Timing pairs matters more than spotting them.
Baroness deals rows of five and removes pairs that total 13. The pairs are usually visible — the strategy is in choosing which ones to remove now versus which to hold, and in deciding when to deal the next row rather than working the current one longer. Good timing improves future rows; bad timing buries critical cards.
Last updated: June 2026
How Baroness works
One 52-card deck. Five columns hold cards dealt in rows; a new row of five cards is dealt on top of any existing cards whenever you choose to deal (or when the current row has no removable pairs). Only the top card of each column is available to remove.
Pairs are removed when two visible top cards sum to 13: Ace (1) pairs with Queen (12), two with Jack (11), three with ten, four with nine, five with eight, six with seven. Kings (13) are removed singly — they need no partner. One “grace card” drawn from the top of the remaining stock can substitute for a missing partner in one removal.
The game is won when all 52 cards have been removed. The game is lost when a new row is needed but no cards remain in the stock, or when no removals are possible.
Pair selection: what to remove and when to wait
When multiple pairs are available simultaneously, removing all of them immediately is rarely the best play. The order of removal matters because each removal reveals the card beneath it — and that revealed card may or may not help the next removal.
The principle: remove pairs that maximize the value of what is revealed, not just pairs that are available. A pair sitting on top of two high-value complement cards (cards that pair easily with many ranks) is more valuable to remove than a pair sitting above cards with few complement options.
Evaluating complement quality
Mid-rank cards (5, 6, 7, 8) have more complement partners than edge-rank cards (Ace, Queen). An Ace pairs only with a Queen. A 6 pairs with a 7 and nothing else, but a 5 pairs with an 8, and a 7 pairs with a 6 — in combinations of three you can form two different pairs with a middle-rank card acting as pivot.
Removing pairs that reveal more mid-rank cards keeps the board healthier for future rows. Removing pairs that reveal Kings or Aces gives fewer immediate pairing options (Kings need no partner but use a slot; Aces need a Queen which may not be near the top).
Before removing any pair, identify what each removal would reveal. If you know (or can estimate) that removal A reveals a card with three complement options and removal B reveals a card with one, do A first. The sequence of removals, not just the total count, determines row quality.
When to deal the next row
Dealing is a tool, not a fallback. The question is not “have I run out of pairs?” but “is my current position good enough to accept a new row on top of it?” A new row obscures the current top cards. If any current top cards are part of a pair you intend to remove, remove them before dealing.
Dealing when the board is in poor shape compounds the problem. A row dealt on top of many isolated high-rank cards (Kings, Aces, Queens) creates a board where the new row’s cards may pair with each other, but the underlying difficult cards become harder to access.
Conversely, a deal is valuable when the current board has multiple columns showing their second-layer card (the card beneath the top), because a new row deals directly on top of those exposed tops and immediately presents fresh pairing options without burying anything important.
The grace card
The grace card — one additional draw from the stock — acts as a missing partner for a single removal. It can be used for any legal removal where the partner is not currently visible: remove a visible card paired with the grace card as its partner.
Because the grace card is a one-use resource, it should target a removal that:
- Breaks an otherwise-impossible lock. If one column is blocked by a card with no visible partner, and removing that card would reveal a card that unlocks the rest of the board, the grace card should go here.
- Targets a card with no complement visible at all. If a Queen sits atop a column and no Ace is visible anywhere, spending the grace card on that Queen clears it. If an Ace is on its way in the stock, saving the grace for something else is better.
- Avoids Kings. Kings remove singly without needing the grace card. Spending the grace to remove a King is legal but wasteful — Kings are self-pairing.
Three columns have playable tops: a 9 (needs a 4), a Queen (needs an Ace), and a King (removes singly). No 4 or Ace is visible in any column. Stock has 12 cards remaining.
Remove the King first (free, no partner needed). Then evaluate: spend the grace card on the Queen now, or wait to see if an Ace arrives in the next few deals? If the Queen is blocking a card that pairs with the visible 9, use the grace card to remove the Queen and reveal that card. If the Queen is not blocking anything important, hold the grace card and deal to see if an Ace arrives.
Kings: asset or nuisance?
Kings remove alone, which sounds straightforward, but timing matters. A King at the top of a column removes cleanly but occupies that column top until removed. In a five-column game, one column blocked by a King means one-fifth of the board’s visible surface is unavailable for pairing.
Remove Kings as soon as they appear if no other pairing is immediately more valuable. The edge case: if removing a King would leave you with exactly one active column while all others are blocked, and that column’s top card has a partner only in the now-buried stacks, the board may lock immediately after the King removal. In this rare situation, delay the King removal until a follow-up path is clear.
Win rate and expectations
Baroness is a moderately difficult patience game. With disciplined pair selection and timing, skilled players win roughly 50 to 65 percent of deals. The game’s difficulty lies in the grace card being a single-use resource — most losses come from spending it too early on a low-value removal, leaving a critical lock later with no recourse.
Deals where two or more Aces or two or more Queens are buried in the same column stack are structurally harder, because those rank complements cannot pair until the column is cleared from above.
Frequently asked questions
Can the grace card remove a King?
Yes, the grace card can be used on a King, but since Kings remove singly (they need no partner), using the grace card on a King gives no extra benefit compared to just removing the King normally. The grace card is wasted in this context.
What pairs with what in Baroness?
Cards paired by totaling 13: Ace (1)–Queen (12), Two (2)–Jack (11), Three (3)–Ten (10), Four (4)–Nine (9), Five (5)–Eight (8), Six (6)–Seven (7). Kings (13) remove alone. Suit does not matter.
How is Baroness different from Gay Gordons?
Both remove pairs summing to 13, but Gay Gordons deals in larger rows and has different deal-and-remove rhythms. Baroness’s grace card has no equivalent in Gay Gordons.Read the Gay Gordons strategy guide for the full comparison.
Should I always remove every available pair before dealing?
Not necessarily. If removing a pair would reveal a card that has no partner visible and occupies a more valuable position than the current pair, leaving the current pair in place and dealing instead can sometimes give the new row a chance to deliver the missing complement. This is a judgment call based on stock depth.