Freecell is an addictive Solitaire game invented by Paul Alfille. While it is fun, it is dependent on skill. Luckily most Freecell games are winnable with great gameplay. Freecell Solitaire is the most popular of all the solitaire games out there. It is much similar to Baker’s game, only that in Freecell, cards are built down using alternate colors, and in Baker’s game, they’re built in suit. Although this can seem like a small difference at the first glance, it affects how often a player wins the game. Freecell has more solvable deals compared to Baker’s Game.
Jim Horne, the designer of the Freecell game in Windows 95, created a unique numbering system that contributed to the game’s popularity along with Klondike. If you are new to playing Freecell, it is essential to learn the basics to gain a better understanding of the game. Here’s a comprehensive guide to everything you need to know about playing Freecell.
Game Setup
In Freecell, a standard 52-card deck is used, which is thoroughly shuffled by the player. The game starts with a tableau consisting of a row of 8 face-up cards, followed by 5 more rows of 8 cards each, placed on top of the first row. This results in a layout of 8 rows, each with 6 cards. Cards can continue to overlap as long as the player can see the ones below the top card, highlighting the difference between Freecell and Klondike solitaire. The player must also select a temporary holding area for four cards and create 4 foundation piles of ascending cards from Ace to King.
To play, the player must use the four suits of Aces to move them to a foundation row as quickly as possible. They must create lines of descending cards in each column, alternating between red and black. For example, a black ten of spades should be followed by a red nine of hearts. The player can also use the free cells to move cards from the columns to access the Aces. It is important to create the foundation piles evenly and fill them with cards as soon as possible. Each card placed in the free cells reduces their number. The game is won when the player places all the cards in the foundation piles in ascending order from Ace to King in each suit.
Freecell Turns
There is not a limited number of moves you can make. However, as always, making fewer turns is better than moving frequently. Now, there are several deals on Freecell: the Random deal where cards are reshuffled randomly and consequently, the Numbered deal where players select a number to compete with others, and the Winning deal that has at least one winning solution.
Players can make three legal moves on Freecell. You can move an Ace of any suit to a homecell or any free card to a free cell or one free card to another free card so long as it’s the opposite color. The first thing to do is to move any free Aces and clear out columns using fewer free cells. While you can move one card, if you have a sequence with alternating colors, you can move them at once with enough free cells. Also, note that players can only move 1 card at a time to a free cell or from different stacks. Therefore, it’s not possible to move three cards or more at a time. But, players can move a group of cards if they’re in a proper sequence and they have enough empty tableau piles.
Freecell Rules
The main objective of Freecell is to place all cards face up on the foundations, building an ascending sequence in each suit. Only Aces can be placed in an empty foundation, and the player can add only the higher card of the same suit to that foundation. Movable play cards are those on top of a tableau column or a single card placed in a free cell. Cards can be moved to the foundation from a free cell or the tableau. Any card can be moved to an empty tableau column or free cell. A card can also be added to a non-empty column in the tableau as long as it has a lower value than the one it is placed on and is of an alternate color. For example, a player can place a 6 of diamonds or hearts on top of a 7 of spades for a black suit.
It is worth noting that selecting Casino Scoring in the settings menu awards scores based on the common wagering scheme. In online games, players can move a sequential group of cards if they have enough empty cells to hold each group. This speeds up gameplay, but players can also move one card at a time to achieve the same goal.
How to Win
Luckily, almost every Freecell game is winnable. Note that Freecell games use a basic numbering system to eliminate un-winnable games. #11982 is Freecell’s first game that can’t be won. After, the only games that are not solvable out of the first million available are #781948, #512118, #495505, #186216, and #146692. This simply means that only about 1/8 of the games are not winnable. Usually, low number games are those that give players a hard time, which are #178, #617, and #1941. Nevertheless, with an effective strategy, you can tackle even the most challenging plays. Here are some strategies to help you win regularly.
- Don’t make any move before analyzing your tableau. Remember that even obvious moves can be misleading.
- Prioritize freeing up Aces and Deuces first, especially those behind the higher cards by moving them to home cards.
- Try keeping your cells empty as you can’t maneuver when they’re filled.
- Always target to have an empty column for storing a complete sequence. And if you can, you should fill it with a sequence in descending order.
- Avoid moving cards to homecells without carefully thinking about it.
It is worth noting that while some deals in Freecell can be solved quickly, others may require more time to solve. However, players can replay similar shuffles in multiple ways to complete challenging deals faster. The key to improving your skills in this game is to play it frequently.
