Kings in the Corner Rules Overview:

Kings in the Corner is a multiplayer game using a single deck of cards (no jokers) and plays like solitaire. The rules are easy to learn, and the game is fun for a pair or small group of up to four players. Players take turns playing as many cards as possible until they’ve used all of the cards in their hand. The first player to run out of cards is the winner of the round.

Kings in the Corner Equipment:

• One standard deck of cards, no jokers.
• Two to four players
• A pad of paper and a pencil (if you will be keeping score)

Kings in the Corner Rules (Setup): 

• Deal seven cards to each player.
• Place the remaining deck in the center of the play area.
• Turn over the top four cards of the deck and place them in the shape of a cross around the deck. One card will be above the deck, one below, one to the left of the deck, and one to the right of the deck. These cards comprise the “foundation piles.“

Kings in the Corner Rules (Play):

• The player to the left of the dealer begins the game by drawing a card from the deck in the center.
• The active player may then make as many legal plays as possible during their turn. Play continues in this fashion for all players (draw, play as many legal plays as possible).
• Legal plays are defined as follows:
  • A card, or a sequence of cards, is played on top of one of the foundation piles.
  • In order for cards to be played onto the foundation piles, they must be in sequence from high to low and of the opposite color. For example, if the top card of a foundation pile is the 10 of hearts, the next card to be played must be either a 9 of spades or a 9 of clubs. Aces only count low according to the Kings in the Corner rules.
• Kings may be played into the corner spaces between the four foundation piles, ultimately creating a board that looks like a star. Once a king has been played, creating a new foundation pile, cards may be added to the pile in the normal fashion.
• A foundation pile may be moved onto another foundation pile if it creates a legal sequence. Any card or legal combination of cards may then be played on the now-empty foundation pile.

Winning the Game:

The first player to run out of cards wins the round. If you wish to keep score over multiple rounds, you may use one of the following scoring methods:

• Each remaining card is worth one point. Kings are worth 10 points.
• Each remaining card is worth face value.
• Each remaining card is worth one point.

If playing in this manner, the player with the lowest overall score after a set number of rounds is the winner.