FreeCell Move Capacity: Count Cells Before Moving a Run
Understand FreeCell move capacity with empty cells, usable columns and checked examples, including why an empty destination changes the count.
FreeCell move capacity is a space question
A descending run can look ready to move and still be too long for the available temporary spaces. FreeCell move capacity describes how many correctly arranged cards the current empty cells and columns can support during one transfer. It does not decide whether the receiving card is compatible or whether the move helps solve the deal.
This guide covers ProjectGAMR's standard FreeCell implementation, checked on October 28, 2026: one deck, eight face-up columns, four single-card free cells and four suit foundations built from Ace through King. Columns descend by one rank in alternating colors. An empty column can receive any card; it does not require a King.
Check the run and its landing card separately
Consider an original three-card example: 7♣, 6♥, 5♠, with 5♠ exposed. It is a valid descending, alternating-color run. Its leading 7♣ can land on an exposed 8♦. An exposed 8♠ cannot receive that same run because the meeting cards are both black.
Capacity is a further check after those ordering rules. Having ample space cannot legalize a same-color join or a rank gap. These examples describe composed positions, not a numbered opening deal. ProjectGAMR shuffles a new deck when you choose New game, so your starting columns will differ.
Use two cells to explain a three-card transfer
With two empty free cells and no empty columns, you can carry up to three cards. In the example, park 5♠ in one cell and 6♥ in the other. Move 7♣ onto 8♦, then return 6♥ onto 7♣ and 5♠ onto 6♥. Five legal single-card transfers produce the same final arrangement as the supported three-card shortcut.
Neither parked card disappears. The cells provide temporary access to the covered card, and both become empty again when the sequence is rebuilt. With no usable empty column, count the empty cells and add one. A fourth card cannot be included in that shortcut merely because the three-card example worked.
Exclude an empty column that is the destination
Start with one plus the number of empty free cells. Double that amount for each empty column available as an intermediate staging place. When the destination itself is empty, exclude that column from the doubling count. It must receive the finished run, so it cannot simultaneously supply an additional staging place.
For example, one empty cell and two empty columns support up to eight cards when moving onto a compatible occupied column: two, doubled twice. Moving into one of those empty columns instead leaves only one intermediate column, so the capacity is four. Count spaces before the transfer; a source column that would become empty afterward is not an extra starting resource.
Recalculate after spending a temporary space
In the eight-card situation above, parking another card in the last free cell changes the base from two to one. With both empty columns still available and an occupied destination, capacity becomes four. The parked card may have exposed something valuable, but that benefit and the reduced carrying space are separate consequences.
Avoid treating every occupied cell as a mistake. Compare the position it unlocks with the transfer you intend next. Write down the destination, required run length and remaining staging spaces before committing. A legal move can still close a useful route; a large capacity alone does not establish a winning plan.
Keep the selection and the count aligned
Select the leading card of the run you want to carry, then use the destination column's numbered control. The selected card and every card below it must form a valid run. Cancel selection clears that choice, while Undo restores the preceding accepted move. Neither control means that an incompatible destination has become legal.
Use a short diagnosis when a transfer is refused: inspect the sequence, inspect the receiving card, then recount currently empty cells and usable columns. These checks explain the declared standard rules and the worked positions. They do not supply a complete solution, guarantee every shuffled deal is winnable or apply unchanged to variants with different cell counts or building restrictions.
Keep exploring
Sources & further reading
- Matt Neuburg's FreeCell help: supermoves and usable empty columns ↗
- Freecell.com: standard rules, sequences and empty-destination limits ↗
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