Overview
FreeCell is a fully visible solitaire puzzle. All 52 cards begin face up, so success depends on preserving temporary space and sequencing moves rather than discovering hidden cards.
Objective
Move every card to the four suit foundations, building each one from Ace through King. You win when all four foundations contain a complete 13-card suit.
Setup
Cardems deals one 52-card deck round-robin across eight tableau columns. The first four columns receive seven cards and the other four receive six. Four free cells and four suit-specific foundations begin empty.
How to Play
- Build tableau columns downward by alternating color: a red 6 may go on a black 7, for example.
- Put one card in an empty free cell. A cell cannot hold a group.
- Move an Ace to its matching suit foundation, then build upward one rank at a time in that suit.
- Move a valid descending alternating-color group between tableau columns when Cardems' available capacity permits it.
- Move any single card or valid group into an empty tableau column.
With two empty free cells and one other empty tableau column, you can move up to (1 + 2) × 2^1 = 6 cards onto an occupied destination. Onto an empty destination, that same empty column is the landing place rather than temporary space, so the capacity is 3 cards.
Use the FreeCell move calculator above to check a position before committing the move.
Important Rules
- A movable tableau group must be one continuous descending, alternating-color sequence. You cannot carry a broken group just because its bottom card fits.
- Any card may enter an empty tableau column; unlike Klondike, it does not have to be a King.
- Each foundation is assigned to one suit in Cardems. Foundations begin with their matching Ace and only take the next higher card of that suit.
- You may move a foundation card back to a free cell or tableau if that destination accepts it.
- There is no stock and no redeal.
Scoring and Winning
Cardems starts at 0 points. Moving a card from a free cell or tableau to a foundation adds 10 points. Moving a card back from a foundation subtracts 15 points, without taking the displayed score below zero.
The score records progress, but the only win condition is four completed foundations.
Strategy
Try to uncover low ranks and release Aces and 2s early, but do not send every available card to a foundation automatically. Keeping a card in the tableau can be the only way to support an alternating sequence. Emptying a tableau column is especially powerful because it doubles the calculated sequence capacity for each available empty column.
Standard FreeCell and the Cardems Ruleset
The familiar FreeCell layout uses eight tableau columns, four cells, and four suit foundations. Cardems follows that layout and the common calculated group-move model rather than animating an unlimited stack as one move.
Digital editions differ on scoring, automatic foundation moves, solvable-deal guarantees, and whether a foundation card can return to play. Cardems permits foundation reversals, scores those reversals separately, and does not promise that every shuffled deal is solvable. Compare it with other open and hidden-information games in the solitaire guide.
FAQ
How many cards can I move together?
It depends on empty space. Use (1 + empty free cells) × 2^(empty tableau columns), subtracting an empty destination column from the tableau count for that move.
Can I put two cards in one free cell?
No. A free cell holds exactly one card.
Can any card go into an empty tableau column?
Yes. Cardems allows any single card or valid descending alternating-color group in an empty tableau column, subject to the movement-capacity rule.
Is every deal solvable?
Cardems deals a shuffled deck and does not label deals as solvable or unsolvable. Use Undo and the available space carefully if a line of play closes off.
