FreeCell beginner guide
How to Play FreeCell: Rules and Beginner Strategy
FreeCell is an open-information solitaire game: all 52 cards are visible, so planning matters more than luck.
Build down in alternating colors
Move exposed cards onto the opposite color one rank higher. Empty cascades accept any card or legal sequence.
- Red 9 onto black 10
- Keep sequences ordered
- Use empty columns carefully
Use free cells as temporary workspace
Each free cell holds one card. Open cells and cascades determine how many cards can move together.
- Keep one cell open when possible
- Move parked cards out promptly
- An empty cascade is especially valuable
Build foundations from Ace to King
Send each suit home in ascending order. Safe low cards can move automatically, but avoid removing a card needed as a tableau landing place.
- Release Aces early
- Balance red and black foundations
- Complete all four suits to win