FreeCell variant
Seahaven Towers
Ten columns, same-suit builds, and only Kings can fill empty towers — a tougher cousin of FreeCell.
Select a card to move it.
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What is Seahaven Towers?
Seahaven Towers is a single-deck patience game created by Art Cabral in 1988. It plays like a more constrained version of FreeCell: you still have free cells for temporary storage and four foundations to build up by suit, but the tableau rules are stricter — builds must be in the same suit rather than alternating colors, and only Kings may be placed on empty columns.
The stricter column rule is offset by having ten tableau columns instead of eight, giving you more room to maneuver. Good players can expect to win more than three-quarters of their deals with careful play.
Full rules
A standard 52-card deck is shuffled and dealt five cards face-up to each of ten tableau columns. The remaining two cards are placed face-up in the two free cells. The four foundation piles start empty.
- Tableau: Build down in the same suit. For example, only the 9♠ can go on the 10♠.
- Empty columns: Only a King, or a same-suit sequence headed by a King, may be placed on an empty column.
- Free cells: Each free cell holds exactly one card. Cards in free cells may be moved to a valid tableau column or directly to a foundation.
- Foundations: Build each suit up from Ace to King. Once placed on a foundation, a card cannot be moved back.
- Multi-card moves: You may move a sequence of same-suit consecutive cards as a single move, subject to the supermove limit: (empty cells + 1) × 2^(empty columns).
Win by moving all 52 cards to the four foundation piles.
Strategy tips
Unlike FreeCell, you cannot build across suits — so sequences lock in early. Plan each move with the current suit runs in mind before committing to a direction.
Guard your free cells carefully. With only two, they fill up fast. Try to use them as a last resort rather than a first move, and always have a plan to empty them again before your next blockage.
The King restriction on empty columns means you can't dump any card there when stuck. Only move a non-King sequence off a column if you have a King ready to take that spot, or if you can genuinely benefit from the empty space.
Look for Aces and low cards trapped under high-rank same-suit cards. Freeing a buried Ace or 2 early is often worth several shuffling moves.
Seahaven Towers vs. FreeCell
Both games use the same goal — build four foundations A→K — and the same supermove formula for shifting sequences. The key differences:
- FreeCell has 8 tableau columns and 4 free cells; Seahaven Towers has 10 columns but only 2 free cells.
- FreeCell builds alternating color; Seahaven Towers builds same suit.
- FreeCell allows any card on an empty column; Seahaven Towers restricts empty columns to Kings.
The same-suit rule makes Seahaven Towers harder to plan but rewards deep look-ahead. Many players find it a satisfying challenge after mastering FreeCell.
FreeCell-family games
- FreeCell — 8 columns, 4 free cells, alternating-color builds
- Spider Solitaire — two-deck same-suit builds
- Yukon — no free cells; move any face-up sequence
- Gaps (Montana) — arrange cards in suit runs on a fixed grid