How to play Baker's Game

Baker's Game is the patience that FreeCell grew out of. It was described by the American mathematician Martin Gardner in 1968 and named after C. L. Baker, who showed it to him. Everything is the same as in FreeCell except one rule: cards build down in the same suit, not in alternating colours.

That single change makes a big difference. In FreeCell a red 6 can go on either black 7; in Baker's Game the 6 of hearts has exactly one place to go, the 7 of hearts. Every card is face up from the start, so nothing is left to luck once the cards are dealt - but you need to plan further ahead, use the free cells sparingly and see which card is blocking which.

How to play on skill.games

When you open the game, the settings popup appears. Choose a level - Easy (4 cells), Normal (4 cells) or Hard (3 cells) - check your record at that level and press PLAY. The cards fly onto the table and the game begins.

• Moving cards: tap a card and it goes to its best place: a foundation, otherwise the card of its suit one rank higher, otherwise an empty column, otherwise a free cell. Tapping a card in the middle of a column moves it together with the run on top of it, if the run is in suit and in order.
• Dragging: drag a card, or a run, and drop it where you want it. A move that isn't allowed is refused: the cards shake and slide back, and if the run is too long the game tells you how many cards can move.
• Double tap a card to send it straight to a foundation.
• Undo: the UNDO button at the top takes back your last move, as many times as you like, all the way back to the deal. On a computer, Ctrl+Z (or Cmd+Z) works too.
• The score line at the top shows your moves, the time and your score.

When the rest of the cards can simply be played up, the game finishes for you. Once all four foundations reach their Kings, the cards cascade off the table and the results screen shows your moves, time and score, with your statistics for that level: wins, losses, win rate and streaks.

The menu button in the top-left corner pauses the game, starts a new deal or turns the sound off. The "?" button opens this guide. The deal is saved after every move, so you can close the page and press CONTINUE next time - even your undo history comes back. A deal you abandon by starting a new one counts as a loss at its level.

Rules

The layout. All 52 cards are dealt face up into eight columns: the first four get seven cards, the other four get six. Above them are the free cells (four, or three on Hard) and four foundations.

Foundations. Each foundation builds up in one suit from the Ace to the King. Cards played to a foundation stay there.

Building in the columns. A card can be placed on the card one rank higher of the same suit: the 9 of spades on the 10 of spades. Nothing can be placed on an Ace.

Free cells. Each free cell holds any single card. A card in a cell can be played back onto a column or up to a foundation.

Empty columns. Any card - or a run in suit - can be moved into an empty column.

Moving runs. Officially only one card moves at a time. The game lets you move a run of the same suit in order as one move, as long as the free cells and empty columns would let you move it card by card: one more card than the number of empty cells, doubled for every empty column. When the run is going into an empty column, that column does not count.

Scoring. Every card played to a foundation scores 10 points. Every 30 seconds of play costs 30 points, although your score never drops below zero. When you win, a time bonus of 600,000 divided by the seconds you took is added. Undoing a move takes its points back, and an undo counts as a move.

Winning. You win when all 52 cards are on the foundations.

Strategy tips

• Find the Aces before you move. Look at where each Ace and 2 sits and how many cards lie on top of it. The deal is decided by how fast you can reach the low cards.
• Every card has one home. Building in suit means a card can only go on one particular card. If the 8 of diamonds is buried under the 9 of diamonds, that 9 can never hold it - plan around such knots early.
• Keep the free cells free. A filled cell is a lost move later. Put a card in a cell only when you can see how it will come out again, ideally within a few moves.
• An empty column is worth more than a cell. It holds a whole run, not just one card, and it doubles how many cards you can move at once. Don't fill it with a single card unless that wins something real.
• Play to the foundations freely. In Baker's Game a card that can go up can never be needed on the table again - the only card that could ever be placed on it is already on its foundation.
• Fewer cells, longer plans. On Hard, with three cells, think in sequences: which column can you empty, and what will you need to put where before you start?

Difficulty levels

• Easy (4 cells): four free cells, and every deal is one our computer player has already solved, so each Easy game can be won. If you get stuck, undo and look for the way out.
• Normal (4 cells): a random deal with four free cells. Around three deals in four can be won with good play.
• Hard (3 cells): a random deal with only three free cells. Many deals cannot be won at all, and those that can need careful planning from the first move.