What is the hardest FreeCell deal?

Every FreeCell fan eventually asks which deal is the toughest. The answer is one specific unsolvable puzzle, plus a short list of brutal-but-beatable ones.

Quick answer: Among the classic 32,000 numbered Microsoft deals, number 11982 is the hardest - it is the only one proven to be impossible to win. A handful of others, like deals 617 and 1941, are famously difficult but can still be solved with perfect play.

The one you cannot win

In the original set of 32,000 numbered deals, deal number 11982 stands alone: it has been proven to have no solution at all. No amount of skill will beat it, which makes it the definitive hardest deal in the classic set. Read more about winnability in our FAQ hub.

The hard-but-solvable ones

Beyond 11982, deals like 617, 1941 and a few others are legendary for how tight they play - a single wrong move loses them, but a perfect line wins. These are the deals experts trade like war stories. If you want a guaranteed-fair fresh puzzle, the daily challenge serves one up every day.

What makes a deal hard

Difficulty in FreeCell comes from cards buried in the wrong order, forcing you to use every free cell and empty column just to breathe. The harder the deal, the further ahead you must plan. Want a built-in challenge? Try Challenge FreeCell, which strips you down to just two free cells.

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Related questions

Is every FreeCell game winnable?

Almost, but not quite. About 99.999% of FreeCell deals can be solved with perfect play, which is why the game feels so fair. Of the classic 32,000 numbered Microsoft deals, only one - deal number 11982 - has been proven impossible to win.

Is FreeCell luck or skill?

FreeCell is almost entirely skill. Because all 52 cards are dealt face up and around 99.999% of deals are winnable, there is no hidden information and almost no luck. Whether you win or lose comes down to your planning, not the shuffle.

What is FreeCell?

FreeCell is a solitaire game played with one 52-card deck dealt face up into eight columns. You have four free cells - open spaces that each hold a single card - and the goal is to build all four suits up from Ace to King on the foundations. Because every card is visible from the start, FreeCell is almost pure strategy.