# Play FreeCell solitaire (deals 1–32000)

FreeCell deals all 52 cards face up, so no card is ever hidden face down: every deal is a puzzle you can study before your first move. Four free cells give you room to park single cards while you untangle the columns. [Deal FreeCell now](../index.html?game=freecell#play) and play right here, free, with no account and no money.

Card Lounge uses the same deal numbering and shuffle as the classic Microsoft FreeCell, so deal numbers you already know from there produce the same layouts here. Your round in progress is saved automatically in your browser, and FreeCell keeps its own statistics: rounds played, rounds won, best time and fewest moves for wins.

## How to win

Move all 52 cards to the four foundations, one per suit, each built up from Ace to King.

## Rules

### The deal

- One deck, with all 52 cards dealt face up into eight columns. The first four columns get 7 cards and the last four get 6.
- Four free cells, each holding one card, and four foundations that build up by suit from Ace.
- Deals are numbered 1 to 32000 and use the classic Microsoft FreeCell numbering and shuffle. Deal number 1 starts with J♦ 2♦ 9♥ J♣ 5♦ 7♥ 7♣ 5♥ across the first row.
- The well-known deal number 11982 is included. It is widely reported as the only one of the original 32,000 deals with no solution.

### Moving cards

- The tableau builds down in alternating colours, for example a red 6 on a black 7.
- Any card may fill an empty column.
- A free cell holds a single card until you move it on to the tableau or a foundation.
- Officially, one card moves at a time. The game moves a run of several cards at once when there would be enough free cells and empty columns to move them one by one.
- The largest run you can move is `(empty free cells + 1) × 2^(empty columns)`. An empty column that is the destination of the move does not count towards that power.

### End of the round

- **Won:** all 52 cards are on the foundations.
- **Lost:** no legal move changes the position.
- Starting a new deal before the end counts the unfinished round as abandoned.

### Run size examples

- 4 empty free cells, no empty columns: (4 + 1) × 1 = 5 cards.
- 2 empty free cells and 1 empty column that is not the destination: (2 + 1) × 2 = 6 cards.
- 1 empty free cell, 2 empty columns, moving into one of them: only the other column counts, so (1 + 1) × 2 = 4 cards.
- No empty free cells and no empty columns: 1 card.

## Controls

- Tap or click a card (or the top card of a run), then tap the destination; or drag and drop.
- Double-click or double-tap a card to send it to its foundation when legal.
- **Hint** (`H`) highlights one legal move without making it; **Auto move** (`A`) plays the move the hint would show.
- **Undo** (`U`) is unlimited, right back to the deal; **New deal** is `N`. FreeCell has no stock, so there is no Draw.
- Keyboard: `Tab` moves between piles, `Enter` or `Space` selects and places, and `Esc` cancels a selection.

## Tips

1. **Keep free cells empty for as long as you can.** Each occupied free cell lowers the run size you can move. With all four cells full and no empty column, you are down to moving one card at a time.
2. **An empty column is worth more than a free cell.** The formula shows why: with one free cell open and no empty column you can move 2 cards. Opening a second free cell raises that to 3, but emptying a column raises it to 4.
3. **Dig out the Aces and 2s early.** Low cards buried deep in a column hold up their suit's foundation. Look for the shortest route to each Ace before you start building long runs elsewhere.
4. **Plan several moves ahead.** Every card is visible from the start, so take a moment to trace what each move unlocks. A few seconds of planning often saves a free cell.
5. **Avoid filling a free cell with a high card early.** A King in a free cell can only leave for a foundation or an empty column, so it may sit there for a long time.
6. **Use Undo to test lines of play.** Undo is unlimited, so you can try an idea and step back freely. Each deal number can also be replayed later, which makes it easy to return to a deal you want to solve.

For terms such as free cell and foundation, see the [glossary](../glossary.html); for general planning ideas, read the [strategy guide](../strategy.html).

## Related games

- [Klondike Draw 1](klondike.html) adds hidden cards and a stock to the build-down-in-alternating-colours idea.
- [Yukon](yukon.html) also deals every card into the tableau with no stock, but starts with some cards face down.
- [Spider One Suit](spider-one-suit.html) is a two-deck game about building complete runs.