Sources and verification

Sources consulted

• Baker’s Game (new tab) (Wikipedia): history of the game (Martin Gardner’s column, June 1968), rules, share of winnable deals with 4 cells
• FreeCell (new tab) (Wikipedia, in French): the game that grew out of Baker’s Game, rules compared
• FreeCell (new tab) (Wikipedia): group move formula, origin of FreeCell
• Patience games (new tab) (Pagat (John McLeod)): classification of solitaire games and variants

Links accessed on October 30, 2026. The rules described on this site are first and foremost those of the Jeu du Boulanger - Solitaire app, read from its code.

How the examples are verified

Before each publication, a program checks the 5 example deals and every number on the site:

• the deal is recomputed from its game code, with the same shuffle as the app, and compared with the one produced by the app’s code;
• 52 cards, all different, columns of 7, 7, 7, 7, 6, 6, 6 and 6 cards;
• every move of the solutions is replayed and must be allowed by the app’s rules; the game must end in a win;
• group sizes, points and score are recalculated;
• the cited rules (cells, foundations, empty column, scoring) are re-read in the app’s code.

Strategy tips are presented as tips, separate from the rules. Found a mistake? Write to us through the contact page.