The Baker's Game, rules and strategy
A solitaire where all the cards are visible from the start, as in FreeCell, but where sequences are built in the same suit: more demanding, and everything comes down to careful thinking. This site explains the exact rules of the app, the strategy, and solved deals verified card by card. To play: Jeu du Boulanger - Solitaire, on iPhone, iPad and Android.
Available on the App Store and on Google Play.
The Baker's Game in a nutshell
The Baker's Game is played alone with a 52-card deck, dealt face up into 8 columns. At the top, 4 free cells each hold one card aside, and 4 foundations receive the cards of each suit, from ace to king. The game is won when all 52 cards have been moved up to the foundations.
In the columns, you place a card on the card of the same suit and one rank higher: the 9 of hearts on the 10 of hearts. This is the only difference from FreeCell, where you alternate red and black, and it changes everything: each card has only one possible parent. The game is about freeing the aces and low cards without blocking the free cells. The rules detail every move, and the strategy explains how to go about it.
A deal from the app
Here is the deal with code BK1-C4-AAAAA24 as the app deals it. Paste this code into the New game window to play it; its 103-move solution is detailed on the Examples page.
Cells (4): empty, empty, empty, empty. Foundations, cards placed: 0 spades, 0 hearts, 0 diamonds, 0 clubs. column 1: 10 of diamonds, 9 of hearts, jack of clubs, ace of hearts, 3 of clubs, queen of clubs, queen of diamonds (top: queen of diamonds); column 2: 9 of clubs, 10 of clubs, 9 of diamonds, 10 of spades, 8 of diamonds, jack of spades, 4 of hearts (top: 4 of hearts); column 3: 5 of diamonds, 5 of hearts, king of diamonds, 2 of spades, 7 of hearts, 2 of clubs, jack of hearts (top: jack of hearts); column 4: 6 of hearts, king of clubs, 6 of spades, queen of spades, 4 of diamonds, 7 of diamonds, 10 of hearts (top: 10 of hearts); column 5: king of spades, 9 of spades, king of hearts, ace of spades, ace of clubs, 3 of hearts (top: 3 of hearts); column 6: 8 of clubs, 5 of spades, queen of hearts, 2 of diamonds, 8 of hearts, 4 of clubs (top: 4 of clubs); column 7: 3 of spades, 2 of hearts, 6 of clubs, ace of diamonds, jack of diamonds, 5 of clubs (top: 5 of clubs); column 8: 6 of diamonds, 7 of spades, 7 of clubs, 4 of spades, 8 of spades, 3 of diamonds (top: 3 of diamonds).
Where to start?
The rules
The setup, same-suit sequences, foundations, empty columns, and the size of the groups you can move.
The strategy
Keeping free cells open, emptying a column, not burying low cards: the principles that win games, backed by numbers.
Solved deals
Real deals from the app with their game codes, including a game won in 103 moves, replayed move by move.
Frequently asked questions
How does it differ from FreeCell? Are all deals winnable? Short answers.
On phone and tablet
The app is played in landscape orientation. It offers 4, 2 or 1 free cells to adjust the difficulty, a code for each game to replay or share a deal, undo for the last 100 actions, and statistics.
