Baker’s Game strategy
In brief
Each card has only one possible parent: the card of the same suit just above it. Spot it before you play, keep your cells free, try to empty a column, and clear the aces and 2s first: all cards are visible, and nothing depends on chance once the deal is made.
Only one parent per card
In FreeCell, a 7 of hearts can go on either of the two black 8s. Here, it can only go on the 8 of hearts. Before moving a card, look at where its parent is: if it is buried under other cards, the card will have to wait in a cell or in an empty column. A card placed on top of its own parent, in the same column, is the most blocking case.
Keep the cells free
Each occupied cell reduces the size of the groups you can move. With 4 free cells and no empty column, a group can have 5 cards; with 2 free cells, 3; with none, just 1. Before putting a card in a cell, ask yourself when it will come out again.
Empty a column
An empty column is worth more than a cell: it doubles your moving capacity. With 4 free cells and one empty column, you move 10 cards at once to an occupied column. Short columns, or those hiding only cards that are easy to place, are the first ones to empty.
Beware of the opposite case: when the group goes into the empty column, it no longer counts as a relay. It is often better to put a high card there (a king, a queen) that can receive a long sequence. A king never finds a parent: it only leaves a column for an empty column, a cell or its foundation.
Clear the aces and 2s
A low card buried under a column blocks its entire suit. At the start, note where the aces and 2s are, and begin with the columns that cover them. A low card moved up early to its foundation often frees several moves.
Planning: everything is visible
Since no card is hidden, a Baker's Game deal can be solved like a puzzle. Before each sequence of moves, look at where the card you are moving will go, and what that move frees up. A move that fills a cell without freeing anything is rarely a good one.
- Build long sequences on well-placed kings and queens.
- Avoid burying a low card under a sequence.
- In the app, nothing moves up to the foundations automatically: you keep a card in the tableau for as long as it can serve as a support.
Playing with 2 or 1 cells
The app lets you play with fewer cells. With 1 free cell and no empty column, a group can't exceed 2 cards; an empty column raises that to 4. Every card set aside counts: empty a column early and use the cell only for a move that resolves right away. The Examples page shows the same deal solved with 4 cells, then with 2.