How to Play Chinese FreeCell Solitaire

A streamlined version of FreeCell using only Hearts, Spades, and Diamonds. Fewer suits mean tighter constraints, making this a test of clever sequencing and cell management.

Setup

1. Shuffle two decks and deal all 78 cards across 11 tableau piles, all face up
2. Four cells sit empty at the start, ready to hold single cards
3. Eight foundations sit empty, waiting for you to start each one with an Ace

How to play

• Build tableau piles down by rank, placing each card on a pile topped by a card of a different suit
• Use the four cells as temporary parking for any card
• Move cards to the foundations when ready (building up by suit from Ace)
• Empty a tableau pile only with a King; it opens space for other moves
• Cards automatically move to the foundations once they can no longer help in the tableau (you can change this behavior in Settings)

How to win

Objective: Build all eight foundation piles from Ace to King in suit

You win when all 78 cards reach their foundations. You're stuck when no legal moves remain and you can't clear a path forward.

Tips

• Save your cells for cards that are truly blocking progress—don't waste them on temporary storage
• Try to empty a complete tableau pile early to create space and options
• Look for sequences buried deep; moving one card might unlock several others

Play Chinese FreeCell free on Windows

CardTray is a free solitaire app for Windows that includes Chinese FreeCell 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 Sea Towers — A two-deck FreeCell variant where nine temporary cells hold single cards, helping you maneuver through 11 tableau piles.
• Eight Off — This FreeCell relative gives you eight reserve cells to work with, but tableau sequences must stay within the same suit as you dig out buried cards.
• Eight On — This tougher cousin of Eight Off starts with all eight reserve cells already full, so you have no free storage until you clear one.
• ForeCell — An early ancestor of FreeCell: use four cells and build the tableau with King-only spaces to work all cards onto the foundations.
• FreeCell — All 52 cards deal face-up into eight tableau piles, with four open cells alongside them for shuffling cards while you build the foundations up by suit.