FreeCell strategy
Almost every lost deal comes down to one of five things. They are also the five things the hint on the board can name, so if you have ever wondered what it meant, this is the long version.
- Empty a column
An empty column in FreeCell doubles the size of the run you can move. Why it beats a free cell, and what it costs to keep one open.
- Spending free cells
Each filled free cell halves the run you can move. When parking a card is worth it, and why a full set of cells usually ends the game.
- Digging out
A foundation waiting on a buried ace is the usual reason a FreeCell deal stalls. How deep is too deep, and what to uncover first.
- Moving runs
Why FreeCell lets you drag several cards at once, what the limit really counts, and why moving into an empty column carries one fewer.
- Sending cards home
Sending a card to its foundation too early can cost you the game. The rule for when nothing can need it any more, and where Microsoft FreeCell differs.
The order they matter in
Space first, cards second. An empty column and an open free cell decide what you are able to do at all; which card sits on which pile only decides whether it was worth doing. That is why the board keeps the number of cards you can move on screen rather than hiding it in a rulebook.