About Free Printable Kings in the Corner Rules
No. Only a King can start a corner pile. The four north, south, east and west slots are different: when one becomes empty, any card can start a new pile there.
By the ToolFluency team · Updated October 2026
Kings in the Corner (often just Kings Corner) is a solitaire-style shedding game for 2 to 4 players, best with 4, played with one standard 52-card deck and no jokers. Players build down in alternating colours on a cross of eight piles, with Kings going in the four corners, and the first player to empty their hand wins the hand. A hand takes about 15 to 30 minutes, and many groups play several hands with penalty points. The full printable rules sheet, with the starting layout and diagrams of builds, consolidations and corner Kings, is on this page.
How to play Kings in the Corner
- Deal 7 cards face down to each player and put the rest in the middle as the stockpile.
- Turn the top 4 cards of the stock face up in a cross around it: north, south, east and west. Leave the four corners empty, because only Kings can start a corner pile.
- The player to the dealer's left goes first and play moves clockwise. On your turn you may make as many moves as you like before you draw.
- Build down: play a card that is exactly one rank lower and the opposite colour on any pile, such as a black 8 on a red 9. Ace is low, so nothing plays on an Ace.
- Place a King from your hand in any empty corner, then build down on it like any other pile.
- Consolidate: move a whole pile onto another when its bottom card is one lower and the opposite colour of the other pile's top card. That frees a north, south, east or west slot, which you may fill with any card from your hand.
- When you are done, draw one card from the stock to end your turn. If the stock is empty, play continues without drawing.
- The first player to play their last card wins the hand. In a match, everyone else takes penalty points for cards left in hand, and when someone reaches the agreed total (commonly 25), the lowest score wins.
Kings in the Corner penalty points (cards left in hand)
| Scoring system | Card values | Usual target |
|---|
| Standard | King 10, any other card 1 | 25 |
|---|
| Wikipedia version | King 10, Queen and Jack 2, other cards 1 | 25 or 50 |
|---|
| Pip value (variant) | Ace 25, K/Q/J 10, number cards face value | 100 or 250 |
|---|
| Kleplek's (variant) | Face cards 10, 6 to 10 = 5, A to 5 = 1 | 50 |
|---|
Examples
Strategy tips
- Play Kings into corners early. Under standard scoring a King left in your hand costs 10 points, and every new corner gives everyone another place to play.
- Look for consolidations first. Moving a pile opens a slot where any card can go, which is the easiest way to dump an awkward high card.
- Use an empty cross slot for a card that is hard to place, such as a Queen when no King is showing, rather than a low card you could play anyway.
- Count how many cards of a colour and rank are still out. If both black 7s are already played, a red 8 on top of a pile is a dead end.
- Hold back a playable card now and then if your opponents are close to going out and it would open a pile for them. Check your table's house rule first, since some groups require every legal play.
Example: penalty count
Ava goes out first. Ben is left holding a King, a 7, a 4 and a 2, which is 10 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 13 penalty points under standard scoring. Cara holds just a 5 for 1 point. Ava scores 0, and the match continues until someone reaches 25.
Frequently asked questions
Can you put a Queen in an empty corner?
No. Only a King can start a corner pile. The four north, south, east and west slots are different: when one becomes empty, any card can start a new pile there.
Do you draw at the start or end of your turn?
This sheet draws one card at the end of your turn, after all your plays. Bicycle's rules draw first, at the start of the turn, so pick one order before you play.
Do you have to play a card if you can?
It depends on the rules you follow. Under Pagat's rules you may choose not to build, while Bicycle's rules say to make every play you can. Either way you must still draw a card to end your turn.
What happens if a King is turned up in the starting cross?
The player to the dealer's left may move it to a corner on their first turn and then play any card from their hand into the empty slot. Some groups move it to a corner during setup and turn a new card from the stock instead.
Can you take a card back after playing it?
No. Once a card is on the table it stays there. You can only move cards by consolidating a whole pile onto another.
What if nobody can play and the stock is empty?
The hand ends in an impasse with no winner. If you are keeping score, every player takes penalty points for the cards still in their hand.
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