Canfield Solitaire began life as a casino game — players bought a deck for $50 and were paid per card they got home, and the house did very well. The layout explains why: thirteen cards sit in a reserve you must work through, only four short columns hold the tableau, and the foundation rank is not the Ace but whatever card happens to be turned at the deal. Everything then builds up in suit from that rank, wrapping past the King and back round to the Ace. The tableau packs down in alternating colour and wraps the same way. Passes through the stock are unlimited, which is the only reason it is winnable at all. Twelve levels start you on a single-card draw and work up to the standard three. No download, no account.
How to play Canfield Solitaire
- One card is turned to a foundation at the deal and its rank becomes the base for all four foundations. If a 7 is turned, every foundation runs 7-8-9-10-J-Q-K-A-2-3-4-5-6. The base rank is shown at the top of the screen.
- Thirteen cards go to the reserve with the top one face-up, four cards go to the tableau columns, and the remaining thirty-four form the stock.
- Build foundations up in suit from the base rank, wrapping past the King straight back to the Ace.
- Pack the tableau down in alternating colour, wrapping the same way — a King goes onto an Ace.
- Tap the stock to turn cards to the waste. Standard rules turn three at a time; the first four levels turn fewer. You may recycle the stock as many times as you like.
- Empty a column and it refills from the reserve automatically — that is how you get through the thirteen. Only once the reserve is exhausted does a gap stay open for you to fill from the waste.
- A tableau column moves whole, not in parts. Get all 52 cards onto the foundations to win the level.
Tips
- The reserve is the game. Every plan should be judged by whether it moves you closer to emptying those thirteen cards — foundations that grow while the reserve sits untouched are a losing position that looks like progress.
- Watch the wrap. The turn from King to Ace catches almost everyone the first time, both on the foundations and in the tableau, and missing it makes legal moves look illegal.
- Since columns move whole, the bottom card of a column is the one that has to fit the destination. Read the bottom card, not the top.
- Do not clear a column while the reserve still has cards unless you want the next reserve card there — the refill is automatic and you do not get to decline it.
- Cycle the stock freely. Passes are unlimited, so there is no cost to walking the deck again to look for one specific card.
- Play the low draw levels for the shape of the game before taking on draw-three. Canfield published win rates hover around one game in twenty even for good players.
FAQ
Is Canfield Solitaire free to play?
Yes. Canfield Solitaire is completely free to play online with no download, no account, and no in-game purchases. This is a solitaire game, not a gambling game — there is no wagering, no cash-out, and nothing to buy.
Does Canfield Solitaire work on mobile?
Yes. Cards respond to tap as well as mouse click, and the layout scales to fit phones and tablets in portrait as well as desktop.
Why do the foundations not start with an Ace?
Because in Canfield the base rank is chosen at random by the deal. One card is turned face-up to the first foundation and whatever rank it is becomes the starting rank for all four. The piles then build up in suit and wrap around — after the King comes the Ace, then the 2, and so on until the pile has thirteen cards.
What is the thirteen-card reserve for?
It is the pile you have to dig through to win, and it is what makes Canfield hard. Only its top card is available at any time. Whenever a tableau column empties it is refilled from the reserve automatically, so clearing columns is the main way of working down through those thirteen cards.
How is Canfield different from Klondike Solitaire?
Three ways. Klondike has seven columns and no reserve; Canfield has four columns and a thirteen-card reserve. Klondike foundations always start with the Ace; Canfield foundations start at a rank chosen by the deal and wrap around. And Canfield gives you unlimited passes through the stock, which it needs to, because it is a far harder game — Klondike is winnable perhaps eight times in ten with perfect play, Canfield closer to one in twenty in casual play.
Is Canfield Solitaire the same as Demon Patience?
Yes. Demon or Demon Patience is the older British name for the same game. It is named after Richard Canfield, the casino owner who sold decks to players in the 1890s and paid out per card returned to the foundations — an arrangement that reliably favoured the house.
How many levels does Canfield Solitaire have?
Twelve. The layout never changes, because the reserve, the four columns and the random base rank are what make it Canfield. What eases on the first four levels is the draw count: one or two cards at a time instead of three. Level 5 onward is the standard game, and redeals stay unlimited throughout.