The Penguin Book of Card Games: Everything You Need to Know to Play Over 250 Games (30 page)

wil whist. To whist is to undertake one’s side to win a minimum

number of tricks. This number relates to the contract as fol ows: at

six level, the whister must win at least four; at seven, at least two; at

eight, nine and ten at least one. (A misére is not whisted.) The third

player then has the same choice. If both pass, declarer wins without

play and his opponents do not score for any tricks. If declarer’s first

opponent passes in a six or seven game, the second opponent may

alternatively say, ‘Get out for half,’ meaning that without play or

penalty he would score for taking half the target number of tricks

and declarer would score for the rest. In this case, however, the first

opponent may change his mind and ‘retrieve’ the whist, whereupon

the second is deemed to have passed.

If only one defender whists, he alone is penalized should the

defence fail to reach the target. If both whist, both are liable. To

avoid any penalty, they need to win the required number between

avoid any penalty, they need to win the required number between

them – unless only one is needed, in which case it is the second to

‘whist’ who is penalized if it is not made. If neither player whists,

declarer wins by default, and there is no play.

Examples: If, in a doubly-whisted six game:

1. … the opponents took only three, then whichever of them took fewer tricks

is penalized for the undertrick;

2. … they took only one, then each is penalized for an undertrick;

3. … they took respectively two tricks and none, the player who took none is

penalized for both undertricks, unless there was a prior agreement to share

rewards and penalties. (Such an agreement is called ‘Gentleman’s whist’.)

Light and dark If only one player whisted, he may of er to play

‘in the light’. If so, both defenders lay their hands face up on the

table before the first lead is made, and the whister plays from both

hands – as at Bridge, except that both hands are open, and the

defenders may discuss tactics. (Playing with cards concealed is, of

course, cal ed playing in the dark.)

Play Eldest leads to the first trick. In a misére contract, both

defenders lay their hands face up on the table before the opening

lead if one of them is eldest, but immediately after the opening

lead if made by declarer. In al contracts players must fol ow suit if

possible, otherwise must trump if possible, and only otherwise may

renounce. The trick is taken by the highest card of the suit led, or

by the highest trump if any are played, and the winner of each trick

leads to the next. Each player keeps his own won tricks apart from

the others’. Raspasovka The aim is to avoid winning tricks at no

trump.

If three play, eldest turns the top card of the talon and leads a

card of that suit to the first trick. Suit must be fol owed if possible.

Whoever wins the trick adds the turned card to it, turns the second

card of the talon, and leads a card of its suit to the second trick.

If four play, the dealer (who normal y sits out) treats the talon as

a two-card hand. He leads the top card to the first trick, and then,

a two-card hand. He leads the top card to the first trick, and then,

regardless of who wins it, leads the second card to the next. Thus

the first two tricks contain four cards, and the dealer may win none,

one or both of them. The third trick is led by eldest hand.

Thereafter, the winner of each trick leads any card to the next.

After ten tricks, each player records in his dump a penalty of 1

point for each trick he has won. If more than one raspasovka is

played in succession, the second is scored at the rate of 2 per trick,

the third at 3, and so on. (Rules vary. Some stick at 3 in al

subsequent rounds. Some fol ow a geometric progression, such as 1-

2-4-8 etc.)

Score Each player’s score is kept in three dif erent sections (see

the il ustration on p. 75), cal ed the dump, the pool, and the bank.

(These are more descriptive terms than translations of the Russian,

which are: gorka ‘heap’, pool’ka ‘pool’, and veest ‘whist’.)

The dumpchiefly records penalty points exacted for contracts

that the player lost.

The pool records points for contracts that the player won.

The bank records points won of each opponent for their

various failures and shortfal s. It is therefore divided into two

separate accounts – or three, if four play – each associated

with a specific opponent.

At end of play, each player scores the total of his bank accounts

minus the amount in his dump. Pool points do not enter the

equation directly, as they are eventual y converted into bank credits.

They are recorded separately only in order to measure the length of

the game, which continues until every player has made an agreed

number of pool points – typical y 50.

Scores are based on the fol owing contract values: a contract of

six is valued at 2, seven = 4, eight = 6, nine = 8, misére and ten

= 10. Al scores are recorded cumulatively. (That is, you don’t

write how many points you just scored, but the new total they

make.) Declarer’s score For making a contract, whether by play or

by concession, declarer scores the contract value in his pool, with

by concession, declarer scores the contract value in his pool, with

no credit for overtricks. If either opponent failed to take his

individual quota of tricks, declarer scores the contract value per

undertrick in the bank account identified with that particular

opponent.

For failing a contract, declarer drops in his dump the contract

value for each undertrick. For failing a misére, he drops in his

dump 10 points for each trick he took. Furthermore, whatever he

drops in his dump, each opponent scores positively in the bank

account maintained against him.

Example: Declarer bids 8, wins 5. Three down at six each means 18 in his

dump, and plus 18 for each opponent in the appropriate bank account.

Opponents’ score If any player whisted and fulfil ed his quota of

tricks, he scores the contract value of each trick won in the bank

account relating to the declarer. If not, declarer scores against him

in his own bank account, as described above. If only one player

whisted, the other has no quota and therefore cannot be penalized.

