Bakers
Added 02/2026
Baker's Game Solitaire: The Brutal Ancestor of FreeCell
By Martin Petroff
If you have mastered FreeCell and are walking around thinking you are an unstoppable card-game genius, I highly recommend sitting down for a few rounds of Baker's Game. Visually, it looks exactly like FreeCell: all 52 cards are dealt face-up, there are four empty cells at the top of the board, and there is zero hidden information. In fact, Baker's Game is actually the historical ancestor of FreeCell. However, it features one massive, game-changing rule difference that drops the win rate from a friendly 99% down to a deeply punishing level. If you want a genuine, brain-burning puzzle that punishes poor planning, this is the ultimate open-information challenge.
How to Play
The board setup is completely identical to FreeCell. The absolute shock to your system comes the moment you try to stack your first two cards together in the tableau.
The Objective: Just like FreeCell, your goal is to move all 52 cards into four "Foundation" piles at the top right of the board. You must build these piles by suit, starting with the Ace and ascending in order all the way up to the King.
The Setup (The Tableau):
Use one standard 52-card deck.
Deal all 52 cards face up into eight columns.
The first four columns receive 7 cards each.
The remaining four columns receive 6 cards each.
At the top left of your board, reserve four empty spaces. These are your Free Cells.
At the top right, reserve your four empty Foundation piles.
How to Play:
The Brutal Building Rule: In FreeCell, you build the tableau by alternating colors. In Baker's Game, you must build the tableau in descending order by the exact same suit. (For example, a 6 of Hearts can only be placed onto a 7 of Hearts!).
Using the Free Cells: You can move any single, exposed card from the bottom of the Tableau into one of the four Free Cells to temporarily get it out of the way. A Free Cell can only hold one card at a time.
Moving Sequences: Because you can only build by the same suit, every valid column you create is a movable sequence. However, just like FreeCell, you can only move as many cards at once as you have empty Free Cells and empty Tableau columns to facilitate the move. If your Free Cells are full, you can only move one card at a time.
Empty Columns: If you manage to completely clear one of your eight Tableau columns, you can move any single card (or a valid same-suit sequence) into that empty space. Because building by suit is so restrictive, these empty columns are your absolute lifeline for un-stucking your board.
Winning: The game is won when all cards have been successfully stacked from Ace to King in their respective Foundation piles.