Rules of FreeCell 5/5

Why the Freecells Matter

Thanks to the Freecells, entire sequences can be moved from one Column to another. This is because empty Freecells act as intermediate staging points.

For example, consider the same layout once again:

Column 1 ends with a sequence: red 9-8-7. The entire sequence can be moved onto the black 10 at the end of Column 5 or Column 8.

That sounds like we are moving multiple cards at a time, which is illegal. But in fact we are moving one card at a time, using the two empty Freecells as intermediate stages:

1. First we move the 7 of Hearts into an empty Freecell.

2. Now the 8 of Clubs is exposed and movable, and we move it into the other empty Freecell.

3. Now the 9 of Diamonds is exposed and movable! Thus it can be moved onto the 10 of Spades or the 10 of Clubs.

4. Now we move the 8 of Clubs out of its Freecell and back onto the 9 of Diamonds in its new location.

5. Finally we move the 7 of Hearts out of its Freecell and back onto the 8 of Clubs in its new location.

Thus, in general, you can move a movable sequence from one Column to another, up to a maximum sequence length that is the number of empty Freecells plus one.

Empty Columns can be used as intermediate staging points too. In fact, empty Columns can greatly increase the maximum movable sequence size, because you might be able to perform a supermove.