Eight Off is the open-information patience that pre-dates FreeCell. Eight reserve cells (four filled at start, four empty) and eight tableau columns of six cards, all face-up. You build down in the tableau by suit — strict same-suit, not alternating color — and aim to fill four foundations from Ace to King. The extra four reserves more than offset the harder building rule, which is why most deals are winnable with careful planning. Free in your browser, no sign-up. Works offline once the page has loaded.
Goal: build all four foundations from Ace to King by suit.
Eight Off's strict rule is one card at a time, same as FreeCell. With empty reserve cells and empty columns, you could move a sequence by hand and reach the same end state. Our version does it in one move. The formula is identical to FreeCell:
(1 + empty reserves) × 2(empty columns)
With four empty reserves and one empty column, you can move 10 cards. With four empty reserves and two empty columns, 20 cards. Empty columns are far more powerful than empty reserves because they double, not add.
The two games look almost identical at the table. The differences sit in three rules.
| Aspect | FreeCell | Eight Off |
|---|---|---|
| Reserve cells | 4 (all empty at start) | 8 (4 dealt with cards, 4 empty) |
| Tableau columns | 8 (4×7 cards + 4×6 cards) | 8 (all 6 cards each) |
| Tableau building | Down by alternating color | Down by same suit |
| Empty column fill | Any card | King only |
| Practical win rate (skilled) | ~99.9% (1994 study) | ~75–85% |
The four extra reserves give you more parking space, but the same-suit building rule and the King-only empty-column rule take more away. The net effect is harder than FreeCell, easier than Baker's Game (which adds the same-suit rule but keeps only four reserves).
Eight Off was published by Geoffrey Mott-Smith in his 1949 book Card Games for One. It is one of the earliest patience games to use the open-reserve mechanic — every card visible from the start, with parking cells for temporary storage. Paul Alfille's design of FreeCell on the PLATO system in the late 1970s drew on Eight Off's reserve concept while loosening the building rule from same-suit to alternating-color and reducing the number of reserves from eight to four. Microsoft's 1995 inclusion of FreeCell with Windows made the descendant far more famous than its parent.
This Eight Off runs in your browser — free, no download, no sign-up. Install as an app on your phone or computer; once installed it works offline. Auto-supermoves, unlimited undo, statistics, and a daily challenge that gives every player the same deal that day so you can compare times.