FreeCell strategy: how many cards can you move?

Plan FreeCell moves using empty cells and columns. Learn the sequence capacity formula with examples and keep space for your next move on Arcajoy.

Find temporary space before moving

All 52 cards are visible from the start. Build descending sequences of alternating colours in eight columns and assemble each suit from ace to king on the foundations. The four free cells each hold one card. Before parking a blocking card in a cell, identify where it can go afterwards. An occupied cell reduces the options for later moves, even when the current move exposes something useful.

Calculate sequence capacity

This version uses the limit (F + 1) × 2^E, where F is the number of empty free cells and E is the number of empty helper columns. The destination column is excluded from E. Two empty cells without a helper column allow up to three cards; one additional empty helper column raises that to six. The cards must still form a valid alternating descending sequence and fit the destination.

Protect an empty column

An empty column accepts any card or valid sequence and helps reorganise longer groups. If you move into the only empty column, it is the destination and does not double your capacity. Avoid filling all four cells without a route to release them. Compare two ways to reach an ace: fewer moves may leave less room than a longer route preserving an empty column. Undo lets you explore the alternative.

Capacity examples

Why the formula does not permit any group

With two free cells and one empty helper column, the limit is six. That does not mean you can pick up any six exposed cards. First check that their ranks descend consecutively and their colours alternate. Then check the first card against the occupied destination's top card. The number six describes temporary capacity, not the rules for arranging cards.

If you move into the only empty column, that column is no longer a helper. With two free cells, this transfer is limited to three rather than six cards. That often explains why a group can move onto a suitable occupied column but not into an empty one. The formula is unchanged; the empty column's role has changed.

Plan how to free a useful card

1. Find an ace or low card needed by a foundation. Inspect the cards between it and the column exit: each obstruction needs somewhere to go.
2. First look for suitable columns for blocking cards. Use cells as temporary capacity rather than the automatic destination of every intermediate move.
3. Recount free cells after each transfer. A plan that worked with three empty cells may fail after you occupy two of them.
4. Plan how temporary cards return to the columns. A completed plan should leave room for the next task rather than free one ace at the cost of all four cells.

Practise planning from visible information

Unlike Klondike, FreeCell exposes the initial information. You can compare two routes to one card in advance. Moving a blocker directly into a cell is shorter, but routing it through a column may preserve capacity for a later long run. Compare the cells left after the whole sequence, not merely the number of clicks.

Before a difficult group transfer, imagine moving its cards individually: where would they wait, and what would occupy the destination? If you cannot explain the route, recheck the constraints. A hint finds a legal action, but you still judge whether it serves your plan. Pick one target and practise restoring the temporary cells afterwards.

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