Rules for Rainbow

Family: Klondike
Categories: Rewarding
Variants: Chameleon,Canfield,Storehouse
Also Known As:

This variant of the popular Canfield has a different rule for dealing that allows better access to the cards in the deck and discard pile. Wins are much easier to come by than in Canfield; with good play you may win as many as half of your games.

Layout

There are four foundations in a row, and four tableau piles below them. To the left of the tableaus is the stock, and to the right a wastepile. Count twelve cards into the stock, face down and squared, then add a thirteenth card face up. Deal one card face up onto each tableau pile. Deal one card face up onto the first foundation. Keep the rest of the deck in your hand.

Play

The foundations build up, following suit. The rank of the first card played onto any empty foundation pile must match the rank of the card placed on the first foundation in the initial layout. (For example, if the first card placed on a foundation pile is an eight, then eights must also be played onto the other empty foundations.) Building is circular, with Ace following King.

The tableaus build down, alternating red and black. Again building is circular, with King following Ace.

Top cards of stock and wastepile are available for building on either the tableaus or the foundations. Top cards of the tableaus are available for building on the foundations. Full builds in the tableaus are available for building on other tableau piles; partial builds may not be moved.

Empty piles in the tableau must be filled immediately with the top card of the stock. If the stock is empty, you may use the top card of the wastepile, but in this case, you need not fill empty piles until you are ready.

Dealing

Deal one card at a time onto the discard pile by clicking the deck. You may redeal twice, for a total of three times through the deck: when the deck is empty, pick up the entire discard pile and turn it face down to form a new hand.

Goal

The goal is to move all the cards onto the foundations.

Tips

Build the foundations evenly. If you play up a red 8 before you have found all the black sevens, you may find yourself unable to play one of those sevens later on.

Emptying the stock is of paramount importance. It is easier to reach cards in the discard than it is to reach cards in the stock, so whenever you can, make an empty tableau pile that will be automatically filled from the stock.

The purpose of an empty tableau is to help empty out the stock, and after that the discard pile. Late in a successful game, you will probably have an empty stock and one or more empty tableaus. Preserve empty tableaus when you can by carefully playing cards from the discard that allow you to immediately move another tableau build onto the single card, leaving one tableau still empty. But feel free to fill your last empty tableau if it is the only way to help empty out the discard pile.