How to Play Canfield Solitaire

A notoriously difficult classic game (house odds were so bad it was played in casinos). Each deal starts with a random base rank for the foundations, and you must manage a limited reserve pile while dealing from stock in groups of three.

Setup

1. Deal 13 cards face down as a reserve pile, then flip the top card face up
2. Deal one card face up to start the first foundation. This card's rank becomes the base rank for all four foundation piles
3. Deal one card face up to each of four tableau piles
4. The remaining cards form the stock. The other three foundation piles start empty and open up once a card of the base rank turns up

How to play

• Click the stock to deal three cards to the waste pile. Only the top waste card is playable.
• Build foundation piles upward by rank in the same suit (wrapping around if needed: King continues to Ace)
• In the tableau, build downward in alternating colors (like 8♣ → 7♥ → 6♣ → 5♥). You can move sequences of properly ordered cards together.
• Play the reserve pile's top card whenever possible—the reserve keeps your options open
• When a tableau pile empties, it automatically refills with the top reserve card, giving you fresh maneuvering room
• When the stock runs out, turn the waste pile back over as the new stock. You can redeal as many times as you like.
• Cards automatically move to the foundations once no other card can be built on them. You can turn this off in Settings if you prefer to move them manually.

How to win

Objective: Build all four foundation piles complete to win

You win when all four foundation piles are complete. Canfield is a tough game, so expect most deals to end without a win.

Tips

• Prioritize playing from the reserve to expose buried cards underneath
• Create empty tableau piles when possible to give yourself maneuver room
• Build tableau piles in a way that doesn't bury the cards you need from reserve

Play Canfield free on Windows

CardTray is a free solitaire app for Windows that includes Canfield alongside 300+ other games. It saves every move as you play, so you can close the window and pick the game up later, replay any deal, and take on a new Daily Challenge deal every day. Browse every game in the Game Gallery.

Related games

More games from the Canfield family:

• Demon — A two-deck game with a deep reserve pile and unlimited redeals.
• Double Canfield — A kinder, gentler two-deck version of Canfield, drawing three cards at a time from the stock with unlimited redeals for extra chances to finish.
• Double Signora — A four-deck variant where the base rank is chosen randomly each game and you build by opposite color.