Penguin
All 52 cards are face up in seven columns of seven. The first card dealt, the beak, sets the starting rank of every foundation; its three partners start the foundations right away. Every deal here has been checked solvable.
How to play Penguin
How to play
The beak is the bottom card of the first column. Foundations build up in suit from the beak's rank and wrap from king to ace, so with a 5 as the beak each suit runs 5, 6 … king, ace … 4. The beak starts its own suit's foundation once you dig it out. Build the columns down in suit, wrapping too: with a 5 as the beak, the ace goes on the 2 and the king on the ace.
Cells and empty columns
The seven free cells along the top, the flipper, start empty and take any one card. Only a card one rank below the beak, or a run that starts with one, can go into an empty column; the empty column shows that rank. An ordered run of one suit moves in one go when there are enough empty cells to move it card by card: one card more than you have empty cells.
Controls
Drag a card or a run, or tap it and then tap where it should go. Double-tap sends a card to its foundation, or else to the best spot. Cards that can go home move there by themselves; the beak does so when it is alone in its column or sits in a cell. With a keyboard, use the arrow keys and Enter.
Levels
Classic is standard Penguin with seven cells. Easy deals were also checked to be solvable with only five cells, so you have plenty of room to spare. The daily deal is Classic.
Questions
Why is it called Penguin?
Penguin is a modern game, usually credited to the card-game historian David Parlett. In keeping with the name, the first card dealt is the beak and the row of seven free cells is the flipper.
Can every game of Penguin be won?
Nearly every deal can be won with seven cells, but not all. Every deal here, on both levels and in the daily, was first solved by a computer and the solution was replayed through the rules, so a solution always exists.
What can go into an empty column?
Only a card one rank below the beak, which is the last card each foundation needs, or a run that starts with one. If the beak is a 5, only 4s can fill an empty column. The empty column shows that rank.
How many cards can I move at once?
One more than your empty free cells. Empty columns don't help, because they only take one rank. With all seven cells empty you can move a run of eight.
What does the hint do?
A solver looks for a way to finish from your current position and highlights the first move with a short reason. If it finds a full solution, the hint says the deal is still solvable.