If you park a card in a cell, work toward releasing it again.
- Recheck the whole board after revealing a new route.
Why an ordered group may still be stuck
An alternating-color sequence is movable only if you have enough temporary space to transfer its cards. Capacity is (empty free cells + 1) × 2 for each spare empty column. An empty destination column does not count as spare space.
Practice decisions, not speed
Start on Relaxed and use Undo to compare two approaches to the same position. Hint explains a suggested move without moving the cards. A verified winning line and a search suggestion are different kinds of help; read the explanation before committing.
Relaxed, Standard and Challenge all keep assistance in ordinary solo play. Exact-deal portal challenges have their own restrictions. There is no time limit or points target: freeing space and exposing the next useful card are good first goals.
Try it at the table
Pick one idea from the guide and try it in a game. You can play without an account.