Kings in the Corner

I'd like to try to blog every so often about some of our favorite board games. Perhaps you will find one of our favorites at a thrift store or yard sale, and decide to buy it for yourself!

Today's board game is Kings in the Corner. This is actually a game I myself have passed over once or twice at thrift stores. It really isn't eye-catching or impressive. Stephen's grandmother was getting rid of some games and I took it just to try. It turns out to be a game we really enjoy!

Please note: The box says you can play with two people. We quickly found that this is not much fun. I would say three is the minimum you would want for this game.

The Point: 
Get rid of all the cards in your hand. The winner receives a "pot" of chips which are added to throughout the game. First person to 100 wins.

Gameplay:
Each player is dealt seven cards, and all the chips are divided equally between players. Place one card in each tabbed stall on the game board.

Everyone puts one chip into the "pot" (in the middle) before the game starts. The first player will play any cards available to them and will play until they have no more moves to make. Cards are played onto the cards in those tabbed stalls. A player can only play a card lower in sequence AND it must be the opposite color. For example, you could play a red six on a black seven or a black jack on a red queen.

If you have a King in your hand or you draw one, immediately place it in one of the four empty slots around the board.

Cards can be added from stall to stall, or from one's hand to a stall. You may NEVER move cards from a King's stall.

If you empty a stall, you may fill it with any card of your choice from your hand.

When your turn is over, you must draw a card.

If it is your turn and you cannot make a move at all, you must pay a chip to the pot and draw a card.

A hand is over when one person uses all of the cards in their hand. They receive all the chips which equal points. Usually a game goes to 100 but you can make your own rules about that.

If you can't find this board game, you can also play with a regular deck of cards. Just don't use the chips. You can set up the stalls in a star formation. You could keep score by the number of cards left in one's hand (this would mean the lower number is the winner) or by face value of the cards.

Verdict:
We enjoyed it! Like I said, I think it needs three or more players but I've heard of people playing alone, like solitaire. It's very simple, so you could teach a really young child how to play. As long as they get the whole red/black concept and how to stack cards backwards, they can play. There is really no strategy because you just get lucky with what cards you get.

Great for Learning:
Numbers in reverse order!