What is Eight Off Solitaire?
Eight Off is a one-deck game with eight columns and eight temporary holding spaces. Four of those spaces already contain a card at the beginning.[1]
How to set up the cards
Start with the following arrangement.[1]
- Deal 48 cards face up into eight columns, with six cards in each.
- Put the remaining four cards into four of the eight free cells (single-card holding spaces). Leave the other four cells empty.
- Leave space for four foundation piles, one for each suit. There is no stock to draw from.
How to play
Follow these rules for the version described here.[1]
- Build downward in the same suit. For example, a 7 of clubs can go on an 8 of clubs.
- Each free cell can hold one card. You cannot place another card in an occupied cell.
- In the version described here, only a King, or a group beginning with a King, may fill an empty column.
- Move Aces to the foundations, then build each suit upward to King.
- To move several cards, use the available free cells and empty columns to move the cards in order.
An example of a move
Suppose a 7 of clubs is free and another column ends with an 8 of clubs. You can place the 7 on the 8.
Four of the eight free cells already hold cards at the start, so there are only four empty spaces to help with other moves.
If you clear a column, look for an available King. In the version explained here, other ranks cannot start a new column.
Tips for playing
These tips can help you decide what to do next. They are suggestions, not guaranteed ways to win.
- Keep some of the free cells empty so you can rearrange cards when necessary.
- Try to build cards together in the same suit.
- Free a column when you have a King ready to use it.
Common mistakes
- Do not assume all eight free cells are empty at the start.
- Build in the same suit, not by alternating colors.
- Rules for empty columns differ between versions; this guide uses King-only spaces.
Popular variations
Eight Off is part of the same group of open-card games as FreeCell and Baker’s Game. Unlike FreeCell, it builds down in suit and begins with four occupied reserve cells.[2][3]
History & origins
Eight Off is closely related to FreeCell and Baker’s Game. Like them, it deals all cards face up and lets players temporarily move cards into holding spaces.[4]
The GNOME AisleRiot manual documents a version with eight columns and eight reserves, four of which contain a card at the start. It also allows only Kings to begin empty columns.[1]
The exact date of Eight Off’s invention and its first inventor are not securely established. Published software manuals show how the game is played but do not establish its original creation.[1]
Frequently asked questions
Are all reserve cells empty at the start?
No. Four of the eight cells already contain a card.
What can fill an empty tableau pile?
A King (or King-headed group) in the defined variant.
How many cards begin in the tableau?
Forty-eight, in eight piles of six.
Sources & further reading
- 01Rosanna Yuen / GNOME AisleRiot project (undated (repository manual)). Eight Off — AisleRiot rule documentation.
GNOME AisleRiot upstream source repository · Open-source implementation specification
View source ↗ - 02Charlie Blake & Ian P. Gent (2024). The Winnability of Solitaire and Patience Games (v5), Appendix A, Table 6.
University of St Andrews / arXiv preprint · University working paper
View source ↗ - 03Matthew Morgenstern (2000). Using pseudo code as a starting point in your programs: Eight Off example.
Cornell University, CS 211 course material · University teaching material
View source ↗ - 04Paul Olav Tvete, Maren Pakura & Stephan Kulow (2021 (documentation revision)). KPatience Handbook: Rules for Individual Games.
KDE Documentation · Open-source software documentation
View source ↗