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Double Canfield Solitaire – Play Online & Enjoy the Two-Deck Challenge ♠️♥️

Welcome to Double Canfield Solitaire – a thrilling two-deck twist on the classic Canfield card game! If you love solitaire and crave an extra challenge (or just double the fun 😃), you’re in the right place. This free online solitaire game uses two standard decks (104 cards), giving you eight foundation piles to fill instead of the usual four. The goal is simple: move all the cards to the foundations by building them up in suit. But don’t be fooled by the goal – Double Canfield can be devilishly tricky (just like its single-deck cousin). The upside? Having two decks offers more chances to make moves, so many players find it slightly more forgiving than the original Canfield. Ready to play? You can jump in and play right here on our site at Solitairen.com/Double-Canfield-Solitaire, no download needed. 🎉 Now, let’s dive into how to play, the rules, a bit of history, and some handy tips to boost your winning chances. Good luck and have fun! 🥳

How to Play 📋

Learning how to play Double Canfield Solitaire is straightforward once you know the setup and moves. Here’s a quick rundown of the setup and basic gameplay:

  • Deal & Setup: Double Canfield is played with two decks. To start, deal one card face-up to begin the first foundation pile. This card’s rank sets the starting point for all eight foundations (e.g. if a 3♥ is the first foundation card, all foundations will start at 3 and build up from there). Next, deal one card face-up to each of five tableau columns (these columns form your starting tableau). Then deal 13 cards to form the reserve pile (place them face-down in a stack, but turn the 13th card face-up on top). All remaining cards go into the stock pile (the draw pile set aside for later).

  • Objective: Your goal is to move every card to the foundation piles in ascending order by suit (wrapping around from King to Ace if needed). Each foundation starts at that initial base card and must climb up through the ranks in the same suit until it contains 13 cards. Successfully get all 104 cards onto the foundations, and you win! 🏆

  • Building the Tableau: On the tableau (the five columns you dealt at start), you build cards down in descending order, alternating colors (just like in Klondike). For example, you can place a red 6 on a black 7. You can move individual cards or even entire sequences of face-up cards between tableau columns, as long as they form a proper descending, alternating-color sequence. (This means if you have a run like Q♦–J♣–10♦ face-up, you can pick up that whole group and move it onto a K♠ or K♣.) Only the top face-up card (or a valid sequence starting with that card) of each column can be moved at a time. If you expose a face-down card beneath, flip it up – it’s now in play.

  • Using the Reserve: The reserve pile is your stash of 13 cards (with only the top card visible). You can play the top reserve card to either a foundation or a tableau column if it fits the rules. Here’s a key twist in Canfield: when a tableau column becomes empty, you must fill the space with the top card from the reserve pile (if any remain). The moment you clear a column, automatically take the next reserve card and place it there. This will reveal a new card underneath in the reserve, which can then also be played. (Once the reserve is completely emptied, any empty tableau space can be filled with any valid card or sequence you choose.)

  • Stock & Waste Pile: When you’ve made all the moves you can with the initial layout, it’s time to use the stock pile. Flip cards 3 at a time from the stock onto the waste pile (also called the discard pile). Only the top card of the waste pile is available to play at any given time. You can move the waste’s top card onto a foundation (if its suit and rank fit the next needed in sequence) or onto a tableau column (if it follows the descending alternate-color rule). Don’t worry if you exhaust the stock – you have unlimited redeals in Double Canfield! Each time you run out of stock cards, simply take the entire waste pile and flip it back over to form a new stock (without shuffling). This means you can cycle through the deck as many times as needed until you either win or no more moves are possible.

  • Winning the Game: To win, keep building up those foundations evenly until all 8 foundation piles contain their full sequence of cards (13 cards each, completing two full decks). If you manage to send all cards to the foundations, congratulations – you’ve beaten one of the tougher solitaire variants! 🎊 If no moves remain and not all cards are on the foundations, the game is lost – but don’t let that discourage you. Shuffle up and try again for a better outcome!

Rules 📝

Here are the key rules of Double Canfield Solitaire at a glance:

  • Foundations: 8 foundation piles, built up in suit starting from a random base rank (the first card dealt). Each foundation wraps around from King to Ace if necessary until it has 13 cards. Only cards of the appropriate suit and exact next rank can be played onto a foundation. Once placed on a foundation, cards stay there permanently.

  • Tableau Columns: 5 tableau piles where cards are built down in alternating colors (e.g. you can put a ♦️ or ♥️ on a ♣️ or ♠️ that is one rank higher). You can move any face-up card in a column, and you’re allowed to move whole sequences of cards as one unit if they are in proper descending alternating order. (You cannot split a sequence – you move the entire stack starting from a given card.) If a tableau column becomes empty and the reserve still has cards, immediately refill that space with the top card from the reserve. If the reserve is empty, you may fill an empty column with any card or valid sequence you choose.

