FreeCell and Klondike at a glance
| Rule | FreeCell | Klondike |
|---|---|---|
| Starting columns | Eight, all face up | Seven, with hidden cards |
| Extra cards | No stock; four holding cells | Stock and waste piles |
| Column building | Descending, alternating colors | Descending, alternating colors |
| Empty column | Any card or movable sequence | A King or sequence beginning with a King |
| Moving a sequence | Limited by empty cells and spare columns | Any complete face-up alternating sequence |
| Winning | Four same-suit foundations, Ace through King | |
Play the daily FreeCell deal Try draw-one or draw-three Klondike
Choose the kind of decision you enjoy
Choose FreeCell when you want to inspect the whole puzzle before moving. An Ace buried under five cards is visible from the start. Your question is how to expose it without filling every temporary space.
Choose Klondike when you enjoy uncovering information. Turning a face-down card creates a new possibility; drawing from the stock can change the plan. Draw one is easier to read than draw three, though neither guarantees a winning deal.
Neither game has a time limit here. Both let you undo and use legal-move hints. A hint identifies a permitted move, not necessarily the move that solves the deal.
Why an empty space matters more in FreeCell
Imagine you want to move a run of five cards. With four empty cells, you can do it: temporarily park four cards and move the fifth. With only two empty cells and no spare column, you can carry three. If you clear one extra column, that capacity doubles to six.
The formula is (empty cells + 1) × 2spare empty columns. If the destination is itself empty, exclude it from the spare-column count. See the full FreeCell rules.
Practical first move: look for a move that uncovers an Ace or empties a short column. Avoid moving a card into a free cell merely because the cell is available. Decide where that card will go next.
When the familiar rules become a different puzzle
Two Cell removes two of FreeCell’s holding spaces. Baker’s Game keeps four cells but requires same-suit descending columns, so a red 6 cannot simply go onto a black 7. Both demand different planning from Classic FreeCell.
At Yours offers a complete daily Classic deal free. All Access includes eight fixed deals in each of those three rule sets: 24 in total. The deals are original shuffles and are not guaranteed solvable. These numbers do not reproduce Microsoft’s numbered deals.
Can two people play?
FreeCell and Klondike are solo games. Two people can discuss a board on one screen or each play the daily deal separately, but the cards do not synchronize between devices. For an actual card duel on one device, try Moon Market. For a connected room with an invitation link, browse two-player games.
Rules reference: Solitaired’s FreeCell rules. This comparison describes the rules and controls implemented in the At Yours editions.
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