Kings in the Corner Glossary — every term explained
The most common terms of Kings in the Corner with short explanations — so you always know what the table is talking about.
Layout (tableau)
The face-up arrangement on the table: four starting piles around the central stock plus the four diagonal corner spaces.
Stock
The face-down draw pile in the centre. Each turn ends by drawing one card from it; when it runs out, play continues without drawing.
Foundation pile
Any of the face-up piles you build on. A pile accepts a card one rank lower and opposite in color to its top card.
Corner
One of the four diagonal spaces reserved for kings. A king placed there starts a new foundation pile; an emptied corner can only be restarted with another king.
Building down in alternating colors
The core build rule: each card played is one rank lower than the pile's top card and of the opposite color (red on black, black on red).
Whole-stack move
Lifting an entire pile and placing it on another pile whose top card outranks the stack's bottom card by one, in the opposite color.
Emptied space
An original North/East/South/West position whose pile was moved away. Any card from hand may be played into it; corners are the exception (kings only).
Ace (low)
The lowest card of the deck. Because builds descend, nothing can ever be played on an Ace — it freezes a pile until the Ace is moved away as part of a whole-stack move.
Impasse
The stock is empty and every player in turn can do nothing; the round ends and the lowest penalty total wins.
Penalty points
Cards left in hand at the end of a round: a king costs 10 points, every other card 1 point. Points accumulate across rounds.