Thirteen cards wait in the reserve and the foundations start from whatever rank turns up first. Dig through the reserve, keep the four columns moving, and bring all 52 cards home.
How to Play Canfield Solitaire
Canfield is a fast, one-deck solitaire with a twist that sets it apart from Klondike: the foundations do not start with Aces. They start with whatever rank the first foundation card happens to be, and the rest of the game turns on a reserve pile of thirteen cards that you work through from the top.
Objective
Move all 52 cards to the four foundations. Each foundation holds one suit and builds up from the starting rank, going past the King to the Ace and on until it holds thirteen cards.
Setup
- Reserve: thirteen cards are dealt to the reserve on the left. Only the top card is face up.
- Foundations: the next card goes face up onto the first foundation. Its rank is the base for this deal: if it is a 7, every foundation starts with a 7.
- Tableau: four cards are dealt face up, one in each of the four columns under the foundations.
- Stock: the other 34 cards form the stock, face down at the top left.
Moves
- Foundations build up in suit from the base rank. With a base of 7, the 7 of hearts starts the hearts foundation, then 8, 9 and so on to the King, then the Ace, 2, 3, and finally the 6.
- Columns build down in alternating colors: a black 8 on a red 9. Building wraps around too, so a red King can go on a black Ace.
- You can move the top card of a column, or a whole column at once. You can't split a column in the middle.
- The top card of the reserve can go to a foundation or a column. When it moves, the next reserve card turns face up.
- When a column is emptied, the top reserve card fills it straight away. Once the reserve is used up, you may put any card into an empty column.
- Click or tap the stock to turn three cards onto the waste. Only the top waste card is playable. When the stock runs out, click it again to turn the waste back over. You may go through the stock as many times as you like.
Finishing the Game
When the stock, waste and reserve are all empty and the columns can go home in order, the Auto-finish button sends every card to the foundations. You win when all four foundations hold thirteen cards.
Canfield Strategy Tips
- Empty the reserve first. The reserve is the heart of Canfield. Every card left in it at the end is a card you could not reach, so treat each move as a chance to dig one card further down.
- Know your base. Look at the first foundation card before anything else. If the base is a 9, then 10s are your 2s and 8s are your Kings: they go home last.
- Clear columns on purpose. An empty column is filled by the reserve at once, which is the quickest way to get reserve cards into play. Moving a whole column onto another to open a gap often does more than any foundation move.
- Don't rush cards home. A card on a foundation can't come back. If a column card is the only place a reserve card could land, keep it in the tableau a little longer.
- Use the passes. Each trip through the stock shows you a different set of cards, because playing one waste card shifts the groups of three. If you are stuck, go through the stock once more before you give up.
- Watch the colors. With only four columns, a pile built on the wrong color sequence can block a whole suit. Before you build, check where the next card of the other color will come from.
- Replay a deal you lost. Restart deals the same cards again, so on a second try you know what is waiting in the reserve. Undo has no limit, so you can test a line of play first.
Playing Canfield on Solitaire Parlor
- Tap or click a card to send it to the best legal spot, with the foundations tried first, or drag and drop it where you want it.
- Undo has no limit, and Hint highlights a useful move.
- Restart replays the same deal. New Game deals a new numbered deal, and Daily Deal gives everyone the same deal each day.
- Stats shows games played and won, win rate, best time, your win streaks and the daily deals you solved this month.
- Settings changes the table color and card backs, turns on four-color suits, moves the deck to the right side, switches sounds on or off, and can start a numbered deal.
The deal number appears above the table on larger screens. Add ?deal= and the number to the page link, such as ?deal=4210, to replay or share a deal. Your game and stats save automatically in your own browser. There is no sign-up and nothing to download.
A Short History of Canfield
The game takes its name from Richard A. Canfield, who ran a well-known gambling house in Saratoga Springs, New York, around the turn of the twentieth century. The story goes that players bought a deck for a fixed price and were paid back a set amount for every card they got onto the foundations, with the house expecting to come out ahead. Whether or not every detail is true, the name stuck in America.
In Britain the same game is usually called Demon, a fair name given how rarely it comes out. Confusingly, older British books sometimes use the name Canfield for the game Americans call Klondike. If you like Canfield's quick, card-counting feel, try Golf Solitaire or TriPeaks next.
Canfield FAQ
Is Canfield Solitaire free to play?
Yes. Play it in your web browser with a mouse or touchscreen. There is no sign-up and nothing to download.
Can every game of Canfield be won?
No. Canfield is one of the harder one-deck games, and many deals can't be won however well you play. Getting most of the reserve into play is a good result on a hard deal.
Why does the foundation start with a 7 (or a 4, or a Queen)?
In Canfield the first card dealt to the foundations sets the starting rank for all four suits. It changes from deal to deal.
Why can't I move part of a column?
Canfield lets you move the top card of a column or the whole column, but not a run from the middle. That rule is what makes the reserve so important.
What goes into an empty column?
While the reserve has cards, its top card fills the gap at once. After the reserve is empty, you can put any card from the waste or another column there.
How is Canfield different from Klondike?
Klondike starts its foundations with Aces and hides cards face down in seven columns. Canfield has only four columns, all face up, a reserve of thirteen cards, and a starting rank that changes every deal.