Where the game came from
Canfield Solitaire is named after its creator, Richard A. Canfield. He lived in the second half of the 19th century and was a well-known gambler. He even owned a casino in New York where the game actually set off. Canfield came up with a pretty smart plan to lure players into trying a new game.
To start playing, you had to first purchase a deck that cost $50. Then for each card you got into the foundation you would earn back $5. Of course, it was nearly impossible to pull the trick for all the 52 cards in the deck, but at least you could get back your deposit and win something on top of that.
Canfield Solitaire quickly became popular around America and was known as a game that is tough to win. Even professional players could clear at most around 40% of games, and that indicator went down to 20% or even 15% for casual players. Now that we have computer technologies to calculate the exact probability, it’s stated to be around 70%. So you have a solid chance to keep your score up playing Canfield Solitaire online!
The terms used in the game
In Canfield Solitaire, you deal with piles that are located in different parts of the board and are called differently. Without knowing their names, it will be impossible to understand the rules, so read and memorize carefully:
The Tableau: the four piles that constitute the main table
The Foundations: the four piles that are placed in the upper right of the board
The Stock: the pile located in the upper left of the board that is placed face down
The Waste: the pile that is also in the upper left of the board next to the Stock and is placed face up
The Reserve: the pile underneath the Waste in the lower left of the board
Your goal in Canfield Solitaire
For you to win, the entire deck must end up in the Foundations. If there is no way to get all 52 cards there, you need to strive for the best possible result. The cards must be placed in order based on their rank and suit and also based on how the cards are dealt (which means the leading rank is determined at the beginning of the game).
How the cards are dealt
The first card dealt into the Foundations of a proper suit – this card defines the leading rank. Each Tableau also gets one card. 13 cards end up in the Reserve Pile and the rest are put into the Stock. The last card in the Reserve Pile is placed face up, the cards in the Stock all remain face down. The rest three Foundations, as well as the Waste, remain empty.
Obligatory moves
Canfield Solitaire has both obligatory and allowed moves. The first ones have to be done if there is such an opportunity without any regard of whether it’s convenient or not for you and whether it eventually helps you to win the game or not.
So, the top Reserve card must be played into an empty pile of the Tableau. That means if there are any Tableau piles that have no cards in it, the top card from the Reserve is meant to go there. You can’t put the cards from the Tableau back into the Reserve, so note this moment. The card will be played automatically without your participation, and it won’t be counted as one of the moves.
Other moves allowed
Allowed moves in Solitaire don’t necessary have to be made – it’s up to you whether to make them or not and in which order. That’s where you have some space for your own tactics and room for building up your skill since every game you play will make you see new opportunities in moving the cards around the board and doing it most advantageously to reach the end goal.
1) Cards from the Stock can be flipped onto the Waste. The allowed number of cards to flip is either one of three.
2) You can check out the cards in the Waste and see if any of them can go to the Foundations of the corresponding suit. Moving the cards is done by dragging and dropping.
3) You can also move the top card of the Waste onto the Tableau based on the suit – each suit has a separate pile.
4) Not all versions of the game allow it, but here you can also take one card off the Foundation and return it to the Tableau.
5) If there is an available pile in the Tableau, you can also take the top card from the Reserve and put it there. Alternatively, it can also be moved to one of the Foundation piles.
6) Besides, cards can be moved between the Tableau piles, and the number of them is not limited. But you need to make sure that the last card on top of that pile has a rank higher than the first of the cards you intend to move. It also works is the first of those cards (the one you’re moving) is a King on an Ace. The cards also need to be of a different color, regardless of their suit. For instance, a black 8 can be moved onto a red 9. If there are several cards already positioned this way (say, a black 8, a red 9 and a black deuce), you can move them altogether onto a Tableau that has a red jack on top. In case you have empty piles both in the Tableau and Reserve, it’s any card that can go there.
7) If you want to make some room on the Tableau, you can also move a card from it into the Foundations. It can be done manually, by dragging, or automatically by double clicking the card you want to move – then it will end up in the Foundations on its own. When you run out of cards in the Reserve and Stock, and also when you turn up all of those that are on the Tableau, they will all be placed into the Foundations automatically.
Undoing the moves
There is also an Undo option in the game that you can use an unlimited number of times. However, each time you use it will be counted as a new move. And if your goal is to set a record by finishing the game in the fewest number of moves possible, you should note that each undo will go down as another move and will affect the final count of moves at the end of the session.
Improving your performance and setting records
Aside from the number of cards that you managed to get into the Foundations, the Canfield Solitaire also keeps track of how long the session lasts and how many moves you it takes you to finish the game. These numbers are saved in your personal account and you can always strive for the best performance outdoing your previous results. Discover this wonderful version of Solitaire right now and see how many attempts you need to nail all 52 cards and win the game!