The Grey Labyrinth is a collection of puzzles, riddles, mind games, paradoxes and other intellectually challenging diversions. Related topics: puzzle games, logic puzzles, lateral thinking puzzles, philosophy, mind benders, brain teasers, word problems, conundrums, 3d puzzles, spatial reasoning, intelligence tests, mathematical diversions, paradoxes, physics problems, reasoning, math, science.

mtc32 · Daedalian Member

Everyone knows the Free Cell game. It's similar to Solitaire except all the cards are dealt and there are four open spots to put a card in. The version put onto Microsoft Windows has over 30,000 combinations and I recall that there was one combination that was unsolvable. Can you create an unsolvable layout for the game?

Ghost Post · Icarian Member

From MS FreeCell Help

quote:
The object of FreeCell

The object of FreeCell is to move all the cards to the home cells, using the free cells as placeholders.
To win, you make four stacks of cards on the home cells, one for each suit, stacked in order of rank, from lowest to highest.
Note
It is believed (although not proven) that every game is winnable.

Zyrxil · Daedalian Member

Try games -1, -2, and 11982

mole · Subterranean Member

I don't think it would be that hard to make an unsolvable layout...

Lepton · 1:41+ Arse Scratcher

Are we allowed to use the cards from two decks?
Jokers?

mathgrant · A very tilted cell member

I always wanted a cell phone puzzle, especially for free!

mtc32 · Daedalian Member

I think you are correct. -1 & -2 and the 11982 are very difficult. If not, impossible. The key is to get the aces in the back. That makes the game difficult.

Zyrxil · Daedalian Member

I know for a fact 11982 is impossible, -1 and -2 seem to be pretty damn near impossible, if not actually so, from the aces' starting positions.

Antrax · ESL Student

I think I proved once that -1 and -2 are impossible. I got pretty bored in highschool

Antrax

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I'm cool, really

groza528 · No Place Like Home

Just bury all the reds under all the blacks, with the black aces among the reds. You can't put a black card on another one.

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If you think the little things don't matter, try falling asleep with a mosquito in your room.

mith · Pitbull of Truth

it's not quite that simple. you have 8 columns, so you can always get to the reds by moving stuff to free cells.

obviously it can be done, it's just pretty hard to prove that you can't solve a given one, i think. (i wouldnt know, i've never actually tried

)

groza528 · No Place Like Home

separate even cards and odd cards by column, I think it would be possible to prevent being able to put a red on a black or v-v.

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If you think the little things don't matter, try falling asleep with a mosquito in your room.

Jen Aside · Daedalian Member

Shoot, I long ago removed FreeCell from my computer with no intention of putting it back, so I can't make a pictoral version without going through a lot of bother I don't care to deal with, but...

code:



 AC   AS   2H   2D   3C   3S   4C   4S


 AH   AD   JH   JD   3H   3D   4H   4D


 JC   JS   5C   5S   6C   6S   7C   7S


 KC   QC   5H   5D   6H   6D   7H   7D


 KH   QH   8C   8S   9C   9S  10C  10S


 KS   QS   8H   8D   9H   9D  10H  10D


 KD   QD   2S   2S

Jen Aside · Daedalian Member

...something occurred to me... this might be "better":

code:



 AC   AS   2H   2D   3C   3S   4C   4S


 AH   JC   JH   JD   3H   3D   4H   4D


 AD   JS   5C   5S   6C   6S   7C   7S


 KC   QC   5H   5D   6H   6D   7H   7D


 KH   QH   8C   8S   9C   9S  10C  10S


 KS   QS   8H   8D   9H   9D  10H  10D


 KD   QD   2S   2S

(now I wish I had a FreeCell generator to test this!)