How to Play Canfield Solitaire
Build four foundations from a random starting rank.
Also known as Canfield · Demon · Fascination · Thirteen
Learn Canfield solitaire: the 13-card reserve, foundations from a random starting rank, building down in alternating colors and turning the stock. Try an example, then play in your browser.
Foundations that start at 9
The 9♣ is dealt to the first foundation, so every foundation starts at 9. The reserve shows the 10♣: it goes up on the 9♣, and the next reserve card turns face up. The waste shows the 7♠ and a tableau pile ends in the 8♥, so the black 7 builds on the red 8.
| Card or event | Result |
|---|---|
| 10♣ on the reserve | Up on the 9♣ foundation |
| 7♠ on the waste | Onto the 8♥: one rank lower, other color |
| 9♥ turns up | Starts a new foundation |
| A tableau pile empties | The top reserve card fills it at once |
A tableau pile moves only as a whole. Turning 3 at a time, the default, you may go through the stock as often as you like; the game ends on its own when no move is left.
Practise this game in your browser🎯 Objective
Move all 52 cards onto the four foundations, each built up in suit from the starting rank. If you don't get them all there, your score is the number of cards on the foundations.
🃏 Canfield Solitaire Setup & Rules
- One 52-card deck. Thirteen cards go face down to the reserve, with its top card turned face up.
- The next card goes to the first foundation; its rank is where all four foundations start. Four cards are dealt face up, one to each tableau pile.
- The other 34 cards are the stock. At setup you choose to turn it three cards at a time (the default, with unlimited passes) or one at a time with 1 to 3 passes.
▶ How to Play Canfield Solitaire
- Build the foundations up in suit from the starting rank, turning the corner from king to ace: 7, 8 … Q, K, A, 2 … 6.
- Build the tableau down in alternating colors, an ace taking a king. A tableau pile moves only as a whole, onto a pile its bottom card fits; its top card can go up to a foundation on its own.
- The top card of the reserve and the top card of the waste can each be played to a foundation or onto a tableau pile.
- An empty tableau pile is filled from the reserve at once. When the reserve is out, a space can take only the top card of the waste.
- Turn the stock onto the waste and play its top card. When the stock is out, Redeal turns the waste over for another pass.
- The game ends on its own when no card can move and the stock cannot be turned, or when a whole pass through the stock offered no move. Give up ends it whenever you like.
🎬 Watch: How to Play Canfield Solitaire
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📖 Detailed Guide
Setting up your table
- From the game menu choose Canfield. It is a patience for one, so there are no other seats to fill.
- Choose the turn: 3 cards at a time by default, with as many passes through the stock as you like, or 1 at a time.
- Turning 1 at a time, set the passes through the stock: 3 by default, or 1 or 2.
- The app shuffles one 52-card deck and deals 13 cards to the reserve, 1 to the first foundation, 1 to each of the four tableau piles and the other 34 to the stock.
The foundations
- The card on the first foundation sets the starting rank: if it is a 7, every foundation starts with a 7.
- When another card of that rank turns up, it starts a new foundation.
- Each foundation builds up in its own suit and turns the corner from king to ace, so a 7 foundation runs 7 to K, then A to 6.
- Cards on a foundation stay there: they cannot come back to the tableau.
Tableau, reserve and waste
- Build the four tableau piles down in alternating colors, an ace taking a king.
- A tableau pile moves only as a whole, onto a pile its bottom card fits. Its top card can go up to a foundation on its own.
- An empty pile is filled from the reserve at once. When the reserve is out, a space takes only the top card of the waste.
- Tap a card: it goes up to a foundation if it can, or to the only place it fits. If it fits more than one place, tap where it should go.
Ending the game
- You win when all 52 cards are on the foundations.
- The game ends on its own when nothing can move and the stock cannot be turned, or when a whole pass through the stock offered no move, since the next pass would show the same cards.
- Auto plays the best next move for you, and Give up ends the game whenever you like.
- If you don't finish, your score is the number of cards on the foundations.
📊 Canfield Solitaire Scoring
You win when all 52 cards are on the foundations. Otherwise your score is the number of cards you got there. The app counts cards, not money: in the original casino game, players bought the deck and were paid for each card on the foundations.
❓ Canfield Solitaire — Frequently Asked Questions
How many players do you need for Canfield Solitaire?
Canfield Solitaire is a solitaire game for one player — just you and the deck.
What rank do the foundations start at in Canfield?
The rank of the card dealt to the first foundation, which changes with every deal. If it is a 9, all 4 foundations start with a 9 and run up in suit to the king, then from the ace to the 8.
Can you move part of a tableau pile in Canfield?
No. A tableau pile moves only as a whole, onto another pile its bottom card fits: a rank lower, in the other color. Its top card can still go up to a foundation on its own.
How do you fill an empty tableau space in Canfield?
From the reserve, at once: the app moves the reserve's top card into the space for you. Once all 13 reserve cards are gone, a space can take only the top card of the waste.
Is Canfield played 3 cards at a time or 1?
3 at a time by default, with unlimited passes through the stock. You can choose 1 at a time instead, with 1, 2 or 3 passes; 3 is the default.