Turn hidden cards into useful runs.
The first deal shows only thirteen cards. Every useful transfer can reveal another, so plan around access as much as rank.
Last updated: September 2026
Reveal before consolidating
Only the top card of each four-card column begins face up. A move that uncovers a new card gives you information and often another move. Favor such moves over moving a card between columns without exposing anything.
If two possible moves reveal different columns, consider which column has more covered cards and whether its newly exposed card can move next.
Build transferable sequences
A sequence must descend one rank at a time and alternate red and black. Check every adjacent pair before selecting a lower card in a run. A complete valid face-up tail moves together, which can clear several cards from one column at once.
Color matters when a run meets a destination. The bottom card of the moving sequence must be one rank lower and opposite in color from the destination top card.
Move a run to uncover a hidden card
An Eight of Spades is exposed on one column. Another column has a face-up Seven of Hearts above a face-up Six of Clubs, with a covered card beneath the Seven. Moving the Seven–Six run onto the Eight is legal: each pair descends by one and alternates color. The card under the Seven then turns face up. Moving the Six alone would leave the Seven covering it.
Check both the destination and every adjacent card in the moving tail before counting on a reveal. Unlike FreeCell, this game begins with covered tableau cards and has no cells; the family lesson on access still applies, but each reveal changes what you know.
Use empty columns deliberately
Any card or valid sequence can occupy an empty column. This makes an empty space a strong temporary parking place. Moving a run there can reveal a covered card, after which the run can move again if another destination opens.
Before filling the last empty column, look for another way to expose the card beneath your selected run. A full column removes that flexibility.
Advance the suit foundations
Foundations take only one exposed card at a time, starting with Aces and building upward by suit. When a low card is free, placing it may expose a new tableau card immediately. Keep an eye on both colors when deciding whether to move a card to its foundation or keep it for a tableau run.