Penguin turns FreeCell’s colour rule into a suit-matching puzzle.

History and background

Penguin is a modern variant of FreeCell that replaces two of its defining rules: where FreeCell builds tableau sequences in alternating colours, Penguin demands same-suit sequences; and where FreeCell always starts foundations on the Ace, Penguin chooses a random “beak” rank before dealing and begins all four foundations from that rank. The game’s name comes from its visual shorthand — the beak rank and the seven free cells (“flippers”) that ring the tableau.

These two rule changes have a compounding effect. Same-suit sequences are much harder to assemble than alternating-colour ones, since there are only thirteen cards of each suit rather than twenty-six cards of each colour. The seven flippers (compared to FreeCell’s four) compensate partially, but the game remains significantly harder to play well than its ancestor. A high proportion of Penguin deals are winnable with optimal play, but optimal play requires deeper suit planning than most FreeCell players are accustomed to.

How the game is set up

Before dealing, one rank is chosen as the beak. All four cards of that rank are removed from the deck and placed as starters on the four foundations. The remaining 48 cards are dealt face-up into seven tableau columns. Seven free cells (flippers) sit above the tableau.

• Tableau sequences.Build downward by same suit only. A 7♥ may only go on an 8♥, not on any red 8. A valid same-suit run of cards moves as a single unit (the supermove formula applies — see below).
• Empty tableau columns. Accept only the rank directly below the beak rank, or a same-suit run whose top card is that rank. If the beak is a 6, only a 5 or a 5-headed run may enter an empty column.
• Flippers. Hold one card each, like FreeCell free cells. A flipper card can be played onto any legal tableau top or directly to a foundation.
• Foundations.Build upward by suit from the beak rank, wrapping around the deck cycle. If the beak is 5, foundations run 5→6→7→…→K→A→2→3→4.

Why same-suit sequencing changes everything

In FreeCell, any red 8 accepts any red 7. In Penguin, an 8♠ accepts only a 7♠. That means a column of alternating suits — a perfectly fine FreeCell stack — is completely unplayable as a unit in Penguin. Sequences must be of a single suit, and building them requires routing each suit’s cards to sit adjacent in the correct order.

The practical consequence: you will often need to use a flipper to temporarily park a card of the right suit while you clear the space for it to rejoin its sequence. Unlike FreeCell, where a sequence can grow from either direction of a colour, Penguin sequences require precise suit identity at every step. Plan the suit routing before you start moving.

The beak rank and wrapping foundations

The beak rank determines which cards are immediately playable to foundations on move one, and which card rank is the restricted entry into empty columns. If the beak is high — say, a Jack — then foundations run J→Q→K→A→2→…→10, and empty columns only accept 10s. If the beak is low, foundation progress is initially faster but empty columns fill with high-ranked cards that are hard to build beneath.

The wrapping foundation also means the cards just below the beak rank are the hardest to place: they must wait until the foundation has cycled all the way around. Identify the card one below the beak at the start of each deal and watch for it to become urgent late in the game — it is often the last blocker.

Flipper discipline and the supermove formula

Penguin’s seven flippers feel generous, but they fill quickly when same-suit sequences are hard to build. The supermove formula governs how many cards you can relocate as a unit: (flippers available + 1) × 2^{empty columns}. With all seven flippers free and no empty columns, you can move an eight-card sequence in one action. Lose those flippers to parked cards and the same move becomes impossible.

• Never park a card in a flipper unless you know its exit move.“I’ll find a place for it later” is how all seven fill up with orphaned cards that have nowhere to go.
• Treat a full flipper like a closed door. Each occupied flipper reduces your supermove capacity by half (relative to the next empty one). Guard the count.
• Same-suit runs pay back the investment. A five-card same-suit run moves as one unit. Building even short runs early multiplies your effective board mobility and reduces reliance on flippers for individual card transfers.

Strategic priorities in order

1. Identify the beak cycle and the card just below it. Those two pieces of information define the foundation arc for the whole game. Know them before your first move.
2. Free any beak-rank cards still in the tableau. The four beak cards start on foundations, but sometimes variant rules place one in the tableau. An unfound beak card blocks one entire foundation suit from progressing.
3. Route same-suit cards into adjacent sequence order early. The longer you wait to assemble a same-suit run, the more the rest of the board has filled in around it. Same-suit sequence building is the primary planning task in Penguin.
4. Keep at least three flippers free at all times. Fewer than three and your supermove capacity drops to where individual-card shuffling becomes necessary, which burns moves and reveals no new cards.
5. Spend empty columns on beneath-beak-rank entries, not parking. An empty column filled with the correct rank unlocks tableau reorganization. One used as a holding cell for a random card is wasted.

Decision walkthroughs

Choosing between two flipper moves

An empty column appears — fill it or hold it?

Late-game foundation jam

Common mistakes

• Mixing suits into a column early.A column of 8♥–7♠ looks like progress but is an unmovable fragment. Every card added to it traps both cards.
• Filling all seven flippers without an exit plan. Seven occupied flippers kill supermove capacity entirely and leave you unable to reorganize the tableau at all.
• Ignoring the wrapping foundation order. Players used to Ace-based games often misread which card is next on the foundation when the beak is mid-rank. Count the cycle explicitly rather than trusting intuition.
• Using empty columns for parking rather than sequence entry. The empty column restriction (beneath-beak rank only) is a constraint and a signal: it tells you exactly what belongs there.

Recognizing a losing position early

Penguin positions become unwinnable when same-suit sequences cannot be assembled because key cards are stranded. The warning signs:

• Two or more cards of the same suit that need to be adjacent are separated by wrong-suit cards in columns where there is no longer enough flipper capacity to route around them.
• All seven flippers are occupied and no flipper card has a legal tableau destination, meaning the board is completely frozen.
• The card just below the beak rank — the last card to reach the foundation cycle — is buried under several wrong-suit cards with no path to the surface.

When you see these patterns, undo to the last branch and reconsider the suit routing from that point. In Penguin, the root of most lost positions is a suit-mixing move made four or five turns earlier, not the move immediately before the jam.