Is Every FreeCell Game Winnable? Deal #11982 Explained

Almost, but not quite. Computer solvers have shown that the vast majority of FreeCell deals can be won, roughly 99.999% of them. In the classic set of 32,000 numbered games that came with Windows, exactly one, game #11982, is known to have no solution. So when a FreeCell game beats you, the odds are overwhelming that a win was there. You can test that claim in the free FreeCell game, which deals from the same numbered games and skips #11982.

Why FreeCell is different from other solitaires

In Klondike (the classic solitaire), many cards start face down and the stock comes in a fixed order. Some deals are lost before you make a move, and you can't know which until you're stuck. FreeCell deals every card face up, and the four free cells plus "any card into an empty column" give a lot of room to manoeuvre. With complete information and so much flexibility, a computer can search every reasonable sequence of moves and say for certain whether a deal can be won.

If you need the rules first, start with how to play FreeCell.

The famous numbers

Set of deals	Unsolvable deals reported	Share winnable
Classic Windows deals 1 to 32,000	1 (#11982)	about 99.997%
Numbered deals 1 to 1,000,000	8	about 99.999%
8.6 billion deals (Pringle and Fish, 2018)	102,075	about 99.9988%

A few notes on where these come from:

• The 32,000 deals. Early Windows versions of FreeCell offered games numbered 1 to 32,000, each generated from its number so the same number always gives the same layout. Players and programmers have run solvers on all of them, and #11982 is the only one no solver has been able to win.
• The first million. Later versions extended the numbers to 1,000,000. Among those, eight deals are reported unsolvable, #11982 included.
• Random deals. Solver runs over random deals find that essentially all are solvable, with figures quoted around 99.999%. One large 2018 run by Theodore Pringle and Shlomi Fish over 8.6 billion deals is reported to have found 102,075 impossible ones, roughly one in every 84,000. Treat these as reported figures we haven't re-run, and check the original sources if you need exact numbers.

All of these counts assume the standard game: four free cells, eight columns, and cards moved by the usual rules. Variants with fewer free cells are harder, and more of their deals can't be won.

Is every FreeCell game winnable by a human?

"Winnable" here means a perfect player who can see every card and calculate everything could win. It doesn't mean every human will. Solvers sometimes find wins that need dozens of precise moves, with cards shuffled between free cells and columns in an order nobody would spot over a coffee break. So two things are true at once:

1. You can almost never blame the deal.
2. Some deals are genuinely hard, and losing one doesn't mean you played badly.

The practical takeaway is to treat a loss as a puzzle rather than bad luck. Restart the same deal and try a different first few moves.

Why is #11982 impossible?

There's no short explanation a human can check at a glance. Its status comes from computer search: solvers have tried the possible lines of play and none of them clears the table. Some players enjoy trying it for exactly that reason.

How our game handles it

• New deal picks a random deal from 1 to 32,000 and skips #11982, so every random game you get has a known solution.
• To try the impossible one yourself, type 11982 in Play a numbered game on the first screen and press Deal. You can type any number from 1 to 1,000,000.
• Restart replays the current deal from the start, and Undo steps back one move at a time, so you can explore different lines on the same deal.
• Hint suggests a sensible move, but it isn't a solver. On a hard deal, a hint can point you somewhere that doesn't lead to a win.
• When no move at all is left, you'll see "No moves left. Undo a few moves, or restart the deal."

How to win more of the deals you play

Because nearly every deal is winnable, your win rate is mostly about technique:

• Plan the first five moves before touching anything. Find the aces and what's covering them.
• Treat empty columns as gold. Each one doubles the size of the run you can move.
• Keep at least one free cell open whenever you can.
• Don't rush cards to the foundations if they're still useful for building, though the game will automatically send home cards that can't be needed.
• Use Restart, not New deal, after a loss. Replaying the same deal is the fastest way to learn.

Klondike is different: some of its deals can't be won however well you play, because cards are hidden. If you play classic solitaire too, see how to win solitaire.

Try a deal

Deal a random game, or type in a number someone has told you about, in the free FreeCell game. It runs in your browser with no sign-up, and your best time is saved on your device.