Needle is FreeCell with the four cells melted into one deep pocket. Eight cards start in a reserve that can hold up to eighteen; only its top card is in play, and any card may be added while there is room. Nine columns are dealt face up in the shape 8, 8, 4, 2, 0, 2, 4, 8, 8 — the middle column is empty from the start — and build down in alternating colours, one card at a time. Any card may fill a space. Four foundations build up from the ace; bank all 52 to win.
Shuffle one deck. Deal eight cards face up into the reserve, then nine columns: eight, eight, four, two, none, two, four, eight and eight cards, all face up. Nothing is hidden and there is no stock. The four foundations start empty.
Every card is in view, so Needle is a planning game — but the one thing you cannot plan around is the order you buried cards in the reserve. It is a stack, not a shelf: the last card in is the first card out, and the eight cards dealt there are under everything you add.
Needle is the family's first capacity cell: a reserve that holds several cards yet is not a column, because nothing is built on it and only its top card plays. Haystack is the same game with the reserve capped at eight; Pitchfork closes the reserve entirely, so its eight cards come out and nothing goes back in. Limpopo takes the idea to two decks with two reserves of four.
Needle runs in your browser — free, no download, no sign-up. Install it as an app on your phone or computer and it works offline. You get unlimited undo, a hint button that names a legal move, statistics that track your wins and times, and seeded deals: every game has a seed you can replay, so a board you enjoyed (or lost) can be played again exactly.
One reserve instead of four cells, and it holds up to eighteen cards with only the top one in play. Cards move one at a time rather than in runs, and the nine columns start in an uneven shape with the middle one empty.
It is a stack. Any single card may be placed on it while it holds fewer than eighteen, and only the card on top may be taken out. Eight cards are dealt there before you start.
No. Every move is a single card. To relocate a packed run you move it card by card through spaces and the reserve.
That is the deal. Nine columns are dealt eight, eight, four, two, none, two, four, eight and eight, so the fifth column opens as a space for any card.
The same game with the reserve capped at eight cards instead of eighteen. It is a stricter count of Needle rather than a different game, so it is not offered separately.