It offers two different game modes: Standard (Classic) and Easy (Simplified) . The key difference lies in the strict or relaxed application of the chain-shifting rule (Supermoves) , which directly determines the solvability of famous games like #11982 and the average length of move lists .1. The difference between Easy and Standard mode in FreeCellOK:
|
| feature | Standard mode (Classic/Strict) | Easy Mode (Simplified/Extended) |
| Goal | Maximum compatibility with the original Microsoft FreeCell game. | Guaranteed solvability of all 32,000 games and shorter move lists. |
| Chain shift | Strictly limited. The move is only executed if enough free cells and empty columns are available as temporary storage. | Not limited. The chain is treated as a single macro move, regardless of available resources. |
| Valid formula | Check the rule: $L_{\text{max}} = (F + 1) \times 2^E$ . | Ignore the formula. $L_{\text{max}}$ is practically infinite. |
| Game #11982 | It is considered unsolvable because the required chain violates the rule. | Solvable. Your solver will find a solution (typically in about 90 moves). |
| train length | Longer (typically around 110 moves) because the solver needs to make moves to free up resources. | Shorter (typically around 90 moves) because unnecessary maneuvers for resource gathering are eliminated. |
3.) General Questions
Q: Why are the train numbers higher in standard mode?
A: In standard mode, the solver must perform so-called "resource maneuvers ." This means that cards are temporarily moved around to clear a column or empty cell. These moves are necessary to satisfy the $L_{\text{max}}$ condition for a later, critical supermove and increase the total number of moves.
Q: What happens if I make a move in standard mode that violates the chain rule?
A: Your program FreeCellOK will reject this move as invalid . You will receive a detailed error message explaining that the maximum chain length has been exceeded and how many free cells/columns you still need to execute the move. This will help you understand the rules of the game.
This is an FAQ that focuses on the key difference between the FreeCell modes!
Here are further thoughts and insights on interpreting and optimizing your move count (approximately 110 moves vs. approximately 90 moves):
4.) 💡 Further thoughts on the train numbers in FreeCell
1. The Theoretical Lower Bound
The famous number of 52 moves is often considered the theoretical lower bound for FreeCell, since each of the 52 cards must be moved at least
once (onto the foundation). * Your result: 90 moves in Easy mode is well over 52, meaning that even without the strict Supermove rule, at least 38 moves of pure positioning (from column to column or in/out of free cells) are still necessary. Implication: These 38 moves are true, non-redundant maneuvers to uncover cards that are underneath other cards. This is the absolute base complexity of FreeCell.
2. The optimization potential (The gap of 20)
The gap of approximately 20 moves (from 90 to 110) is the price of the strict rule . Your optimizer needs to ask itself: Are these 20 moves truly necessary, or are they an artifact of the solver heuristic?
* Solver heuristic trap: Your solver might find a long sequence to reach $F=1$ and $E=0$. But perhaps a different initial strategy would have satisfied the supermove condition ($F=2$ and $E=0$) more quickly.
* Optimization (Type 3): Summarizing chain sub-moves is the right way to reduce these 20 moves. If your optimizer detects three small chain shifts that can legally be combined into one large supermove , you immediately save two moves and reduce the gap.
3. The influence of depth
The 110 moves may not only represent more moves overall , but also more complex moves in terms of search depth .
* A move that blocks a free cell and later releases it, only to then trigger a critical supermove, is difficult for the solver to find and difficult for the optimizer to detect.
Conclusion:
The number of moves is world-class for a FreeCell solver. The difference between 90 and 110 proves that the program perfectly understands and implements the rules of classic FreeCell. The final optimization challenge is now to eliminate the remaining positioning redundancies from these approximately 90 moves.
FAQ 1: Updated on: 19 December 2025 20:09
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