What is FreeCell?
FreeCell strips luck almost entirely out of solitaire. Everything is visible, nearly every deal can be won, and a loss is almost always your own mistake.
How FreeCell works
FreeCell deals all 52 cards face up into eight columns. You build the tableau down in alternating colors and the four foundations up by suit, just like Klondike. The twist is the four free cells at the top, each holding a single card as temporary storage. There's no stock and no hidden cards, so the whole puzzle is in front of you from move one.
Why it's nearly always winnable
Roughly 99.999% of FreeCell deals are solvable, only a tiny handful of the classic 32,000 Microsoft-numbered deals are impossible. That's why a loss almost always means a misstep rather than a bad shuffle, as our is FreeCell always winnable answer explains. It makes FreeCell the game to play if you want skill to decide the outcome.
A short history
FreeCell was popularized by Paul Alfille, who built a computer version on the PLATO system in 1978, and it reached a mass audience when Microsoft included it with Windows 95. Today it's a benchmark for solitaire strategy. Learn the tactics in how to win FreeCell.
Related questions
Is FreeCell always winnable?
Almost, but not quite. About 99.999% of random FreeCell deals are solvable with perfect play, so a loss is nearly always a mistake rather than a dead shuffle. Of the famous 32,000 numbered Microsoft deals, only one, deal #11982, is provably unwinnable.
Can you move more than one card at a time?
Yes. In Klondike, Yukon and most tableau games you can pick up a correctly ordered run of face-up cards and move it as a single group. FreeCell technically moves one card at a time, so the size of a group you can shift depends on how many free cells and empty columns are open.
Is solitaire luck or skill?
It is both, and the balance depends on the game. The shuffle decides whether a deal can be won at all, but skill decides whether you actually win it. FreeCell is almost pure skill because every card is visible, while Klondike mixes luck of the draw with real decision-making.