Kings Corner

Kings Corner, also called Kings in the Corner, is a shedding card game with a solitaire feel: you build piles down in alternating colors around the deck, and the first player to get rid of every card wins. Play the Kings Corner card game free in your browser, with no download or sign-up, on desktop or on your phone. You play against one, two or three computer players.

How to play

The game uses one standard 52-card deck, with Kings high and Aces low. Everyone gets seven cards. Four cards are turned face up next to the stock, on the North, East, South and West sides, and the four corners start empty.

• Build down in alternating colors. A card goes on a pile if it is one rank lower and the opposite color. A red 7 goes on a black 8, and a black Jack goes on a red Queen. An Ace is the lowest card, so nothing can be played on it.
• Kings in the corners. Only a King can start a corner pile. Once a King is down, the corner builds down in alternating colors like any other pile.
• Move whole piles. You can move an entire North, East, South or West pile onto another pile when the bottom card of the pile you move is one rank lower and the opposite color of the other pile’s top card. A pile with a King at the bottom, such as a King that was dealt face up, can move into an empty corner.
• Fill empty spots. When a North, East, South or West spot is empty, you can put any card from your hand there.
• Play, then draw. Make as many plays as you like, then draw one card from the stock to end your turn (tap the stock or press Draw & end turn). If you can’t or don’t want to play, you just draw. You can switch to the house rule where you draw at the start of your turn and then press End turn. When the stock runs out, play goes on without drawing.
• Going out. The first player to play their last card wins the hand. If the stock is empty and nobody can play for a full round, the hand is blocked and the fewest penalty points wins it.

Scoring options

Pick One hand for a quick game, or play a points game to 25 or 50. After each hand, every card left in a player’s hand costs 1 point, and each King left costs 10. Totals carry over from hand to hand. As soon as anyone reaches the target, the game ends and the lowest total wins. Your hands won and points games won are saved in your browser.

Controls

Cards and piles you can move glow. Drag a card from your hand onto a glowing pile, or tap the card and then tap the pile. To move a pile, drag it or tap it first; the piles it can go to light up. Hint shows a good play if you are stuck. On a keyboard, the arrow keys pick a card, keys 1 to 8 pick a pile (N, E, S, W, then the NE, SE, SW and NW corners), H gives a hint and Space ends your turn.

Easy or Smart opponents

Easy computer players make random legal plays and sometimes stop early, which suits beginners. Smart computer players try each move and look ahead at how many cards it lets them shed. They move piles to open up spots, get Kings out of their hand and into corners, and fill empty spots with cards that start a run.

Tips

• Get rid of Kings early. A King can only go in an empty corner, and in a points game it costs 10 if you are caught holding it.
• Look for pile moves first. Moving a pile onto another frees a North, East, South or West spot, and an empty spot takes any card.
• Fill an empty spot with a run starter. With a black 9, a red 8 and a black 7 in hand, putting the 9 down lets you play all three.

FAQ

Do you draw at the start or the end of the turn?

The standard rules, as written on pagat.com and Wikipedia, have you play first and draw one card to end your turn, which is this game’s default. Drawing at the start of the turn is a common house rule, and you can pick it before you deal.

Can I play a King on a North, East, South or West spot?

Yes, any card can fill an empty side spot, but a King there blocks that spot for a long time. It’s usually better to put Kings in the corners.

Is it free, and does it work on a phone?

Yes to both: no account, no install. It fits screens as narrow as 320 pixels, and you can tap or drag. Touch on the table won’t scroll the page.

What other card games can I play?

Try Crazy Eights, another game where you race to empty your hand, or build down in alternating colors in Klondike Solitaire.