What is Queen on a King?
In standard Golf nothing may be played on a king. Once a king lands on the waste the run is over, and the only way on is to turn a stock card. With the queen-on-a-king rule a free queen may go onto the king, and the run can carry on down from there.
Everything else stays the same: you play free column cards one rank up or down onto the waste, suits don't matter, aces are low and only a 2 goes on an ace. The stock is turned one card at a time and gone through once.
Because kings stop blocking, a king is no longer a card to hold back to the last moment, and many deals that stall under the standard rules can be cleared.
Rule changes
| Rule | Standard Golf Solitaire | Queen on a King |
|---|---|---|
| What goes on a king | Standard Golf SolitaireNothing. A king on the waste ends the run. | Queen on a KingA queen of any suit. |
| Playing a king | Standard Golf SolitaireAllowed on a queen, but you must then turn a stock card. | Queen on a KingAllowed on a queen, and another queen may follow it. |
| What goes on an ace | Standard Golf SolitaireOnly a 2: aces are low. | Queen on a KingUnchanged: only a 2. |
| Runs | Standard Golf SolitaireUp or down one rank, between ace and king. | Queen on a KingThe same, and a run can now bounce back from a king: J, Q, K, Q, J. |
| Clearing a deal | Standard Golf SolitaireHarder: a king on the waste ends the run. | Queen on a KingEasier: no card ends a run any more. |
History
Older descriptions of the game, under the name One Foundation, did not stop play at the king. The rule that nothing may be played on a king appears mostly in American books on patience, and its origin is not certain.
Allowing a queen on a king takes that restriction back and is one of the most common easier forms of Golf. Card-game references usually list it next to the strict rule as an alternative.