FreeCell, deal #31

This FreeCell deal is rated formidable: among the hardest deals in this series. The solver found a winning line of 58 moves.

Notes on this deal

• 2 Aces are buried four or more cards deep; the deepest is in column 1, under 6 cards. Plan how to reach it before anything else.
• 2 pairs of cards already lie in order in the columns, a head start worth keeping.
• This deal punishes autopilot. A test play of the obvious moves gets just 6 of 52 cards home before it is stuck.
• The solver's line parks a card in a free cell 9 times and fills an empty column 12 times.
• At one point the solver moves a run of 7 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	7♣ +1	column 1	8♥, column 8
2	7♦	column 3	8♠, column 1
3	6♣	column 4	7♦, column 1
4	8♥ +2	column 8	9♠, column 7
5	5♣	column 8	6♦, column 7
6	3♠	column 5	4♥, column 8

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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