FreeCell is the solitaire where luck barely plays a part. All 52 cards are dealt face up into eight columns, and you have four free cells, each able to hold one card for a while. The goal is to move every card to the four foundations, each suit from ace to king. With nothing hidden, you can look several moves ahead and plan, which makes FreeCell the most thoughtful of the solitaires.
In Hamdor, FreeCell plays fully offline. When you are stuck, the hint button shows a next move, and any move can be undone. Once the remaining cards are in order, the game sends them home for you.
How to play FreeCell
- All 52 cards are dealt face up into eight columns: four of seven cards and four of six.
- There are four free cells, each holding one card. A card in a free cell can go back to a column or to a foundation at any time.
- In the columns, place a card on one a rank higher and of the opposite colour, such as a red seven on a black eight.
- Any card can go into an empty column.
- Foundations start with an ace and build up in suit to the king.
- Strictly, cards move one at a time, but the game moves an ordered run in one go using free cells and empty columns. The most cards you can move = (empty free cells + 1) × 2 to the power of empty columns.
- You win when every card is on the foundations.
These are the exact rules Hamdor plays by; the app shows them too, under each game's How to play tab.
Classic FreeCell in Hamdor
- Classic rules: four free cells, four foundations and eight columns, the layout FreeCell players know.
- Multi-card moves: ordered runs move in one go as far as your free cells and empty columns allow; with two empty cells and one empty column, up to six cards.
- A real hint: when it can find a winning line, the hint button suggests the next move of that line.
- Undo and auto-finish: undo any move, and once everything is in order the cards go home by themselves.
Tips to win at FreeCell
- Look before you move. Every card is visible. Find where the aces and twos are buried and start your plan there.
- Fill free cells slowly. Each filled cell ties your hands. Park a card only when you know it will leave soon.
- An empty column beats a free cell. Each empty column doubles how many cards you can move at once. It is worth real effort to clear a short column.
- Free the low cards early. Aces and twos stuck deep in a column hold up everything else.
- Build clean columns. A column ordered top to bottom in alternating colours causes no trouble and gives other cards a place to land.
- Use undo freely. Nothing in FreeCell is hidden, so going back and trying another plan is part of the game.
FreeCell in Hamdor
- Fully offline: once Hamdor has opened, this game runs without a connection.
- Hint and undo: stuck? The hint button shows a next move, and undo takes a mistake back.
- Stats and records: games played, games won and your best results are kept.
- Your own look: change how the table and pieces look in the Hamdor shop. It is cosmetic only and never affects who wins.
FreeCell FAQ
Is every FreeCell deal winnable?
Almost. FreeCell is famous for nearly all of its deals being solvable, so if you lose there was most likely a way through.
How many cards can I move at once in FreeCell?
(Empty free cells + 1) × 2 to the power of empty columns. With four empty cells and no empty column that is five cards; with one empty column, ten. If the target is itself an empty column, it doesn't count.
How is FreeCell different from Klondike?
In Klondike many cards are hidden and you draw from a stock. In FreeCell every card is face up from the start and you get four free cells instead of a stock, so it depends on planning rather than luck.
Can I play FreeCell offline?
Yes. FreeCell in Hamdor works completely offline.