FreeCell Solitaire is played with 52 cards. The goal is to build four stacks of 13 cards each using all the cards available on the field. This is done in the order from the lowest to the highest card – that is, starting with the Aces and continuously in ascending order (from Ace to King).
Each stack must use a specific suit (clubs with clubs, hearts with hearts, etc.). These stacks must be built up on their starting base (home cells) – the four empty compartments at the top right. The four empty compartments on the top left can be used to temporarily store cards that are not needed during the game. The total of four free compartments are called "Free Cells" in English, hence the name of the game.
1. Start Building the HomeCell Stack as Soon as Possible
Start building the HomeCell stacks as early as possible. Each of these stacks must start with an Ace. Your goal is to create your own HomeCell stack for each suit. Be careful not to put any cards in the HomeCell stack if you think you might still need them later. Once a card is in a HomeCell stack, it can no longer be moved.
2. Move Cards in the Tableau
During the game, it often happens that a required card is blocked behind another card in the tableau. In this case, you have two options: move the card to a free space (FreeCell) or to another column. To do this, you need to follow specific FreeCell rules:
- Cards must be placed in descending order from King to Ace.
- As in the card game Klondike, the card colors must alternate (i.e., black on red or red on black).
- The color of the card does not matter when cards are moved from column to column in the tableau. So, for example, you can put a black 7 on a red 8 or a red 10 on a black Jack.
3. Use Empty Columns
When you have played all the cards in a column, you can move a single card from another stack into the now-empty column. Sometimes sequences of cards can also be moved.
4. Use FreeCells Sparingly
Each FreeCell field can hold one card at a time. In general, you can move cards from the tableau to a free space at any time during the game. You can also move cards from one of the four FreeCell squares back to the tableau or a HomeCell stack. However, you should note that a card can no longer be moved once it is in a HomeCell stack.
5. Build Up Four Stacks of 13 Cards Each
To win FreeCell, you need to completely build up all four HomeCell stacks (each with 13 cards), with each suit going from Ace to King in ascending order. Be careful not to end up in a dead end, otherwise you will no longer be able to win the FreeCell game. However, this is exactly what makes the game so exciting and fun.
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