Endgame and final score When a player has reached the agreed

total (say 50) in his pool, he donates any further pool points he

may win to either opponent who has not yet reached 50 –

conventional y, given a choice, to the one with the higher current

total, though which of them gets it makes not the slightest

dif erence to the final outcome. This is not a free gift. (It is

sometimes referred to as ‘American Aid’.) Instead, the donor adds to

his bank account in respect of the recipient 10 points for each pool

point donated.

Play ceases when every player has the target number of pool

points.

A scoresheet from the viewpoint of Boris, one of four players.

(Bracketed words do not actual y appear on the sheet.)

In the centre is the target score, 10. The game ends when

everyone has reached this target in their pool scoring area. Each

row of numbers is a cumulative series, the one at the right being

that player’s current total. Thus Boris has reached 10 by making five

scores of 2 each, some of which may have been ‘donated’ by

opponents who have exceeded 10, in return for points recorded by

them in their ‘bank’ account with Boris. Pool scores record only the

progress of the game. They do not figure in the set lement, which is

calculated from bank scores and dump scores.

Bank scores are reckoned first. These are scores made ‘on the

side’ by each player against each opponent. Here, Boris has 24

against Anna, 8 against Grigori, and 32 against Vera, total 64; and

against him Anna has 6, Grigori 12, and Vera 28, total 46. This

leaves Boris 18 up (64 – 46). Similar computations leave Anna 28

down, Grigori 30 down, and Vera 40 up.

Dump scores (penalty points) are counted next. Boris has 29

against him, Anna 37, Grigori 21, Vera 17. These total 104, an

average of 26 each. Each player counts 10 times the dif erence

between their personal total and the average. This puts Boris and

between their personal total and the average. This puts Boris and

Anna respectively 30 and 110 down, and Grigori and Vera

respectively 50 and 90 up.

The final scores are therefore:

Boris Anna Grigori Vera

Bank +18

-28 -30 +40

Dump -30

-110 +50 +90

Total -12

-138 +20 +130

Individual accounts are then set led between every combination

of two players. For example, if Anna has 16 against Boris, and Boris

9 against Anna, then Anna counts 7 in respect of Boris, and Boris

minus 7 in respect of Anna. In this way every player counts plus or

minus in respect of every other, and each player’s three (or four)

plus or minus scores wil together yield an overal plus or minus

total as the first component of their final score.

For the second component, each player multiplies by 10 the

number of penalties recorded in his dump, and then reckons as

final penalties the dif erence between his own tenfold score and

that of the average of al three or four players.

Example: Anna, Boris and Grigori recorded respectively 18, 23 and 32

penalties, giving a tenfold average of 243 (i.e. 730). Anna then reckons 63

minus-points (243 – 180), Boris 13 minus-points (243 – 230), and Grigori 77

plus-points (243 –320 = a negative penalty = a plus score).

Each player’s two scoring components are put together to yield a

final plus or minus score. Al the players’ scores wil sum to zero, or

to a minute amount caused by the non-integral division of dump

scores. It may be agreed that any such fraction or odd point be

awarded to the player cut ing the highest card.

Asszorti

3 players,36cards

A Hungarian game like Preference, but simpler. The fol owing is

A Hungarian game like Preference, but simpler. The fol owing is

based on material col ected by Anthony Smith, with revisions by

Gyula Szigri. Preliminaries Three players use a 36-card pack

ranking AKQJT9876. Deal eleven each in batches of 3-(3)-2-2-2-2.

The (3) denotes three face down to the table as a talon. Play to the

left (unlike most Hungarian games).

Bidding Each in turn, starting with eldest, may pass or bid. A bid is

an of er to win at least six tricks after exchanging three, two, one or

no cards with the talon. Bidding must go in order Three, Two, One,

Hand (= none), except that a player sit ing earlier in each round of

the bidding sequence may ‘hold’ (take over) the preceding bid of a

player sit ing later. Jump-bidding is not al owed, though if the first

two players pass the third can bid anything.

ExchangingThe highest bidder becomes the soloist, and either

repeats his last bid or names a higher one. He then draws from the

top of the talon as many cards as he bid (if any), discards the same

number, and announces a trump suit or no trump.

ArrivázsIn a trump contract the soloist may then also bid Arrivázs,

thereby undertaking to win the last three tricks. There is no reward

for doing this unannounced, except at no trump.

DoublingGame (six tricks) and Arrivázs are scored separately. Either

or both can be doubled and redoubled to a maximum of five levels,

announced as kontra (2), rekontra (4), szubkontra (8), hirskontra

(16), and mordkontra (32). If declarer says rekontra, then

szubkontra may be announced onlyby the partner of the opponent

who initiated the kontra. If there is a double, the talon is

immediately exposed; and if Arrivázs was bid, the other

announcement can be doubled immediately after the talon is

exposed.

Play The soloist’s right-hand neighbour leads. Players must fol ow

Play The soloist’s right-hand neighbour leads. Players must fol ow

suit if possible, trump if unable to fol ow suit, and renounce only if

unable to do either. The trick is taken by the highest card of the suit

led, or by the highest trump if any are played, and the winner of