Forty Thieves Solitaire Online

Forty Thieves starts with forty face-up cards in ten columns of four. The other 64 cards form a draw-one stock. Move all 104 cards to eight Ace-to-King foundations while building tableau columns down by suit, one card at a time.

Forty Thieves rules: same-suit, single-card moves

• Same-suit destinations: an 8 of Hearts fits a 9 of Hearts, not a 9 of another suit.
• Single cards only: even a correctly ordered same-suit run cannot move as a group.
• Empty columns: accept any single exposed card. There is no King requirement.
• Stock: turn one card at a time and use only the top waste card. There is no redeal.
• Foundations: build each pile up by suit from Ace through King, with two foundations per suit.

Three ways a legal move changes your available space

These simplified positions illustrate decisions in this game; they are not your current deal.

1. Use an empty column to relocate a two-card run

Without that empty column, you would need another legal destination for the 7, such as the other exposed 8 of Hearts or a Heart foundation ready for it. The 7 cannot be parked on a black 8 just to get it out of the way.

2. A King uses a space it cannot easily leave

Parking a King is legal and can be useful, but it is a longer commitment than temporary storage for a lower card. You can build down on that King afterward; the new cards will also need to leave before the King itself reaches a foundation.

3. Check what you lose by sending a 4 to a foundation

Imagine a tableau column ending in a King of Clubs with a 4 of Hearts below it. One Heart foundation ends at 3, and the other copy of the 3 of Hearts is on the waste. Assume there are no empty columns or other exposed 4s of Hearts.

Both choices can be legal. The useful one depends on the waste card you would uncover and the other Heart foundation’s progress. With two decks, a second copy can still need a tableau destination even after the first copy has reached a foundation.

Keep a usable exit from each temporary pile

Check how a move will expose the card behind it. In a same-suit column, burying a low card under an unrelated high card can make it difficult to reach the foundations. An empty column gives you a place to separate such a pair.

Before filling an empty column from the waste, plan how that card will leave again. You may need the space for a rearrangement like the example. Since the stock has one pass, also inspect the waste before covering a card that is currently useful.

Common questions

Why can I not select the 8 at the start of a suited run?

Only a single exposed card can move in Forty Thieves. The 7 beneath the 8 must leave first, even though 8–7 is correctly ordered. This game does not use FreeCell-style group moves.

Do duplicate cards have to stay with their original deck?

No. The two copies follow the same rules. Either 4 of Hearts can follow either 3 of Hearts on a foundation, provided that 3 is its exposed top. You still need two separate Ace-to-King foundations for each suit.

What can I do with cards still in the waste after the stock ends?

Keep playing the exposed waste top whenever it has a legal destination. Each removal exposes the card beneath it. The stock does not recycle, so a buried waste card needs the cards above it moved away first.

Working one card at a time

Select the exposed end card, then its destination pile. Clicking a buried 8 cannot select an 8–7 group here. To follow the first example, make the three separate moves and watch the move counter advance each time; Undo steps back through those actions individually.

• Click or tap an exposed card, then its destination. Only one card moves at a time. Select it again to cancel. The message below the board explains the current selection or move.
• Undo reverses your last action. Hint highlights a legal action and describes it below the board; it does not calculate a complete winning route.
• New starts a fresh shuffle. Daily starts this game's dated challenge. Both replace the current board.
• Full Screen gives the board more room. On a narrow screen, scroll sideways inside the board to reach all its piles.

Compare related games

Double Klondike uses two decks but permits ordered alternating-color packets. For one deck with same-suit group moves and storage cells, try Baker's Game. Crescent also moves single cards but allows tableau building in both directions.

Compare all game styles or return to this board.