How is British Canister different from Castles in Spain?

Two ways. Eight columns of six and seven replace thirteen columns of four, and an empty column takes only a king where Castles in Spain takes any card. The alternating-colour build and the one-card move are the same.

No. All 52 cards are dealt face up into the eight columns, and there is no stock. What you see is the whole game.

Can I move a sequence of cards together?

No. Only the top card of a column moves, one card per move, however neatly the cards below it run.

What can go on an empty column?

Only a king. That makes a space expensive to earn and worth planning for.

Is there a stock or a redeal?

Neither. Everything is on the table from the start and the game is decided by the order of your moves.

How is it different from American Canister?

American Canister deals the same board but lets any card fill a space and lets packed runs move. British Canister allows only kings into a space and moves one card at a time, which makes it the harder game.

British Canister Solitaire - Play Online & 100% Free

Play British Canister Solitaire Online — Eight Open Columns and a King Rule

British Canister deals the whole pack face up into eight columns of six and seven cards and gives you no stock at all. Everything is in view from the first move. The tableau builds down in alternating colours, one card at a time, and the rule that gives the game its teeth is the space: an empty column takes only a king. With every card visible and no luck left to come, British Canister is a pure planning game, and one of the family's harder ones.

Setup

Tableau: eight columns — six, six, seven, seven, seven, seven, six and six cards — every one face up.
Foundations: four empty piles, one per suit, built up from ace to king.
No stock and no waste. All 52 cards are in the columns.

Rules

The tableau builds down in alternating colours — a red 7 on a black 8.
Move one card at a time: only the top card of a column ever lifts.
An empty column takes only a king.
Foundations build up in suit from the ace and are one-way.

Strategy

Count the moves before you make the first. Nothing is hidden, so a chain of single-card moves can be planned to the end. Look for the aces and the twos first: each one is buried under a known number of cards, and the cheapest one to reach is where the game starts.

A space is only worth what a king can do with it. Emptying a column is expensive with single-card moves, and only a king may enter it. Before you clear a column, find the king that will take it and make sure the cards on that king have somewhere to go.

Build hosts, not towers. Because only one card moves at a time, a long alternating run is a liability: every card in it has to be lifted individually to reach what is beneath. Keep runs short and keep the low cards you will need soon near the top.

Two hosts, both visible. Every card has exactly two cards it may land on, and you can see both. Before you cover one, check that the other is free or will be.

Where It Sits in the Castle Family

The Beleaguered Castle family is the open, stockless line of patience: every card is dealt to the table and the game is decided by planning. Its members vary the build, what an empty column accepts, and the deal. British Canister comes from the Canister line — American Canister opens its spaces to any card and lets packed runs move; Canister builds by rank — and is the strictest of the three: alternating colours, one card, kings only. It plays like Castles in Spain with the space rule turned against you.

Other Games to Try

Castles in Spain — the same build with any card into a space
Penelope's Web — a rank build with the same king rule
Streets and Alleys — eight open columns, rank build, open spaces
Somerset — an open staircase in alternating colours

About This Version

British Canister runs in your browser — free, no download, no sign-up. Install it as an app on your phone or computer and it works offline. You get unlimited undo, a hint button that names a legal move, statistics that track your wins and times, and seeded deals: every game has a seed you can replay, so a board you enjoyed (or lost) can be played again exactly.