What does a FreeCell deal look like?
The cards are dealt into eight columns: seven in each of the first four and six in the others. They all lie face up, so nothing depends on luck with the draw. Above the columns there are four free cells and four foundation spots.
How many cards can you move at once?
Formally you move one card at a time, but a run can be moved through free spaces. The number of cards in one move is: free cells plus one, multiplied by two for every empty column that is not the destination. With four free cells and one empty column you can move ten cards.
Can every FreeCell deal be won?
Almost every one. In the classic set of 32,000 deals from Windows, only one, number 11982, has no solution. That is why in FreeCell your plan decides the result, and a loss usually comes from filling the cells too quickly.
Strategy: how to win at FreeCell
- At the start, find the Aces and twos, and the cards that cover them.
- Before you fill a free cell, plan how you will empty it.
- An empty column is worth more than a free cell, because it doubles the number of cards you can move.
- Send cards to the foundations once they are no longer needed in the columns.