  • Reserve Pile: 13 cards set aside at the start, forming the reserve. Only the top card of the reserve is face-up and available for play (either onto a foundation or onto a tableau column). As mentioned, whenever you clear a tableau pile, if there are still cards in reserve, the next reserve card must immediately occupy the empty slot. The reserve can be your best friend – prioritizing using those cards will often open up crucial moves.

  • Stock & Waste: The remaining cards after dealing the tableau and reserve become the stock (draw pile). You can cycle through the stock endlessly, flipping 3 cards at a time onto the waste pile. Only the top card of the waste is playable at any time. If the stock runs out, flip the waste pile back over to form a new stock (do not shuffle). This unlimited redeal rule means no game is unwinnable due to running out of stock cards – if a deal is winnable, you theoretically have infinite passes to find the winning sequence of moves.

  • Legal Moves Summary: In summary, you can move a card (or sequence) from one tableau column to another (if it fits the descending-alternate rule), from tableau or reserve to a foundation (if it’s the next needed rank in that suit), or from the waste to either a tableau or foundation (if legal). You cannot move cards from the foundation once placed. Plan your moves wisely to unblock hidden cards and get as many cards onto the foundations as possible.

Keep these rules in mind as you play. Double Canfield has a lot of moving parts, but that’s what makes it interesting! 😄 Once you get the hang of cycling the stock and managing the reserve, you’ll find a rewarding rhythm to the game.

History of the Game 📜

Double Canfield Solitaire’s roots go back to the original Canfield Solitaire, which has a fascinating history (with a bit of legend thrown in!). The game originated in the late 19th century. In fact, the earliest record of the single-deck version was in 1891 in England, where it was known as “Demon Patience”. (Yes, demon! 😈 The name hinted at the game’s devilish difficulty – players found it so challenging that it could feel like a mischievous demon was thwarting them at every turn.) Despite the ominous name, Victorian-era card players loved the challenge and the game spread in popularity.

The name “Canfield” came a few years later, thanks to a famous American gambler and casino owner named Richard Albert Canfield. According to legend, around the 1890s, Mr. Canfield introduced the solitaire game at his casino in Saratoga Springs, NY (some stories say it was first in Florida) and turned it into a gambling attraction. Players would pay \$50 for a deck of cards, and the house would pay out \$5 for every card the player managed to play onto the foundations – get all 52 cards up and you’d win a hefty reward! Of course, the odds were heavily against players winning (Canfield didn’t become a wealthy casino owner by giving away money easily!), but this clever twist made the game famous in America. Ever since then, the solitaire became commonly known as Canfield in the U.S., named after the man who popularized it. (Meanwhile in the UK and elsewhere, many people continued to call it “Demon” because of its notorious difficulty.)

Double Canfield, the two-deck version, came along later as part of the natural evolution of solitaire games. As solitaire grew in popularity through the 20th century and beyond, enthusiasts experimented with new variations. Double Canfield is essentially just what its name implies – a two-deck variation of Canfield Solitaire. By doubling the cards and foundation piles, this variant offers a fresh challenge and slightly better odds of success for the player. In modern solitaire collections, other extended versions like Triple Canfield (3 decks) and Quadruple Canfield (4 decks) have also been introduced (these were noted to be invented by solitaire game designer Thomas Warfield in contemporary times). All these variants stem from the same classic rules laid down over a century ago, with extra decks adding new twists.

Today, Canfield and its multi-deck offshoots remain popular among solitaire aficionados. The game’s rich journey — from Victorian parlors to casino gambling halls to modern online gaming — adds to its charm. Now you can enjoy this historic game in its Double Canfield form right on your computer or phone, and experience the same blend of frustration and triumph that has captivated players for generations. 📜❤️

Who Created Double Canfield? 🤔

So who came up with this challenging card game? The original Canfield Solitaire is widely credited to Richard A. Canfield, the 19th-century casino owner we met above. While Canfield likely didn’t invent the solitaire rules from scratch (the game existed as “Demon” in England before he lent his name to it), he’s the figure who made it famous. The gambling legend of Richard Canfield selling decks for profit and paying out for cards played turned a once obscure patience game into a headline attraction. Because of this, his name became forever linked with the game.

