FreeCell, deal #21

This FreeCell deal is rated testing: one of the harder deals in this series. The solver found a winning line of 53 moves.

Notes on this deal

• 2 Aces sit deep in their columns. The worst is in column 3, with 6 cards on top of it.
• 3 pairs of cards already lie in order in the columns, a head start worth keeping.
• Playing without a plan stalls early here: a test play of the most promising moves gets only 1 of 52 cards home.
• The solver's line parks a card in a free cell 10 times and fills an empty column 7 times.
• At one point the solver moves a run of 10 cards in one go.

Stuck? The solver's first moves

These are the first moves of the solver's winning line, with automatic moves to the foundations switched on.

#	Card	From	To
1	3♦	column 1	4♣, column 2
2	2♠	column 1	3♦, column 2
3	10♦	column 3	J♠, column 5
4	3♠	column 1	free cell
5	9♣	column 1	10♦, column 5
6	8♦	column 4	9♣, column 5

FreeCell in a nutshell

All cards are face up. Build the foundations by suit from Ace, build the eight columns down in alternating colours, and use the four free cells to hold one card each. Any card may fill an empty column.

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