How to Play Canfield Solitaire
Canfield is named after the Saratoga casino owner who sold the deck for $50 and paid $5 per card played to a foundation. The house did well: it is a hard game, but every deal is interesting because the base card changes where everything starts.
Layout
- Reserve: thirteen cards in a pile, only the top one in play.
- Base card: the next card goes to a foundation and fixes the base rank.
- Tableau: four columns of one card.
- Stock: the remaining 34 cards, turned three at a time onto a waste pile with unlimited redeals.
Play
- Foundations build up by suit from the base rank, wrapping from king to ace.
- Columns build down by alternate colour, also wrapping (a king goes on an ace, an ace on a two). Columns move as a whole.
- The top reserve card and the top waste card may go to a foundation or onto a column.
- An empty column is refilled from the reserve at once; when the reserve is gone, any waste card may fill it.
- Complete all four foundations to win.
Playing on kawu
Tap a card, then its destination; a card with a single legal move goes at once. Tap the stock to draw three. Hint suggests a play; Undo takes any move back. The daily deal is the same for everyone.
Then read the Canfield strategy.
Frequently asked questions
What does the base card do?
Its rank is where every foundation starts. If the base is a 7, each foundation begins with a 7 and builds 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A, 2 … 6. Columns build down the same way round the corner: a king may go on an ace.
Can I move part of a column?
No. Columns move whole in Canfield. The top card alone can still go to a foundation.
How often is Canfield won?
Rarely with the casino rules, about one deal in three with care here, because kawu allows unlimited redeals of the stock. Unlimited undo lets you explore.
Last updated 2026-10-21