Baker’s Freecell

You have no trouble solving a game of Freecell Solitaire – in fact, you’ve never had a game you couldn’t solve. So, now you’re looking for a new challenge? Then try Baker’s Freecell – also known as “Baker’s Game”, the mother of all Freecell variants.

Baker’s Freecell – A Game for Strategists

Baker’s Game begins with all 52 cards of a French deck being dealt. As with every Freecell Solitaire variant, the cards are face up in front of you. The cards are laid out in eight vertical rows, with four columns on the left consisting of seven cards each, and six in each of the four columns on the right. As with Freecell Solitaire, the four free spaces on the left above the Tableau are intended as a clipboard for individual cards. To the right are the initially empty target areas. Rearrange the rows of cards and dismantle them, so that you are left with only four target piles with the kings on top.

In this game and all other Freecell Solitaire games, the target piles are based on the aces. When all cards of one suit, in ascending order up to the king, have been discarded, the target pile is finished. To build these, you can use exposed cards from the tableau as well as from the free cells.

Although Freecell Solitaire asks you to convert the tableau into rows of mixed black and red, in Baker’s Game, you are forced to use the same card suit: You can only place three of hearts on four of hearts; king of clubs only on queen of clubs, etc..

This limits your options considerably. However, in all other aspects, the same rules apply as for Freecell Solitaire:

– The four free cells provide you with auxiliary spaces for storing problematic cards.

– You can occupy any columns / series you have unlocked.

– If you want to place a sequence elsewhere, either whole or in part, you must have the number of free spaces in the free cells or columns that would allow you to individually rearrange the cards.

As soon as all the target piles are in progress and you have rearranged the rows so that no higher cards block lower cards, the tableau solves itself and you have won. If, on the other hand, you have no more possible moves, you have three options: Either you undo all moves up to the point where the presumed mistake is made, or you can restart the game from scratch. Or you can start a whole new game.

Play Baker’s Freecell Online

The game offers you the levels EASY, NORMAL or HARD to choose from. You can also play against the clock, by setting a timer of up to 59 minutes and 59 seconds. In Baker’s Game, the tableau is the same as in Freecell Solitaire: 52 cards are arranged in eight rows. On the upper left are the free cells, and on the right are the spaces for the target piles. Cards are moved by either clicking and dropping with the mouse or by a single click, which moves the relevant card / sequence to a suitable place.

The Game Menu

As with Freecell Solitaire, you can use the menu bar:

– to RESTART the current game,

– to click on one of the difficulty levels to start a NEW GAME,

– to use UNDO to go back to a previous move and use REDO to restore cancelled moves,

– to show you a HINT for another move,

– to PAUSE the game and stop the timer,

– to find out how long you’ve been playing or what your remaining time limit is,

– and to see the number of moves made.

Tips for Baker’s Freecell

While almost every game of the regular game can be solved, only around 75% of Baker’s tableaus can be completely solved. The rules for both games are very similar, but as we know, the devil is in the details: Playing strategically means has a different meaning in Baker’s Game than in Freecell Solitaire.

Tip 1: First plan, then rearrange

The Baker’s version offers significantly fewer options than the regular version, due to the need to form uniform rows of cards. The free cells tend to fill up quickly, which in turn doesn’t leave you much room to move card sequences. So, it makes sense to first get a detailed overview and play through moves in your mind. Or accept the UNDO button as your new friend.

Tip 2: Build up the target pile as quickly as possible

With Freecell Solitaire, it can be an advantage to leave cards in the tableau at first. Not so with this game: Every card that you place on a target pile releases other cards or even gives you a free column for maneuvering.