Home / Kings in the Corner

Kings in the Corner

The Kings Corner card game for 2 to 4 players: you against the computer, or a friend

You

Settings
Players
Game
Computer

Changes start with your next game. The game setting also applies when you play a friend.

How to play, in one minute

Be the first to get rid of every card in your hand. You play them onto eight piles around the stock, building down one rank at a time in alternating colors, so a red 8 goes on a black 9. Kings start new piles in the four corners.

Our Kings in the Corner rules page covers every detail and the common variations, and the Kings Corner strategy guide shows which moves pay off.

Questions

Is this the solitaire game called Kings Corner?

No. Some sites use the name for a one-player solitaire game. This is the original card game for 2 to 4 people, where everyone plays onto the same eight piles and the first to empty their hand wins. Play it here against 1 to 3 computer players, or against a friend.

Is it free?

Yes. No account, no download and no limit on games. If ads ever appear to keep the site running, they'll stay off the table.

Can I play Kings Corner online with a friend?

Yes, one on one. Tap Play a friend and send the link by text, email or chat. The game starts when your friend opens it, on a phone or a computer. Nobody signs up, and neither browser is ever sent the other player's hand or the order of the stock. If either of you closes the page, opening it again picks up the same game. A friend game with no moves for 14 days is deleted.

How many players can play?

Against the computer, you can play with 1, 2 or 3 computer players, so 2 to 4 at the table. Pick the number in Settings. A friend game is for two.

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

At the start, the way Bicycle's rules put it: you draw one card, then play. Pagat.com and Wikipedia describe drawing at the end of your turn instead. Either way you draw one card a turn, and when the stock runs out, play goes on without drawing.

Can a king go in an empty space in the cross?

No. In this game kings only go in the four corners. Any other card can fill an empty space in the cross. With four kings and four corners, a king always has a corner to go to.

How does scoring work?

Pick it in Settings. "One hand" ends when someone plays their last card, and they win. A points game follows pagat.com: when a hand ends, everyone else adds 10 penalty points for each king they hold and 1 for every other card. Once someone reaches 25 or 50 (your choice), the lowest total wins.

How good is the computer?

Pick Strong or Easy in Settings. The strong player tries many orders of plays and pile moves (up to 600 positions) for its turn, then keeps the one that sheds the most cards while leaving the next player the fewest places to play. The easy player plays whatever fits and often misses pile moves. In our test, two-player games of strong against easy, the strong player won 1,557 of 2,000. Neither one looks at your cards or the stock.

Can I take a move back?

Yes, against the computer. Undo takes back your plays and pile moves one at a time, back to the start of your turn. It can't take back the card you drew, since you've seen it. The Hint button shows the move the strong computer would make, with 6 hints per game.

Keep playing