Forty Thieves
Past dailiesForty face-up cards in ten columns, two decks and a single pass through the stock. A famously tough patience game, but every deal here has been played to a win by a solver.
How to play Forty Thieves
How to play
Move all 104 cards to the eight foundations, building each up by suit from ace to king. In the ten columns, build down in suit: the 9 of clubs goes on the 10 of clubs. Any card can go into an empty column. Tap the stock to turn over one card at a time onto the waste; you only go through the stock once.
Moving runs
Strictly, cards move one at a time. As a shortcut you can move an ordered run of one suit in one go when you could have moved it card by card through empty columns: up to 2 cards with one empty column, 4 with two, and so on (half as many when the run goes into an empty column). With no empty column, only one card moves.
Controls
Drag a card or run, or tap it and then tap where it should go. Double-tap to send a card to its foundation or to the best column. Cards that can never be needed again go to the foundations by themselves. With a keyboard, use the arrow keys and Enter.
Tips
Empty columns are everything: they let you move runs and sort cards. Don't rush through the stock; play what the waste offers before turning the next card. Move cards to the foundations only when they won't be needed to hold a card of the same suit.
Questions
Can every Forty Thieves game be won?
No. It is one of the hardest patience games: players win about one game in ten, and even our solver, which knows the order of the stock, finishes only about one random deal in five. Every deal on this page is one the solver won, and its solution was replayed through the rules.
Why can I sometimes move several cards at once?
Only one card moves at a time, but moving a run through empty columns is tedious, so the game does it in one step when it would be possible card by card. The limit doubles with each empty column.
What is the easier level?
The eight aces start on the foundations, so the forty cards in the columns are all playable and the stock is smaller. It is close to the old variant called Lucas.
Can I go through the stock again?
No, Forty Thieves allows a single pass. Every card you leave in the waste stays buried until the cards above it are played.
Does the hint know what's in the stock?
No. It only uses the cards you can see. When the stock is used up, it asks the solver and tells you when its move keeps the game winnable.