Playing with your kids or grandkids using card games is one of the best ways to spend a fun afternoon. These days, anything that can pry them off their smartphones and tablets is always a good thing.
However, you will need a card game that is simple enough to learn but still very fun to play.
If that is the case, we highly recommend that you play Kings in the Corner. This card game is like the competitive version of the classic solitaire and will give the participants a nice mental workout.
Don’t get us wrong, the card game Kings in the Corner is not just for kids. Adults should have fun playing too, especially those who are new to playing cards. Check out our quick guide below.
How to Play Kings in the Corner
The Kings in the Corner game is also referred to as King’s Corner, Kings Around, Kings Corners or Spider. It is basically a multiplayer version of Solitaire and was invented by the Grey Family in the 1910s.
The game requires a standard deck of 52 playing cards (without jokers) and requires two to four participants.
These days, you can easily play Kings In The Corner card game online if you want to practice.
Setting Up
- Shuffle the cards accordingly and distribute 7 cards to each participant. Make sure to deal the cards always to the left of the card dealer.
- Place 4 cards in the middle and lay them out facing up. Arrange them in a manner that each card faces north, south, east and west. If a king comes up, move it to an available space between the 4 cards (the open space of the cross). Draw another card to replace the space that was meant for the king, lay it down facing up.
- The non-king form the foundation piles. The rest of the deck should be placed in the center of the foundation piles.
- Players may now pick the initial seven cards that we’re dealt which is essentially their hand. The hand should be concealed from other players.
Gameplay
- Decide who’s the player to take the first turn. You can use any rules to decide whoever goes first. The most common methods used are drawing straws, rock-paper-scissors, or just the player to the left of the dealer.
- The first player to have his or her turn must pull up a card from the middle pile. Drawing a card from the middle pile is how each player should start their turn. The first player can start discarding cards. The goal of the game is get rid of all the cards first before the other participants do.
- There are two rules where a player can discard a card. First, if a participant has a king on hand, he or she can place it in an empty space between the foundation pile (hence the king in the corner), this forms the king foundation pile.
- The other method to discard cards onto any foundation pile is when the card is the opposite color of the topmost card and should be one lesser in value.
- In this game, the King has the highest value while an Ace is the lowest (1). For example: When there’s a black queen, you can only discard a red king. With a red seven, you can only discard a black six.
- When discarding cards on the top of the foundation pile, ensure that the cards overlap in a way that the bottom cards are still visible. If a foundation pile has an ace, the pile can’t be played anymore since it’s the lowest valued card. The only option left is to merge it with another stack.
- Any of the players can combine piles once a sequence has been completed. Once the foundation pile has been merged, the player who did the merging can start another pile with any card on hand.
- For merging piles, the piles must adhere to the red-black alternation rule and must complete a sequence. For example, if a pile has 7, 8 and 9, it can be merged with another pile with 10 as a top card, provided that it follows the red-black opposite rule.
- Once a pile becomes complete (meaning all cards from the king to the ace), it can be shuffled back to the center deck.
- The second player will now have his turn. He can do all the steps as player one as long as it follows the rules. If at any turn that a player can’t discard a card, the play resumes with the next participant.
- The game is won when a player manages to discard all cards from his hand.
A New, Exciting Card Game to Try Out!
Kings in the Corner is a great card game to play with the young ones. There are also variations where there are chips and wagers which are great for adults. The best way to practice is to play Kings in the Corner online.
