How to Play Russian Cell Solitaire

Russian Cell combines FreeCell-style cells with a tableau containing hidden cards. Build foundations up by suit while using temporary storage cells to maneuver cards.

Setup

1. Four foundation piles start empty, ready to receive Aces to build up by suit.
2. Two cell piles provide temporary holding space for one card each.
3. Seven tableau piles are dealt in a custom pattern: the first pile gets just 1 card, face-up. Each of the other six piles ends with 5 face-up cards on top, sitting on a growing number of face-down cards underneath—1 face-down card in the second pile, up to 6 face-down cards in the seventh.

How to play

• Start by revealing face-down cards in the tableau by moving cards on top of them to empty cells or other tableau piles.
• Build tableau piles downward by rank in the same suit (for example, put a 6 of hearts on a 7 of hearts).
• Move any face-up card or group of face-up cards together, but only the bottom card needs to follow the build rule.
• Only a King can fill an empty tableau pile; empty cells can hold any single card.
• When you expose an Ace, move it to a foundation and build that suit up by rank.
• Cards automatically move to the foundations once no other card can be built on them; you can change this behavior in Settings to always move them or turn it off.
• Use cells strategically to temporarily store cards that block access to the cards you need.

How to win

Objective: Move all 52 cards to the four foundations, building each suit from Ace to King.

You win when all four foundation piles are complete with Ace through King in each suit. You're stuck if you can't move any cards to foundations or empty piles.

Tips

• Prioritize uncovering face-down cards early; they often block key moves later.
• Keep cells empty when possible—they're most valuable for maneuvering when needed.
• Don't rush to fill empty tableau piles; use them strategically to shift large groups of cards.

Play Russian Cell free on Windows

CardTray is a free solitaire app for Windows that includes Russian Cell 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 Yukon family:

• Ten Across — A tableau where every pile mixes face-down and face-up cards, plus two temporary cells where you can park single cards.
• Tvete's Grandfather — This tough one-deck game deals every card straight into seven uneven tableau piles, some far deeper than others.
• Ukrainian — Ukrainian only lets you send a full run of 13 cards, Ace to King in one suit, to the foundations at once, so you'll need to build the whole sequence in the tableau before it counts.
• Yakutat Bay — A Yukon variant with the same seven-pile layout and the same freedom to move face-up cards as a group regardless of their order.
• Yukon One Suit — A relaxing variant that combines the Spades from four decks into one 52-card deck.