Five genuinely difficult FreeCell rescue puzzles
Each puzzle is a fixed critical position derived from a verified winning line of a difficult Microsoft deal. The board is already under pressure; your job is to recover it and finish the game. You can also browse the hardest FreeCell deals across the original Microsoft set.
The Last Free Cell
Three free cells are already occupied, there are no empty tableau columns, and only the Ace of Diamonds has reached a foundation. The winning line begins with a counter-intuitive commitment: using the final free cell before any obvious space has been created.
- Focus
- Free-cell commitment
- Cards live
- 51
- Free cells used
- 3/4
The 617 Supermove Trap
This position is taken from the famous Microsoft Deal #617 at its best-known trouble spot. One tableau column is empty and one free cell is open, but the rescue depends on recognising that those two resources combine to permit a four-card supermove.
- Focus
- Supermove capacity
- Cards live
- 49
- Free cells used
- 3/4
No Cheap Exit
Three free cells are occupied, no tableau column is empty, and almost the entire deal is still in play. The position looks cramped because the cards that eventually release the club foundation are not yet available in the order you want them.
- Focus
- Workspace recovery
- Cards live
- 51
- Free cells used
- 3/4
The Foundation Timing Trap
The board has three occupied free cells, no empty tableau columns and only two club cards home. The position is not solved by rushing every available low card to foundation; it needs a particular tableau reshuffle before the heart chain can safely release.
- Focus
- Foundation timing
- Cards live
- 50
- Free cells used
- 3/4
The 1941 Pressure Test
Nothing has reached a foundation yet, three free cells are occupied and there are no empty tableau columns. This state comes from Microsoft Deal #1941, widely cited as one of the hardest solvable deals in the original 32,000.
- Focus
- Sequence planning
- Cards live
- 52
- Free cells used
- 3/4
How these FreeCell puzzles work
These rescue positions are derived from real numbered Microsoft deals and verified winning lines. You start from the saved critical state and try to finish the game using standard FreeCell rules.
No opening deal. You begin from a position that already needs fixing.
Free cells and tableau columns are the resources that let you untangle the board.
The normal Hint and Undo controls remain available while you solve the puzzle.
The puzzle is complete when all 52 cards reach the foundations.
What these puzzles are designed to train
The first five positions focus on resource pressure: free-cell commitment, supermove capacity, workspace recovery, foundation timing and sequencing under constrained boards.
Read the FreeCell strategy guide if you want the underlying principles before attempting the harder rescue positions.