FreeCell Help
The Object of the Game
Rules of the Game
Playing the Game
Strategy and Tips
Shortcuts
The Object of the Game
The FreeCell display consists of four Home Cells (at the top right), four Free Cells (at the top left), and a deck of cards (at the bottom). The object of the game is to move all of the cards to Home Cells. To win, you must stack cards of the same suit in order of rank, starting with the Ace. The game starts with all of the cards in eight randomly sorted stacks. You can only move the top card of a stack, but you can use Free Cells to hold cards temporarily. Every game can be won, at least in theory.
Rules of the Game
There are three legal moves in FreeCell:
- You can move any card from the bottom of a column to an empty Free Cell.
- You can move any card from the bottom of a column or from a Free Cell to a Home Cell if that card is of the same suit and one greater in rank than the card already in the Home Cell. For example, you can move the 4 of Clubs onto the 3 of Clubs in a Home Cell. Aces can always be moved to a Home Cell.
- You can move a card from either a Free Cell or from the bottom of one column to the bottom of another column, as long as the rank of the card is one less than the rank of the card it is placed on, and the colors are different. For example, you can move a black 3 onto a red 4. Any card can be moved to an empty column.
Note At the end of each move, FreeCell automatically transfers unneeded cards to the Home Cells. A card is unneeded if there are no lower rank cards of the opposite color left in the playing area.
You win when all of the cards are in Home Cells. You lose if there are no more legal moves. You can try to win the same game again (without affecting the statistics) by tapping the Restart Game button.
Playing the Game
- To start a new game, tap the New Game button.
- To restart the current game, tap the Restart Game button.
- To move a card, tap it, and then tap the area to which you want to move it. If you tap a card and then decide not to move it, tap the card again to deselect it.
See Also
Strategy and Tips
Shortcuts
Strategy and Tips
- Think ahead before you make a move to be sure you don't block any future moves.
- Take some time to become familiar with moving cards and stacks of cards, and figure out the limitations of different moves.
- Use your Free Cells carefully: there are only four. Try to keep them unoccupied as much as possible.
Shortcuts
- You can double-tap a card to quickly move it to a Free Cell. (You must first select this option in the Options dialog.)
- You can move all of the cards from one column to another, as long as there are enough Free Cells open. To do this, tap the bottom card in the stack, and then tap the column to which you want to move the cards.
- To undo your last move, tap Undo on the Game menu.
- To reveal a partially hidden card, tap the card while holding the Up/Down control down.