Penguin – Play Online Free
Penguin deals 49 cards into 7 columns of 7. The first card dealt, the beak, sets the starting rank of the foundations; the other three cards of that rank start them. Build down by suit, wrapping from Ace to King, with 7 free cells.
- Cards
- 52
- Free cells
- 7
- Columns
- 7
- Foundations
- 4
- Build
- By suit
- Win rate
- High
How to play Penguin
Deal: 52 cards are dealt face up into 7 columns. The first card dealt is the beak; the other three cards of its rank start three foundations.
Goal: move every card to the 4 foundations, building each one up by suit from the beak’s rank, wrapping from King to Ace.
Columns build down in the same suit (for example 9♠ on 10♠), wrapping so a King can go on an Ace.
Free cells hold one card each (there are 7). Use them to dig out buried cards, and empty them again quickly.
Only the card one rank below the beak, or a run headed by it, can move into an empty column.
You can move an ordered run as a group when there is room to move it one card at a time: (free cells + 1) × 2 for each empty column.
Penguin vs classic FreeCell
| Rule | Penguin | FreeCell |
|---|---|---|
| Cards | 52 | 52 |
| Free cells | 7 | 4 |
| Columns | 7 (7×7) | 8 (7×4 + 6×4) |
| Build columns | Same suit | Alternating colours |
| Foundations | 4 | 4 |
| Empty column | Rank below the beak | Any card |
| Group moves | (cells + 1) × 2^empty columns | (cells + 1) × 2^empty columns |
Strategy tips
- Free Aces and Twos first; look for them before your first move.
- Empty columns only take a King here, so plan which King goes in before you clear one.
- Before using a free cell, check that you can empty it again within a few moves.
- Building by suit is strict: count which same-suit card you need next before filling a column.
- Use Undo freely. It costs nothing, and every deal can be replayed by its game number.
- Stuck? Hint follows our solver’s line for this deal as long as you stay on it.
How players do on AllFreeCell
Published estimate of the win rate: High. Our own numbers appear here once enough games have been played.
- Win rate
- –
- Average win time
- –
- Average moves
- –
- Games played
- –
FAQ
Is every Penguin game solvable?
Not every random Penguin deal is, so New Game only deals games our solver has solved. Each deal shows its difficulty, and Hint follows the solver’s line.
How is Penguin different from classic FreeCell?
Invented by David Parlett. Ranks wrap around: if the beak is a 9, foundations run 9, 10, J, Q, K, A, 2 … 8, and only an 8 can fill an empty column.
How do difficulty levels work?
Every deal in our bank was solved offline. Deals that took the solver longer, or needed more moves, are rated harder: Beginner, Easy, Medium, Hard, Expert and Evil.
Is there a daily challenge?
Yes. Every day there is one Penguin deal for all players, with a monthly calendar, streaks and a daily leaderboard. Open the Daily button above the table.
Does Undo cost points?
No. Undo and Redo are free and unlimited; your move count goes back too.
Do I need to sign up?
No. Your stats are kept in this browser.
Related variants
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Rules follow David Parlett, Wikipedia (Penguin) descriptions of Penguin. Where sites disagree we say so above.