One of the interesting things about the Freecell rules is that they scale across a pretty wide range of combinations of columns and cells. There are some combinations that have pretty distinct "personalities", making them in effect completely different games albeit with the same exact rules as standard 8x4 Freecell.
We support 70 odd variants here and in addition to the Standard 8 columns 4 cells we have 6 variants that we give names to and another 9 that receive Special Consideration. First the named variants as they are the most popular (possibly because we gave 'em cute names and present them first in the game itself).
As a general rule if you sum the number of columns and the number of cells, if it's greater than or equal to twelve (like the standard game) it will be naturally pretty winnable. Not always, though, more about that in a minute.
Difficulty Levels
First a quick note about our difficulty levels. In all the variants when you play in streak mode (competitive mode) we, by default, deal games which are statistically easier to start with, and then as you build your streak, the deals trend more and more to straight random deals (difficulty equals 10).
This makes is pretty easy to get a streak (multiple wins in a row) going. Difficulty levels have been a nearly endless topic of discussion here as there are some very tricky difficulty level 5 games and some darn easy level 10 games. The analogy has been made before that difficulty levels are like "climate" whereas individual games are like weather. So overall you can expect easier deals at level 5 but there's no guarantee so you always need to be on your guard not to blow a trickier lower level game. There has been discussion about moving the games in and out of levels to get those tricky games out of level 5 but if you stop and think about it, that would be a never ending proposition as the level 5 games are typically played by less experienced players and so a game that might be lost by a beginner might be cake for a veteran.
Variant: Nine to Five
A tip of the hat to Dolly Parton's famous movie of the same name, this variant has 9 columns and 5 cells. This is a fun variant that's always pretty easily winnable. You can get yourself into some tight spots but in general the games in this variant fly by without a lot of deep thinking. Good for just relaxing, because this is a 14-sum game it's pretty darn easy.
Variant: Ten to Six
Not really a cute name, just descriptive, this game has 10 columns and 6 cells making it a 16-sum game. To my knowledge, this game is not losable. Someone tell me if I'm wrong but I frankly don't think you can construct a position in this game that you can't wiggle your way out of. Because of that fact (I think it's a fact) this game is often described as a "click fest" implying that it's more a matter of just relaxing and making the right mouse clicks as opposed to needing to have a reasoned strategy.
Variant: Lucky Thirteen
This game has 13 columns and 0 cells making it a pretty distinct type of challenge. First and foremost you need to clear a column so you will be able to move more than one card. This can make this game frequently a matter of finding that first set of moves.
The name stems from the fact that this game is almost entirely winnable. At difficulty level 5 it's about 98% winnable so people would attempt to build streaks in the variant but ultimately would be frustrated by getting dealt one of those unwinnable deals, making building a streak more a matter of luck than of pure skill, hence the name.
These days we take pains to make sure you're never dealt an unwinnable hand in this variant so that "luck" never applies any more, but we've stayed with the name.
This game is a fun challenge because it forces you to think a bit differently and winning often comes down to finding those first opening moves.
Variant: Slurpee
OK the name of this game is a pretty bad pun. It's got 7 columns and 4 cells, making it an 11-sum game and the name comes from (wait for it) the drinks you often buy at Seven Eleven: Slurpees. Kinda a reach, eh? But we've used that name for decades and it's probably here to stay.
This is a fun variant because, being only an 11-sum game, it's a bit tricker than standard 8x4, but still largely naturally winnable. And it's one of the games where we eliminate the element of luck and only give you deals that are known to be solvable. (Thanks to cellmate for providing the exhaustive data as to the winnability of a particular deal).
This game is naturally about 99% winnable at level 10 and about 99.9% winnable at level 5, and with our special "always winnable" magic it's great for streaking if you're a more skilled player and looking for that additional bit of challenge.
Variant: Bakers Dozen
This has 12 columns and 1 cell, hence the name. Being a 13-sum variant it's pretty straight ahead. This game is effectively always winnable although there are a handful of landmines that we weed out when dealing for you.
Great for streaking, relaxing and not too challenging, this is a great variant if you're looking for something just a tad easier than standard 8x4.
Variant: Summer of Love
This game has 6 columns and 7 cells (1967 was widely described as the "summer of love"). It's a very fun variant because it's just starting to slip into what we call "the narrows" which have a reduced number of columns. But it has a commensurate larger number of cells letting you work out fairly complex moves using that greater number of cells. This is a 13-sum game but it's probably a little trickier than most 13-sum games as there are a fair number of deals which are winnable but put you though some pretty tight spots.
It is entirely winnable except for 1 land mine at level 10 but your chances of stepping on that deal are miniscule so we don't make any special efforts to weed that one deal out.
Other Variants
There are a number of other variants that are well-loved by certain players and might almost be worthy of getting a cute name. The 10 column games with 2 or 3 cells are super fun. You get more access to the cards from the slightly increased number of columns but you have to be really careful about your use of cells as they are a more limited resource.
And there are tons of other variants. Feel free to comment- what's your favorite and why?
Special Consideration
There are 12 variants total which receive "special consideration" in that we carefully weed out the non-winnable deals, allowing you to streak to your heart's content. These variants are typically ones which are naturally pretty close to being "streakable". On the scores page they are listed below the long list of variant scores. Look for the asterisk. Again, thanks for cellmate for providing the data that lets us guarantee the winnability of these games. Here's the list: 13x0, 5x7, 6x5, 4x10, 9x2, 11x1, 7x4, 8x3, 5x8, 6x6, 10x1, and 12x1.
Tournaments
Playing the tournaments is a great way to get exposure to the other variants. Every tournament has a "theme" which dictates the nature of the mix of games and there are only a few tournaments which are 8x4-centric. With the additional exposure to the wide range of variants maybe you'll discover the 11x1 or 5x9 is your cup of tea. Again, feel free to comment about your favorite(s).
Summary
In any case, if you find yourself getting bored playing the Standard 8x4, there are a bunch of other flavors you can try, each with its own unique personality. Warning: not all variants lend themselves to streaking so it's advisable to be looking at some other metric for those variants, e.g. percentage wins or something. And yes it would be fun to have per-variant Elo ratings but Elo is a topic for another day.
I play 9x5. Most always winnable. Very relaxing. I play to reward myself for completing a task on the computer. ONE GAME ONLY. Can easily play 50 in a row if I do not curb myself.
I've been an avid player of 13x0. I was turned on to this by a friend and we'd comment to each other on streaks and occasionally send a tricky game to each other to see if we could get help. Sadly, now that he's gone I have less enjoyment in the game.
You're absolutely right, getting a blank column is crucial; the most moves I ever had to plan to get the first open column was 18 which was somewhat nerve-wracking. Another hint, though, is not to let too many cards pile up in a column because then it can be impossible to move them.
PatP- yup you need to see 1st empty column, and then see your way the 2nd as well.
Agree you need to not let longer columns pile up, especially early on. And later when you have a lot of open columns it's OK to use one up, but early in the game never give up an empty column without a clear plan to get it back.
MrFixit
P.S. You might enjoy a "Zeros" tournament.
Yes, if you have a lot of open columns it doesn't matter how deep a stack is. I like to stack them deep, if it means getting another open column.
Use those open columns to unstack a deep stack.
7x5. Every time. Also the name of my favourite sheet film format (although it's called 5x7 in the US, which is creeping now worldwide. I just have to accept that).
outskirts, with zeroes it matters if you bury the low cards at the top.
Why am I loged in as AnonCrimSel695 ?
TOAST