As for Double Canfield specifically, there isn’t one single known “inventor” documented in the history books – it’s a later variant that emerged as solitaire games evolved. By the time Double Canfield appeared, solitaire had long entered the realm of software developers and puzzle designers creating new versions for players to enjoy. We can think of Double Canfield as a natural extension of Mr. Canfield’s game, adapted by enthusiasts who wanted to “double” the challenge (and perhaps the win rate!). In short, Richard Canfield is the spiritual creator of anything in the Canfield family, and the two-deck version is a modern twist honoring that legacy. 🃏

Tips & Tricks for Winning 🏆

Canfield Solitaire (single or double) is known as one of the tougher solitaire games – but don’t worry! 🤓 With a bit of strategy and patience, you can improve your odds. Here are some tips and tricks to help you win Double Canfield Solitaire more often:

  • Prioritize the Reserve: The reserve pile of 13 cards is the most limited resource in the game (no new cards are added to it), so try to empty the reserve as soon as possible. Whenever you free up a tableau column, immediately move the top reserve card into that space. This does two things: it gets a buried card out into the open, and it reveals the next card in the reserve. Clearing the reserve early opens up more moves and options. Always keep an eye on that reserve card – if it can play to a foundation or help you build a tableau, use it! (In many games, successfully clearing the reserve is a major step toward victory.)

  • Keep Foundations Balanced: It’s exciting to get cards onto the foundations, but a key strategy in Canfield is to build up your foundation piles evenly. Why? Because if one foundation soars ahead (say you’ve stacked it up to Queen) while others lag far behind, you’ll end up missing cards of certain ranks and colors that you need for tableau moves. For example, if all your red cards are sitting on foundations and you still have a bunch of black cards clogging the tableau, you’ll have no way to alternate colors in those piles. Try to advance the foundations one rank at a time, keeping the progress of each suit relatively in sync. This balanced approach will prevent one suit from running out of playable cards and stalling your game.

  • Use Empty Columns Wisely: Empty tableau columns are incredibly valuable – they’re like free parking spots for whatever card or sequence you need to relocate. When the reserve is empty (or even before then, if a column opens up after reserve is used), use empty spaces to maneuver difficult cards. You can temporarily park a sequence in an empty column to uncover a hidden card or to reorganize the tableau. Just remember the rule: if the reserve still has cards, an empty column must be filled by the reserve’s top card first. Once the reserve is done, an empty space can accept any starting card or sequence you choose. Many winning plays involve creating an empty column at the right time and immediately using it to free up a crucial card.

  • Plan Around the Waste Pile: Because the stock deals 3 cards at a time, the order in which waste cards become available can make a big difference. A smart tactic is to peek ahead and plan moves around the waste pile. For instance, if you see that the next few cards in the waste contain something you’ll need, you might hold off on a less important move so that you don’t bury that critical card deeper in the waste. Conversely, if you know a helpful card is coming up three cards down, you might play a card from the waste now to change the ordering on the next flip. This is an advanced strategy, but in short: don’t waste your waste! 😉 Try to play cards from the waste pile in an order that maximizes your access to needed cards on the next cycle. With practice, you’ll get a sense for when to play a card versus when to wait in order to manipulate the waste pile sequence to your advantage.

  • Stay Patient and Persistent: Double Canfield has a lower win rate than many solitaire games – even with perfect play, not every deal is winnable. So, if you lose a round, don’t get discouraged. Treat each game as a learning experience to sharpen your skills. Celebrate small victories along the way (like finally freeing that buried Ace from the reserve, or completing one foundation). Every time you play, you’ll get a bit better at spotting the clever moves these cards require. And when you do win, it feels fantastic! 🎉 Remember, solitaire is as much about enjoying the process as it is about the win. Stay persistent, have fun with it, and know that with the tips above, you’re improving your odds. Even the “demon” of Canfield can be tamed with enough practice and strategy! 😁

With these strategies in mind, you’re well-equipped to take on Double Canfield. Good luck, and may the cards be in your favor! 🍀

Play Double Canfield Solitaire Online 🎮

Ready to put your skills to the test? You can play Double Canfield Solitaire right here on this site anytime, for free. The game loads instantly in your browser, so no downloads or sign-ups are needed – just click and play! Whether you’re killing time or seriously chasing a win streak, this is a great place to enjoy the game.

Looking for more card game fun? We've got you covered there too. If you’re eager to explore beyond Double Canfield, be sure to check out SolitaireX.io – a whole world of solitaire games awaits you! On SolitaireX, you’ll find dozens of different solitaire variants, from classics like Klondike, Spider, and FreeCell to other creative challenges (including other multi-deck games). It’s a perfect next stop for any solitaire lover who wants to try something new or find another favorite. ❤️♣️♠️

Thanks for visiting and playing on Solitairen! We hope you enjoy Double Canfield Solitaire and all the other games available. Have fun, and good luck stacking those cards! 🎊

Sources: Historical and gameplay information adapted from known solitaire resources and game guides for accuracy.