Canfield

How to play Canfield

Canfield deals 13 cards to a reserve, one card to the first foundation, and one card to each of four tableau columns; the rest wait in the stock. The foundation card sets that deal's base rank: all four foundations build upward in suit from that rank, wrapping from King around to Ace, until each holds 13 cards. On the tableau you build downward in alternating colors — also with wrap-around, so a King may land on an Ace — and any in-sequence run can move as a unit. The stock deals three cards at a time to the waste with unlimited passes.

The reserve is the heart of the game: only its top card is playable, and every time a tableau column empties, the reserve fills the gap automatically. Once the reserve is exhausted, empty columns accept any card. Tap a card to send it to its best home — foundation first — or drag it yourself. Undo is unlimited.

Strategy tips

• Play from the reserve whenever you can. Those 13 cards are the game's real clock — tableau and waste cards usually have other ways out, but the reserve only drains one card at a time, from the top.
• Don't rush cards to the foundations. With wrap-around building, a card you send up early (say the black 9s when the base is 8) may be exactly what a long tableau run needs later. Keep foundations roughly level across suits.
• Track what the three-card deal will show next. Playing one card out of the waste shifts which cards surface on the next pass — sometimes deliberately playing (or not playing) a waste card unlocks a buried one on the following cycle.
• Build long runs on one or two columns rather than spreading evenly. Emptied columns pull reserve cards onto the board, and that's the only way to see what the reserve is hiding.
• Expect to lose most deals — even perfect play wins only a small fraction. A good session is measured in foundation cards, which is exactly how the original casino version scored it.

Canfield vs. Klondike

At a glance Canfield looks like a compact Klondike: stock, waste, foundations, and columns building down in alternating colors. Three rules change everything: foundations start from a random base rank instead of Aces (and wrap), a 13-card reserve feeds the board and must be emptied to win, and the deal is three-at-a-time by default. It plays faster than Klondike and loses more often — the trade the casinos designed it for. If you want the same building rules with far better odds, try FreeCell.

Frequently asked questions

How do you win Canfield Solitaire?

Move all 52 cards onto the four foundations. Unlike Klondike, the foundations don't start with Aces: the first card dealt to a foundation sets the base rank for that game, and every foundation builds upward in suit from that rank, wrapping from King back around to Ace. If the base card is a 7, each foundation runs 7-8-9-10-J-Q-K-A-2-3-4-5-6.

What is the reserve in Canfield?

A 13-card pile dealt at the start, sitting beside the tableau with only its top card playable. Whenever a tableau column empties, the reserve automatically supplies its next card to fill the space. Emptying the reserve is most of the battle — a typical losing game barely dents it.

How does the stock work?

The stock deals three cards at a time onto the waste, and only the top waste card is playable — the classic casino rule. You can cycle through the stock as many times as you like, but the order inside it only changes when you play cards out of the waste.

Can I put any card in an empty column?

While the reserve still has cards, you never get the choice — an emptied column refills from the reserve on its own. Once the reserve runs dry, empty columns stay empty and any card or run may move in, which is when the game finally opens up.

Why is Canfield considered so hard?

It was invented as a casino game — you bought a deck for $50 and earned $5 per card you placed on the foundations, and the house made money. Only a few percent of deals play out to a full win even with strong play, largely because 13 cards start locked in the reserve and the three-at-a-time stock hides two of every three cards from you on each pass.

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