Build paths for the reserve before the stock runs out.
The base rank is fixed by the deal. Your choices lie in how you advance eight foundations, when you empty tableau columns, and which stock cards you leave visible in the waste.
Last updated: September 2026
This two-deck Canfield relative uses automatic gap refills and a one-pass stock. For the baseline reserve and foundation cycle, see the Canfield guide; its stock-pass advice does not apply here.
Read the base rank first
The first dealt card starts a foundation. Every other empty foundation needs that same rank. From there, each pile rises one rank at a time in alternating colors, with an Ace after a King. The next useful card may belong on any foundation with a compatible top color, so inspect all eight piles before committing a card.
Because a foundation can hold only thirteen cards, building quickly is useful only when it opens a route for cards still trapped in the reserve, tableau, or waste. Early in a deal, look for the next reserve card and the rank it needs immediately below it on a foundation.
Work through the reserve
Ten face-up cards form the reserve, but only its exposed end can move, and it can move only to a foundation. A card lower in the row cannot be played around the exposed card. If the exposed card cannot move, concentrate on building a foundation to its rank while keeping the colors compatible.
Do not confuse reserve cards with waste cards. A waste card can be placed on the tableau as well as the foundations, giving it more possible exits. If a waste card can help build a foundation that releases the reserve, that may be more valuable than a tableau move that only tidies the layout.
Use the tableau as a temporary route
Tableau piles build downward in alternating colors, and an Ace can take a King. Only the exposed top card can move; a descending run stays behind when its top card moves. Moving a tableau card to a foundation may uncover a card that continues another foundation or creates a new tableau build.
When a column becomes empty, the next stock card fills it automatically. Once the stock is empty, the top waste card fills it instead. This means an empty space cannot be used to park a card of your choice. Before emptying a column, consider which card the automatic fill will expose or remove from the waste.
Manage the one-pass stock
The stock turns over one card at a time and never redeals. You can play only the top waste card, so drawing again covers the previous one until cards above it leave. Check legal foundation and tableau moves before each draw, especially when the stock is low.
A move from the tableau can refill its column from stock before you draw to waste. That creates a second way to expose stock cards. Use it deliberately when the exposed reserve card needs help, but keep track of how many stock cards remain for future refills.