Solitaire AtlasBy Solitaire 1380
Solitaire 1380AtlasNeedle

FreeCell · Game rules

Needle

Goal

Move all the cards to the foundations.

How to play

Cards are dealt into nine tableau piles, eight cards in the outermost four, four cards in the next two, two cards in the next two, and the middle pile is empty. The remaining eight cards are dealt to a reserve.

Cards can be moved between tableau piles one at a time, building them down by alternate color, and any card can be used to fill empty piles. Foundations are built up by suit, starting with aces.

The top card from the reserve can be moved to an appropriate tableau pile or foundation. Any single card can be moved to the reserve, though there can be no more than eighteen cards in the reserve.

The game is won if all cards are moved to the foundations.

New to solitaire? A few useful terms
Tableau
The main playing area, usually arranged in columns or piles.
Foundation
A destination where cards are collected in the order required by the game.
Stock / talon
Cards waiting to be dealt. A game may allow one pass or several.
Waste
A pile receiving cards turned over from the stock.
Reserve / cell
A holding area. Its capacity and movement rules depend on the game.
Redeal
Another pass through the stock or a redistribution of cards, as specified in that game’s rules.

Game-rule reference adapted from PySolFC documentation, licensed under GPL v3 or later. References describe the game’s mechanics.

More FreeCell games →