FreeCell, deal #4

This FreeCell deal is rated formidable: among the hardest deals in this series. The solver found a winning line of 78 moves.

Notes on this deal

• 4 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.
• This deal punishes autopilot. A test play of the obvious moves gets just 1 of 52 cards home before it is stuck.
• The solver's line parks a card in a free cell 13 times and fills an empty column 9 times.

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♣	column 2	8♦, column 4
2	Q♦	column 1	K♣, column 2
3	6♦	column 7	7♣, column 4
4	5♥	column 1	6♣, column 7
5	2♥	column 8	3♣, column 3
6	5♦	column 1	free cell

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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