FreeCell Solitaire Guide: Planning with Free Cells

NoCharge FreeCell deals all 52 cards face-up into eight columns. Four free cells at the top provide temporary storage. The goal is the same as Klondike: build foundations by suit from ace to king. The difference is that every card is visible from the start, making planning central to the game.

How to play

Eight columns of cards, all face-up. Four free cells (top-left) hold one card each temporarily. Four foundations (top-right) build by suit ascending from ace to king. Build tableau columns in alternating colors descending.

The game is won when all four foundations are complete.

Controls at a glance

• Touch or pointer: tap a card to select, tap destination to move. Double-tap to send to foundation.
• Free cells: tap an empty cell to move a selected card there.
• Keyboard: U undoes. Click columns, cells, and foundations.
• Undo: reverses the last move.

How free cells work as a planning tool

Each free cell holds exactly one card. Moving a card to a free cell is always legal (when one is empty). Moving it back requires a valid tableau or foundation destination.

Free cells are your planning space. When you need to rearrange a column or access a buried card, temporarily park blocking cards in free cells. The cost is reduced mobility: each occupied free cell limits how many cards you can move as a group.

Multi-card moves

You can move a sequence of cards from one column to another as a single action when:

1. The sequence is valid (descending alternating colors).
2. You have enough free space to support the move.

The formula is: (empty free cells + 1) × 2^(empty columns). With all four free cells empty and one empty column, you can move up to 10 cards at once. With no free cells and no empty columns, you can only move one card.

This means keeping free cells and columns empty is a strategic advantage, not just tidiness.

Strategy and patterns

Plan before moving

Since all cards are visible, scan the layout before making moves. Identify cards that block access to lower-ranked cards of the same suit. Those blockers should be moved to foundations or free cells early.

Build foundations steadily

Unlike Klondike, FreeCell foundations can be built more aggressively because you can see all the cards. However, a card on a foundation cannot return. Only send a card when no tableau column could need it.

Keep free cells empty

Every occupied free cell reduces your multi-card move capacity. Try to use free cells as temporary parking, not permanent storage. If a free cell has been occupied for several moves, look for a way to free it.

Empty columns are valuable

An empty column accepts any card and doubles your multi-card move capacity. Try to clear a column early if possible.

Accessibility

• All cards have aria-labels describing rank, suit, and position.
• Free cells and foundations are keyboard-operable buttons.
• Undo is a standard button reachable by Tab.

What we don’t claim

We do not claim that any specific deal is solvable. We do not show a winnability percentage. While most FreeCell deals are believed to be solvable, we make no such claim for our generated deals. We track wins as a personal record, not a performance evaluation.