The game Freecell is not the only Solitaire of its kind nor is the first historically. Using Freecell as a basis, several similar Solitaire variants can be constructed by adjusting some of the basic rules:
Sequence Parenthood - in some variants cards can be placed on consequent cards of the same suit, or of the cards of any suit whatsoever. Examples for this are Baker's Game which is identical to Freecell except that sequences are built by suit.
Policy of Filling Empty Columns - in Freecell empty columns can be filled by any cards. In other variants, such as Seahaven Towers or Forecell, only kings may be placed there. On other variants, they cannot be filled at all.
Policy of Moving Sequences - in Freecell, the amount of cards that can be moved as a sequence is determined by the number of vacant Freecells and columns present. In other variants such as Relaxed Freecell, the amount of cards that can be moved as a sequence is unlimited, regardless of how many vacant resources exist on the board.
Variations in the number of Freecells, Columns or Decks - Some Freecell variants are played with two decks of cards. Many others vary on the number of columns or freecells. Freecell itself is often played with less than 4 freecells, in order to make the game more challenging. (or vice versa)
Below you can find a table that summarized the essential properties of a large number of Solitaire games similar to Freecell. Their names were taken from PySol, which is a free Solitaire suite written in Python. [2]
FILL IN the table
| Name | Columns Number | Freecells Number | Decks Number | Sequence Parenthood | Empty Columns Filled By | Sequence Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bakers Dozen | 13 | 0 | 1 | Rank | None | Unlimited |
| Bakers Game | 8 | 4 | 1 | Suit | Any Card | Unlimited |
| Beleaguered Castle | 8 | 0 | 1 | Rank | Any Card | Unlimited |
| Cruel | 12 | 0 | 1 | Suit | None | Unlimited |
| Der Katzenschwanz | 9 | 8 | 2 | Alternate Colour | None | Limited |
| Die Schlange | 9 | 8 | 2 | Alternate Colour | None | Unlimited |
| Eight Off | 8 | 8 | 1 | Suit | Kings Only | Unlimited |
| Fan | 18 | 0 | 1 | Suit | Kings Only | Unlimited |
| Forecell | 8 | 4 | 1 | Alternate Colour | Kings Only | Unlimited |
| Freecell | 8 | 4 | 1 | Alternate Colour | Any Card | Unlimited |
| Good Measure | 10 | 0 | 1 | Rank | None | Unlimited |
| Kings Only Bakers Game | 8 | 4 | 1 | Suit | Kings Only | Unlimited |
| Relaxed Freecell | 8 | 4 | 1 | Alternate Colour | Any Card | Limited |
| Relaxed Seahaven Towers | 10 | 4 | 1 | Suit | Kings Only | Limited |
| Seahaven Towers | 10 | 4 | 1 | Suit | Kings Only | Unlimited |
[2] Not all of these variants appear in PySol under the "FreeCell Type" category. As I noticed, many games were very similar to Freecell in their spirit, despite the fact that they were classified otherwise.