The Penguin Book of Card Games: Everything You Need to Know to Play Over 250 Games (31 page)

each trick leads to the next.

Score The basic scores for three, two, one, and hand are 2, 4, 6, 8,

respectively, and doubled if played at no trump. Overtricks score

half that value each. Undertricks score minus the ful value for the

first and second, and half value each for any others. Al these wil

be af ected by any declared doubles. If declarer wins a bid and the

tricks fal 6-5-0, the amount won is reduced by the basic

(undoubled) score.

Upon winning six or more tricks, the soloist may save time by

ceding the remainder to whichever opponent took more than the

other. Arrivázs (winning the last three tricks) scores 8 if bid and

made, or 16 if the game was played at no trump, or (even if played

with trumps) if none of the last three tricks was won with a trump.

This score is also af ected by any doubling and redoubling.

Vira

3 players, 52 cards

Sweden’s national card game is not only the most elaborate

member of the Solo family, but also one of the most complex card

games ever devised. With a contract and scoring schedule

resembling a railway timetable, this remarkable game could wel

go under the name of‘Gothic Whist’. It is certainly far too fascinating

to omit on grounds of space, especial y as it has not (I think)

previously been described in any English-language compendium.

Although vira means ‘to wind’ – which, by analogy with the

Russo-Baltic game of Vint (meaning‘screw’), reasonably describes

what appears to go on in the auction – the game is in fact said to be

named after the Vira steelworks, a few miles north of Stockholm,

where it was put together in February 1810 by a group of

where it was put together in February 1810 by a group of

snowbound lawyers who had been trying out al the card games

they knew between them. To the basic format of Ombre they

added, from Boston, the ful pack of 52 cards and some of the more

ingenious contracts, including miseres of various sizes.

Preliminaries Three are active, but four usual y play, with each in

turn dealing and sit ing out. The game is played for hard score in

several denominations, of which the two most essential are chips

(betar) and points (pinnar). Chips are used for payments into and

out of the pot, and points for side payments as between individual

players. One chip is equivalent to eight points. Everyone starts with

an equal number of each sort, and starts by placing an agreed

number of chips in the pot. A game ends when the pot is empty,

unless it is then agreed to refil and continue. Scores may be kept in

writing, with a column for each player and one to record the

fluctuating contents of the pot. Cards and deal Use two separate 52-

card packs ranking AKQJT 98765432 in each suit. Before dealing,

cut the second pack to establish a suit of preference for trump. The

other suit of the same colour becomes the suit of second preference

(hereinafter designated ‘colour’), and the two remaining suits are

designated ‘of -colour’ (ofärg). This is done before each deal, not

once for the whole game. Al play goes to the left. Deal thirteen

cards each in batches of 3-3-3-4 and spread the remaining 13 face

down as a talon. Auction This determines who wil play solo

against the other two.

Eldest speaks first and may not pass. A player who passes thereafter

may not bid again. Each bid must exceed the last, as listed in the

schedule. Of equal suit bids, one in preference overcal s the same in

colour, which overcal s the same in an of -colour. However, an

elder player can ‘hold’ the bid of a younger. (See Ombre or

Preference for explanation.) The various bids are listed in the

schedule (see the Table on p. 83) and described more ful y below.

Conceding The soloist may surrender before play. This normal y

counts as a single loss, but a surrendered solo counts double. (See

counts as a single loss, but a surrendered solo counts double. (See

Outcome, below.)

Play Eldest leads to the first trick. Players must fol ow suit if

possible, otherwise may play any card. 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.

Pay-of The soloist wins or loses a certain number of chips from

or to the pot, and a certain number of points from or to each

opponent. In trump contracts, the number of points varies with the

suit.

A contract that fails by one trick, including one trick taken in a

misére, counts as lost singly. One lost by two or more tricks counts

as a double loss (kodil e).

Some contracts are played after a ‘second try’, as defined below.

In this case, immediately after his first try and before making a

second, the soloist pays the opponents the appropriate number of

points as if the first try had resulted in a lost contract, but he does

not pay chips to the pot. A contract played after a second try results

in (a) points won to or from the opponents in the normal way, and

(b) chips drawn from or paid to the pot as shown under ‘second try’

in the Table on p. 83. The net result is that winning after a second

try, though unprofitable, loses less than losing after a first. (For

details of al these payments, see the Table.)

The contracts There are eight types of contract, described below in

a logical order. The first four are positive (draw, solo, turn-up,

vira), the next three are negative (cuckoo, misére, solo misére), and

the eighth (gask) can be either. The order in which they overcal

one another, and the appropriate pay-of s, are summarized in the

Table.

1. Draw (for 6, 7, 8 or 9 tricks). To win at least the said number

of tricks (except that ‘Six’ is actual y announced as ‘Beg’) after

discarding from hand, drawing replacements from the talon,

and let ing your opponents do likewise. You needn’t name a

trump when bidding, but can overcal a numerical y equal bid

trump when bidding, but can overcal a numerical y equal bid

by specifying ‘in colour’, or an equal bid in colour by

specifying ‘in preference’.

Procedure. Announce trumps, make at least one discard from

your hand, and draw the same number of replacements from

the top of the talon. If dissatisfied, you may pay points to your

opponents and do the same again. This constitutes a ‘second

try’, and reduces the value of the contract, whether won or

lost. Your left-hand opponent may now discard and draw in

the same way, and so may his partner, if any cards remain. If

any remain after that, they must be left face down and not

revealed. Players may not examine their discards once play

begins.

1. Turn-up (for 6, 7, 8 or 9 tricks). A game in which you accept

as trump a card turned from talon, and then play to win at

least as many tricks as you bid. There are three types of turn-

up: Single, in which you turn just the top card of the talon

and accept it as trump; vingel, in which you turn the top two

and entrump either of them; and tringel, in which you turn

the top three and entrump any one. Single and vingel may be

bid for six, seven or eight tricks; tringel only for nine. Bid by

announcing ‘single’, ