A Farewell To Kings

A Farewell to Kings is a strategic solitaire card game by Rob Steward (1999) that breaks the linear stacking of traditional patience. Cards connect two-dimensionally on a grid, matching suits to suits and ranks to ranks, and a four-of-a-kind in a square formation forms a removable "book."

How It Plays

Unlike most solitaires where cards descend in linear runs, A Farewell to Kings uses a two-dimensional grid. Players link cards by matching suits to suits and ranks to ranks, and the goal is to assemble four-of-a-kind sets arranged in a square pattern. Each completed square forms a "book" of cards that can be lifted off the board, slowly clearing the grid through deliberate planning rather than reflex.

Strategy Over Luck

The author bills it as "like no other solitaire you've ever seen," and reviewers agreed it plays more like a strategy puzzle than a card game. Layouts that look promising can lock up several moves later, so the design rewards thinking turns ahead and is, by the author's own admission, not easily mastered.

Author and Versions

The game was created in 1995 and first programmed in 1996 by Rob D. Steward, with releases continuing through 2008. Versions exist for 68k Macs, PowerPC and a later Mac OS X build (v2.0.1, September 2001) which added improved graphics, game sounds, optional cheating and bug fixes for stuck cards in the fifth row.

System Requirements

The classic build runs under System 7.0 through 7.6 on either 68k or PowerPC hardware, while the Mac OS X version 2.0.1 targets early Mac OS X. The author's web page no longer offers the game for sale, so it survives through community archives.