Play Balcony Solitaire Online for Free (No Signup Required)

A Canfield cousin with alternating-color foundations and total freedom to fill empty piles. Simple, breezy, and won 90% of the time.

Similar to Canfield Solitaire, but Balcony Solitaire builds its foundations up in alternating colors, sends the reserve's top card only to the foundation or an empty tableau spot, and lets you drop any card you like into an empty tableau pile yourself. Thomas Warfield invented it. The game is simple: little here punishes a wrong move, and 90% of deals end in a win, with skill and luck both playing a part.

It's in the same family as Terrace and Blondes and Brunettes Solitaire.

If you enjoy Balcony, give classic Solitaire a try too.

If you run into anything odd or have an idea that would make the game better, please contact me.

Enjoy playing!

How to play Balcony Solitaire

Layout:

4 foundation piles: Alternate color from the rank of the first card dealt to the first pile, wrapping from King to Ace as needed until each pile has 13 cards.

7 tableau piles: Alternate color build down. Only the top card of a pile can be moved. Any card can fill an empty tableau spot — nothing fills in on its own. At the start of the game, each pile is dealt one card.

Reserve: The top card can go to the foundation or to an empty tableau pile. Seven cards are dealt here at the start of the game.

Stock: Click to turn over cards one at a time to the waste pile. There are no redeals.

Waste: The top card of the waste pile is playable.

Foundation:

There are four foundation piles.

One foundation pile is dealt a random starting card; the other three must each begin with a card of that same rank.

A card can be added to a foundation pile only if it's one rank higher and the opposite color of the pile's current top card, so the only card that fits on the 8 of spades is the 9 of hearts. A pile holds no more than 13 cards.

The top card of each foundation can be moved back into play if another pile will accept it.

Reserve:

There is one reserve pile, which starts with seven cards. Every card is dealt face-up. No card may be moved into the reserve. The reserve's top card can be played to an empty tableau pile or to the foundation.

Tableau:

Seven tableau piles, each starting with one card. Every card is dealt face-up.

A card from the waste or another tableau pile can be added to a tableau pile only if it's one rank lower and the opposite color of the pile's current top card, so the only card that fits on the 8 of spades is the 7 of hearts. Reserve cards can only join the tableau when a pile is empty; otherwise, they can only go to the foundation.

Cards on the tableau that are not covered by another card are free to be played onto the foundation or any other tableau pile.

Any card can fill an empty tableau spot — you choose what goes there.

Only one card may be moved at a time; sequences are not permitted.

Stock and waste:

There is one waste pile, and the rest of the deck is the stock.

Clicking the stock deals one card to the waste at a time. You get only one pass through the stock.

The top waste card can be played to the tableau or the foundation.