# How to Play Chameleon Solitaire

Chameleon Solitaire is a very challenging version of [Canfield Solitaire](https://solitaired.com/canfield) with 1 deck of cards, 1 pass through the deck, and a tableau of just 3 cards.

### Objective

Your goal is to move 52 cards to the 4 foundation piles in ascending order by suit. 1 card is already placed in the foundation for you.

### The Setup and Play Area

**Foundation piles:** These are 4 piles where you aim to move all cards in ascending order. Each foundation pile will begin with a starting number, which is determined by a single card placed in the foundation at the beginning of the game. For example, if the starting card is a 7 of Diamond, it would be followed by an 8 of Diamonds and so on until the final card is the 6 of Diamonds. All other foundation piles would start with an 8 as well. Successfully placing all 52 cards in the foundation wins the game.

**Tableau piles:** These are the 3 face-up cards in the middle of the game.

**Reserve pile:** These are 12 cards laid out in a column on the left, with the last card facing up. Whenever a tableau column opens up, the bottom reserve card is placed there, and then the next card is turned face-up.

**Stock pile:** The rest of the cards, or 37 cards, go into the stock pile. You can go through the stock pile once.

**Waste pile:** Cards are moved 1 at a time from the stock pile to the waste pile. The top card of the waste pile can be moved either to the foundation or the tableau if it is a legal move.

![Chameleon Solitaire setup](https://defbnszqe1hwm.cloudfront.net/images/Chameleon-Solitaire-setup.png) 

### Available moves

* Foundations are built in ascending order based on the starting card.
* Tableau cards are sequenced in descending order, regardless of suit. For example, you can move a 7 of Clubs on top of an 8 of Hearts, Diamonds, or Spades.
* You can move multiple cards at a time in the tableau. To move a group of cards, they must be sequenced, and the top card of that group must be placed on top of another card one rank higher.
* The bottom cards of the tableau can be moved to the foundation.
* You dispense cards from the stock pile into the waste pile to introduce new cards in the game. They can then be played into the foundation or tableau.
* If a tableau column is empty, the face-up card from the reserve pile is moved there, and then the next card in the reserve is turned face-up.
* If the reserve pile is empty, any moveable card can be placed in an empty tableau column.
* You win when all the cards have been placed in the foundation.

## Strategy

* **Try to build the foundations evenly.** If one foundation is built immediately in the game, you now have fewer cards of that color to help you sequence.
* **Prioritize revealing and getting reserve cards into the game.** Focus on creating empty tableau columns to do this.
* **You only have one pass through the deck.** This means you don't want to go deep into the stock pile, as that will make the game harder to win.
* **If you get stuck, use the undo button.** You may not always make the right moves, and you may need to reverse some to win the game.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What are the odds of winning?

The game is very challenging and hard to win. According to our records, no one yet has beaten the game on Solitaired.

### What are similar games?

[Canfield](https://solitaired.com/canfield), [Demon](https://solitaired.com/demon), and [Double Canfield ](https://solitaired.com/doublecanfield)have similar rules, with differences in the number of reserve and tableau cards.

### What are other popular Solitaire games?

Be sure to check out these Solitaire games: 

* [Solitaire](https://solitaired.com/)
* [Mahjong](https://solitaired.com/mahjong)
* [Klondike](https://solitaired.com/klondike-solitaire)
* [Spider Solitaire](https://solitaired.com/spider-solitaire)
* [FreeCell Solitaire](https://solitaired.com/freecell)
* [Yukon Solitaire](https://solitaired.com/yukon-solitaire)
* [TriPeaks Solitaire](https://solitaired.com/tripeaks-solitaire)
* [Pyramid Solitaire](https://solitaired.com/pyramid-solitaire)
* [Golf Solitaire](https://solitaired.com/golf)