Doodle CubFreeCell is a solitaire game where every card is dealt face up, so luck matters far less than planning. You win by moving all 52 cards to four foundation piles, one per suit, from Ace up to King. Four free cells give you room to park cards while you dig. Here are the rules, step by step.
The layout
- Eight columns (also called cascades): all 52 cards are dealt face up, four columns of seven cards and four of six.
- Four free cells in the top left: each holds one card.
- Four foundations in the top right: one per suit, built from Ace to King.
What you can move
- The top card of any column can go onto another column if it is one rank lower and the opposite colour: a red 6 on a black 7.
- Any card can go into an empty free cell. A card in a free cell can move back onto a column (following rule 1) or to its foundation.
- Any card can go into an empty column. Unlike Klondike, it doesn't have to be a King.
- Cards go to the foundations in suit order, starting with the Ace.
Officially you move one card at a time. Most computer versions, including FreeCell Doodle, let you drag a whole run when you have room for it, and simply do the single-card moves for you. That is called a supermove.
How big a run can you move?
The limit depends on free space: (free cells + 1) multiplied by 2 for every empty column (not counting the column you are moving into). With four empty free cells and no empty column you can move 5 cards. With one empty column it doubles to 10. Spend a free cell and the limit drops, which is why parking cards casually is the most common way to lose.
How you win, and how you lose
You win when all four foundations reach King. You lose when no legal move is left that changes anything, or when you get yourself into a loop. Almost every deal can be won: of the original 32,000 Microsoft deals, only one, number 11982, has no solution. FreeCell Doodle solves each deal before it reaches you and never serves the known impossible ones.
A first game, step by step
- Find the Aces and the 2s. Look at where they sit and how many cards cover them.
- Free the shallowest Ace first. Move the cards above it onto other columns if you can, using free cells only when you must.
- Send low cards home early. Aces and 2s are no use in the columns.
- Aim for an empty column. Empty columns are worth more than free cells, because they double the size of the runs you can move.
- Keep at least one free cell open whenever you can. A full set of free cells usually means you are three moves from being stuck.
Common questions about the rules
Can I put any card in an empty column? Yes. That is the biggest difference from Klondike.
Can a card go back from the foundation? In classic FreeCell, no. Some versions allow it; FreeCell Doodle moves cards home only when no other card could still need them, so you rarely want one back.
Is FreeCell harder than Klondike? It looks harder, but because everything is visible, a careful player wins far more often. Most losses are planning mistakes you can undo and fix.
What are deal numbers? Microsoft FreeCell numbered its deals, and FreeCell Doodle shuffles deals 1 to 1,000,000 the same way, so you can type a number and replay a deal you know.
Once the rules feel natural, the next step is planning a few moves ahead: which column to empty, which cards to keep out of the free cells. A full strategy guide follows later this month.