What is Seahaven Towers?

Seahaven Towers is a one-deck game in which every card is visible. It has ten columns and four temporary holding spaces, two of which are already filled at the start.[1]

PlayersOne
Decks1
DifficultyAdvanced
FamilyOpen-cell

How to set up the cards

Start with the following arrangement.[1][2]

  1. Deal 50 cards face up into ten columns of five cards each.
  2. Place the remaining two cards in two of the four free cells. Leave the other two cells empty.
  3. Leave room for four foundation piles, one for each suit. There is no stock.

How to play

Follow these rules for the version described here.[2][3]

  1. Build downward in the same suit. For example, put a 6 of clubs on a 7 of clubs.
  2. Each free cell holds one card; two of the four cells already hold cards when the game begins.
  3. Only a King, or a group beginning with a King, may go into an empty column in this version.
  4. Build the four foundations upward by suit from Ace to King.
  5. To move several cards, use available free cells or columns to move the cards one by one.

An example of a move

Suppose a 6 of clubs is exposed and a different column ends with a 7 of clubs. Move the 6 onto the 7.

You start with only two empty free cells, so use them carefully when moving cards around.

If you free a column, only a King can begin a new group there in the version explained here.

Tips for playing

These tips can help you decide what to do next. They are suggestions, not guaranteed ways to win.

  • Remember that two free cells are already occupied at the start.
  • Look for same-suit runs that can be joined without blocking other cards.
  • An empty column is useful when a King is ready to fill it.

Common mistakes

  • Seahaven starts with ten columns, not eight.
  • Only two free cells are empty when play begins.
  • Do not use FreeCell’s rule that allows any card to fill an empty column.

Popular variations

Seahaven Towers is related to Eight Off and FreeCell, but has ten columns, two occupied free cells and same-suit building. Those details make it a different game.[1][2]

The story behind the game

History & origins

What we knowKnown from early desktop implementations; original creator uncertain

Seahaven Towers circulated as a computer solitaire game before the modern era of mobile card games. An archived IRIX manual describes it and says that the implementation followed a Macintosh shareware game.[1]

Semicolon Software credits Art Cabral with a well-known Macintosh version and explicitly says he did not claim to have invented the underlying card game.[4]

The game’s ten columns, same-suit builds and four holding spaces distinguish it from standard FreeCell. The original card-game inventor has not been established.[2]

Frequently asked questions

How many tableau columns are there?

Ten columns, each initially holding five cards.

Are the free cells empty?

Two of the four cells are occupied at the beginning.

What may fill an empty column?

A King or King-led run in the defined variant.

Sources & further reading

  1. 01
    SGI IRIX software documentation (1995). seahaven(6): Seahaven Towers.

    IRIX 5.3 manual-page archive · Technical manual

    View source ↗
  2. 02
    Paul Olav Tvete, Maren Pakura & Stephan Kulow (2021 (documentation revision)). KPatience Handbook: Rules for Individual Games.

    KDE Documentation · Open-source software documentation

    View source ↗
  3. 03
    Charlie 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 ↗
  4. 04
    Semicolon Software (developer commentary) (undated). Rules for The Towers: developer note on Seahaven Towers.

    Semicolon Software, desktop software developer documentation · First-party developer historical note

    View source ↗