How to Play Kings in the Corner

Kings in the Corner is a lively, solitaire-style race for 2–4 players: build downward in alternating colors, move whole piles when you can, and be the first to empty your hand. You need a normal deck of cards; you can find a regular deck of playing cards from Playmore. This guide uses one common version, although house rules can vary.

Quick facts

Players	2–4
Cards	One standard 52-card deck, no Jokers
Deal	Seven cards per player
Goal	Get rid of every card in your hand
Order	King, Queen, Jack, 10 down to Ace
Building rule	One rank lower and the opposite color

What you are trying to do

Your aim is simple: play all the cards in your hand before anyone else does. The middle of the table becomes a shared layout of piles. A pile is a stack of cards, with the newest card partly covering the card below it. You build each pile downward, meaning the next card must have the next lower rank. Colors must alternate, so a red card can go on black and a black card can go on red.

For example, a black Queen can take a red Jack, and a red 6 can take a black 5. Suits do not matter for ordinary building. Aces are low, so nothing can be placed on an Ace.

What you need

Use one ordinary 52-card deck without Jokers. Choose a dealer by any friendly method. The dealer shuffles and deals seven cards face down to each player. These cards form each player’s hand; keep them hidden from the others. Place the undealt cards face down in the center. This is the stock, the draw pile used during the game.

You also need four open spaces around the stock. These are the starting foundation piles, or tableau piles: one above, one below, one to the left, and one to the right of the stock. “Tableau” simply means the card layout on the table.

Set it up

Turn the top four cards of the stock face up, placing one in each of the four spaces so they make a cross. Leave enough room in each direction for a long descending pile. The player to the dealer’s left takes the first turn, and play then moves clockwise.

If one of the four starting cards is a King, it may be moved into an empty diagonal corner beside the cross. The four diagonal spaces are the King’s Corners. In the same first turn, the player may fill the space left behind with a card from their hand. If a starting card can legally be moved onto another starting pile, that move may also be made before replacing the newly empty cross space with a card from the player’s hand.

How to play

1. Draw one card. At the beginning of your turn, take one card from the stock and add it to your hand. If the stock is empty, skip the draw.
2. Play cards from your hand. Put a card on a tableau pile when it is exactly one rank lower than the pile’s exposed top card and the colors alternate. For instance, place a black 8 on a red 9.
3. Start a corner with a King. A King is the only card that may begin a new pile in one of the four empty diagonal corners. Once placed, build below it with an opposite-color Queen, then the next Jack, and continue downward.
4. Use an empty cross space. If one of the original four foundation spaces becomes empty, place any card from your hand there to start a new pile. Unlike a diagonal corner, this space does not require a King.
5. Move a whole pile. You may move an entire tableau pile onto another pile if the bottom card of the moving pile fits the exposed top card of the destination pile. The fit must still be one rank lower and the opposite color. For example, a pile ending in a black 4 can move onto a red 5.
6. Keep checking for another move. You may make several legal plays in one turn, in any order. Moving a pile can uncover a useful card, open a cross space, or create room for a King. Think before you commit a card, because the layout is shared by everyone.
7. End your turn. When you have made every play you want to make, your turn ends. In this version, the draw happens at the start of the next turn. If you cannot or do not want to play anything after drawing, simply pass to the next player.

There is one important exception to the usual ending: if you play your last card, you win immediately and do not draw another card. If the stock runs out, players continue taking turns and making legal moves without drawing.

How you win

The first player with no cards left in their hand wins the hand, and play stops at once. For a longer game, keep score on paper or in a notes app. Everyone counts the cards still in their hand: each King is worth 10 penalty points, while every other remaining card is worth 1 point. Add those points after each hand. Agree on a target such as 25 or 50 before starting; when a player reaches or passes it, the player with the lowest total score wins the overall game.

If the stock is empty and nobody can make another legal move, the hand is stuck. Count the cards in each hand and apply the same scoring method. The lowest penalty total wins that hand.

Easy first-game tips

Look for moves that open space, not only moves that shed one card. A pile move can reveal a card underneath and give you a fresh chance to play. Keep an eye on the four diagonal corners, since a King can be useful there but can also be awkward if you place it without a plan.

Before building a long pile, check whether another player might benefit from the open space or exposed card. Because everyone shares the tableau, a move that helps you now may also hand the next player an easy play. Try to keep low cards available: an Ace cannot take anything, so it is often best to play it when a pile reaches a 2.

Finally, say “done” clearly when your turn is over. That small habit prevents arguments about whose turn it is, especially when the stock is nearly empty. For a first game, focus on learning the legal moves rather than planning perfectly; the best decisions become much easier after you have seen a few piles grow.

Quick questions

Can any card start a pile?

Any card can start an empty original cross space, but only a King can start a pile in one of the four diagonal corners.

Can I move only part of a pile?

No. In the common version, move the entire pile as one unit, and its bottom card must fit the destination pile by rank and alternating color.