FreeCell Puzzle #5: The 1941 Pressure Test

Can you save this game?

One of FreeCell’s toughest deals. Can you rescue it?

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DAILY CHALLENGE
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Can You Save This Game?

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.

Position
Brutal rescue
Source deal
#1941
Focus
Sequence planning
Cards outside foundations
52
Free cells occupied
3/4

Can this FreeCell position be saved?

Yes. Puzzle #5 is a verified solvable position derived from Microsoft Deal #1941. The saved board state sits on a legal winning line and has been replay-checked from the original numbered deal through to a completed game.

Why this position is tricky

The position keeps virtually the entire original complexity of #1941 while removing several obvious opening choices. The verified line starts by moving a two-card sequence, then commits the final free cell to a King. That is exactly the kind of resource pressure that makes #1941 difficult: the board has to be opened in a precise order before the low cards can run.

Hints for Puzzle #5

  1. The first useful move is a two-card sequence, not a free-cell move.
  2. Move 5♣–4♥ from column 1 onto 6♥ in column 5.
  3. After that, the King of Clubs goes into the last free cell; the payoff is the chain of low cards exposed underneath.

Solution approach

Reveal the rescue plan

A verified continuation starts 5♣–4♥ → 6♥, then K♣ → free cell 4. That exposes the low hearts and spades, while 8♦ can move onto 9♣ and begin rebuilding the tableau. The rescue works, but it demands committing all four free cells before the position starts to loosen.

Try another FreeCell puzzle

Puzzle #1 · The Last Free Cell Puzzle #2 · The 617 Supermove Trap Puzzle #3 · No Cheap Exit Puzzle #4 · The Foundation Timing Trap