Play HalfCell Solitaire Online for Free (No Signup Required)

HalfCell keeps FreeCell's four free cells but halves the foundations to two, each one climbing all the way past King and wrapping back to Ace.

HalfCell Solitaire keeps everything you know from FreeCell but cuts the number of foundations in half. Instead of four suit piles, there are just two, and each one must be built all the way to twenty-six cards. That twist forces the two foundations to do double duty, and the way they accept cards is the heart of the game.

Rather than climbing a single suit from Ace to King, each foundation builds up in alternating colors and simply keeps going past the King, wrapping around to the Ace and continuing until all twenty-six cards are stacked. The two starting Aces must be of different colors, so one foundation opens on a red Ace and the other on a black one. With the whole deck dealt face-up and four free cells to work with, nothing is hidden and success rests entirely on how well you plan your moves.

In the catalog, FreeCell and ForeCell Solitaire sit closest to this one.

Want the original four-suit version instead? Solitaire is right here.

If you run into anything odd or have an idea that would make the game better, please contact me.

Enjoy playing!

How to play HalfCell Solitaire

Layout:

2 foundation piles: Build up in alternating colors, wrapping from King back to Ace, until each pile holds 26 cards. The two starting Aces must be different colors. Eligible cards are sent to the foundations automatically.

8 tableau piles: The whole deck is dealt out face-up, seven cards to the first four piles and six to the rest. Build down in alternating colors. Empty piles may be filled with any available card.

4 free cells: Each cell holds a single card of any kind, giving you room to maneuver.

Foundation:

There are two foundation piles, and together they hold every card in the deck.

A card can be added to a foundation pile only if it's one rank higher and the opposite color of the pile's current top card. Because each pile grows to twenty-six cards, the sequence does not stop at the King: it wraps around to the Ace and keeps climbing, so a red King can be followed by a black Ace on the same pile.

Cards are moved to the foundations automatically when they qualify, and cards cannot be taken back once they have been placed.

Tableau:

Eight tableau piles laid out side by side. Every card is dealt face-up, with no cards hidden.

A card can be added to a tableau pile only if it's one rank lower and the opposite color of the pile's current top card, so the only cards that fit on an 8 of spades are the 7 of hearts and 7 of diamonds.

You may move one card on its own, or a longer run at once when enough free cells and empty columns are open to carry it. Any available card may be placed onto an empty tableau pile.

Cells:

The four free cells are your reserve. Each can hold one card of any rank or suit at a time. A card parked in a cell can be brought back to the tableau or played to a foundation whenever it fits, which is what lets you unpack long sequences a card at a time.