How to Play Canfield Solitaire

When you want the ultimate challenge, look no further than Canfield Solitaire, an advanced variant of the classic card game. Given its difficulty, it would have thwarted many a player within reach of success. Let's go over the gameplay rules and winning strategies to see if you have what it takes to win.

Voted one of the most difficult variants of the classic game, Canfield boasts only one in 30 odds of winning. Here are the rules and restrictions:

• Foundation piles. A random starting card determines how the foundations will be built. For example, if a 9 is played on a foundation pile at the start of the game, all the other foundation piles will be built with their respective 9 cards.

• Tableaus. Because cards cannot be split between columns, they can become trapped inside long tableaus.

• Reserve. Cards from the reserve pile cannot be played unless there is an empty column. This can hold up important cards for a long time.

• Empty columns. Players have little control over empty spaces since reserve cards are automatically played into empty columns. Once the reserve is exhausted, players may only place the top card from the tableaus onto an empty column.

After shuffling a single deck (jokers removed), create the layout:

• Four foundation piles. Deal one random card to determine the starting card of the rest of the foundations.

• Four tableaus are positioned directly underneath the foundation piles.

• One reserve pile with 13 face-down cards is located adjacent to the foundation and tableau piles.

• The stock pile houses the remaining cards.

• The waste pile houses the cards played from the stock that can’t be moved to the tableau or foundations.

Canfield can be played in easy mode (one-card draw) or hard mode (three-card draw).

1. Using the random starting card, build the foundation piles by suit. Subsequent cards must be in ascending order from ace to King. This version allows cyclical numerical sequencing, so an ace can be placed on top of a King on a foundation.

2. Build tableaus in descending order (King to ace) and by alternating colors. As tableaus are cyclic, a King can be played on top of an ace. There is no limit to the length of a tableau.

However, tableau piles cannot be split. Only the top card can be played from a tableau to the foundation or onto an empty column.

3. Players can draw a card (or three cards for the Hard level) from the stock at will. Any unplayable card drawn from the stock must be placed into the waste pile. The stock can be cycled through endlessly.

4. Players cannot draw cards from the reserve at will. Once a tableau is emptied, the reserve automatically plays a card into the empty column.

5. For online games, players can use the hint and undo button to increase their chances of winning.

The game ends when all cards have been played into the foundation piles by suit and order or when there are no more possible moves (loss).

Try these tips and strategies to win Canfield Solitaire:

• Find the starting card for the other foundation piles first before building tableaus. This helps prevent the mistake of playing the starting card into a tableau later on.

• Cycle through the stock as many times as needed to find playable cards for the foundation piles and the tableaus.

• Avoid joining tableaus to one another unless there is a definite advantage to be gained.

• Use the hint and undo button to aid your game. This helps you make the most of every opportunity to win this challenging Solitaire variant.

It’s easy to learn how to play Canfield, but it requires patience and strategy to win. Accept the challenge and play today with Arkadium. All of our games are browser-based—no need to sign up or download.

Challenge yourself some more with our wide collection of Solitaire games, including Klondike, Spider Solitaire, Addiction Solitaire, Crescent, Forty Thieves, and more. You can also try our popular game show games, puzzles, hidden object games, and more.