Moves 0
Wins 0
How to play
Goal
Move all 52 cards onto the four home piles at the top right, one pile for each suit, from Ace up to King.
The layout
- Columns: eight columns below, with every card face up from the start.
- Free cells: four spaces at the top left. Each can hold one card for a while.
- Home piles: four spaces at the top right, built up by suit from Ace to King.
How it works
- In the columns, build down in alternating colours: a red 7 goes on a black 8.
- Tap a card to move it. It goes home if it can, otherwise to a column where it fits, otherwise into a free cell.
- Tap a card in the middle of a column to move it with the cards below it, as long as they form a run and you have room: more free cells and empty columns let you move longer runs.
- Any card can move into an empty column.
- Undo takes back as many moves as you like. When every column counts down, a Finish button sends all the cards home.
- Nearly every deal can be won, so there is always a way.
Tips
- Try to empty a column early. An empty column is worth more than a free cell.
- Free up Aces and 2s first, and avoid filling every free cell.
- Before you move, look at which buried cards you need next.
The history of Free Cells
This game was created in 1978 by Paul Alfille, who wrote it for the PLATO computer system at the University of Illinois. It became famous when it was included in Microsoft Windows in 1991, and millions of people played it. Unlike many patience games, almost every deal can be won with careful planning, because all the cards are visible from the start.