How to Play Cell Eleven Solitaire

FreeCell played with three shuffled decks, spread across 12 foundation piles and 11 holding cells instead of the usual four. The bigger deck and extra cells give you more room to maneuver cards toward the foundations.

Setup

1. Deal cards across 12 tableau piles in a specific pattern; all tableau cards are face up.
2. Two cards are dealt straight into cells at the start, so only 9 of the 11 cells begin empty.
3. The 12 foundation piles begin empty, waiting for Aces.

How to play

• Move cards within the tableau by stacking them in descending order with alternating colors (red 6 on black 7); only the top card of a pile can be moved at a time.
• Use the empty cells as temporary storage for cards that are blocking your progress—each cell holds one card.
• Matching cards automatically move to the foundations once they can no longer help in the tableau; you can change this behavior in Settings if you prefer manual control.
• Build each foundation pile upward in suit sequence (Ace through King).
• Empty tableau spaces accept any single card to help you maneuver.

How to win

Objective: Move every card to the twelve foundation piles, one suit per pile, starting with Aces.

You win when all cards are on the foundations. You're stuck when you can't free the cards you need because cells and tableau spaces are full.

Tips

• Use cells strategically—save them for cards that block useful sequences.
• With 11 cells available, you have more flexibility to rearrange cards than in standard FreeCell.
• Since only single cards move at a time, expose lower cards one by one; a temporary move to a cell is often worth it.

Play Cell Eleven free on Windows

CardTray is a free solitaire app for Windows that includes Cell Eleven alongside 300+ other games. It saves every move as you play, so you can close the window and pick the game up later, replay any deal, and take on a new Daily Challenge deal every day. Browse every game in the Game Gallery.

Related games

More games from the FreeCell family:

• Double FreeCell — This bigger take on FreeCell shares two decks across just four foundations, ten tableau columns, and six free cells.
• FreeCell Duplex — A two-deck version of FreeCell with 104 cards, 12 tableau piles, and 8 temporary cells, designed for players who want a longer, more complex puzzle.
• FreeCell Four Deck — A marathon four-deck FreeCell with 208 cards, 16 foundation piles, 14 tableau columns, and 14 cells—the ultimate FreeCell challenge for devoted puzzle enthusiasts.
• FreeCell Three Deck — A three-deck FreeCell with 156 cards, 12 foundation piles, 12 tableau columns, and 12 cells, offering a substantial step up in complexity from the standard game.
• Triple FreeCell — Build all 156 cards to the foundations using temporary holding cells to maneuver around obstacles.