Kings in the Corner Card Game

Kings in the Corner is a relaxed shedding game for two to four players: build descending, alternating-colour piles around the deck, open the corners with kings, and be the first to get rid of every card. Play it here against one, two or three computer players, with the full rules below.

How to play Kings in the Corner Card Game

• Setup. One standard 52-card deck. Each player gets 7 cards. The rest becomes the stock in the middle, and four cards are turned face up next to it, one on each side (north, east, south and west). If one of those is a king, it moves to a corner and the side is refilled from the stock.
• The layout. There are eight foundation spaces: the four sides and the four corners between them. Corners can only be started with a king. Kings may never be placed on a side space.
• Your turn. Start by drawing one card from the stock. Then make as many plays as you like, in any order, and press End turn when you are done (you may also end without playing).
• Playing a card. A card goes on top of a pile if it is one rank lower and the opposite colour: a red 7 on a black 8, a black jack on a red queen. Aces are low, so nothing can be played on an ace.
• Kings to the corners. Play a king from your hand into any empty corner. The next card on it is a queen of the other colour, and so on down.
• Moving a whole pile. If the bottom card of a side pile fits on the top card of another pile, you may move the entire pile there. That frees the side space.
• Empty side spaces. An empty side space can be filled with any card except a king from your hand.
• Going out. The first player to play their last card wins the round. When the stock is empty, players simply stop drawing; if nobody can play for a full round of turns, the round is blocked and ends with no winner.
• Scoring (as played here). Every other player takes penalty points for the cards left in hand: 2 points per king, 1 point per other card. In a blocked round everyone scores their own hand. Rounds continue until someone reaches the target (25 by default, or 15 or 50 from the toolbar); the lowest total wins, and a tie for lowest is a shared win.

Controls

• Tap a card in your hand to select it; the piles it can go on light up. Tap a highlighted pile to play it there.
• Tap the selected card a second time to auto-play it (onto a matching pile first, otherwise into an open space).
• To move a whole pile, tap the side pile, then tap the highlighted pile it fits on (or tap it again to auto-move).
• Cards you cannot play are dimmed; the card you just drew is outlined. End turn passes to the next player.
• Keyboard: Tab to a card or pile and press Enter or Space; E ends your turn; Escape clears the selection.

Tips

• Get kings out of your hand as soon as a corner is free: each one left at the end of a round costs double.
• Shed high cards first. Low cards, especially aces and twos, are easy to place late, while a queen needs a free corner king of the right colour.
• Moving a pile is powerful but opens a side space for whoever plays next. Do it when you can refill the gap yourself, ideally with a high card that leads into more of your own plays.
• Watch your neighbours' card counts. When the next player is down to one or two cards, avoid leaving an empty side space: they could drop their last card there.

Common variants and house rules

Kings in the Corner is a folk game, so families play it in slightly different ways. This version uses the most common rules; here is how others differ:

• When to draw. Most rules draw one card at the start of each turn. Some groups draw only if you cannot play, or draw at the end of the turn instead.
• Moving piles. Nearly everyone allows moving a whole side pile onto another pile when its bottom card fits. A few tables do not count this as a play or forbid it entirely; others let you move part of a pile.
• Must a king go to a corner first? Some players require a king from your hand to be played into a corner before you make any other play. Here kings are optional plays, but they always have to go in a corner.
• Filling empty spaces. Some rules force you to fill an empty side space before you can play elsewhere; here it is optional.
• Scoring. We use penalty points (king 2, other cards 1) over several rounds. Other common scores are 10 points per king and 1 per other card, or simply one point per card left, or the winner collecting the points from everyone else. Many casual games just play a single round: first out wins.
• Blocked games. If the stock runs out and nobody can move, some groups give the round to the player with the fewest cards; here it ends with no winner and everyone scores their hand.

Kings in the Corner rules in short

Deal 7 cards each and four face-up cards beside the stock. On your turn draw one card, then play as many cards as you can onto the piles, each one rank lower and the opposite colour of the card it covers. Kings start the four corner piles. Move a whole pile when its bottom card fits elsewhere, and fill an empty side space with any card. First to empty their hand wins.

Like Klondike Solitaire, the piles build down in alternating colours, but you are racing other players instead of a deck. If you enjoy shedding games, try Crazy Eights next.

FAQ

What are the rules of Kings in the Corner?

Each player starts with 7 cards and four cards are laid face up around the stock. On your turn draw a card, then play cards in descending order and alternating colours onto the piles, put kings in the empty corners, and move whole piles when the bottom card fits. The first player with no cards left wins.

How do you play Kings in the Corner with 2 players?

Exactly the same as with more: deal 7 cards each, lay out the four side cards, and take turns drawing one card and playing as much as you can. Choose "1 opponent" in the toolbar to play two-handed against the computer.

Can you put any card in an empty space in Kings in the Corner?

Any card except a king can go on an empty side space. Kings may only be played into the four corners.

Can you move a pile in Kings in the Corner?

Yes. If the bottom card of a side pile is one lower and the opposite colour of another pile's top card, you can move the whole pile onto it. The space it leaves can then be filled with any card.

How do you score Kings in the Corner?

Here, when someone goes out, every other player takes 2 penalty points for each king left in hand and 1 for every other card. The game ends when someone reaches the target (25 by default) and the lowest total wins. Some families count kings as 10 points instead.

Do you have to play a king to a corner right away?

Not in the standard rules: playing a king is optional, though it is usually smart because kings cost the most at the end. Some house rules require you to play a king into a corner before anything else.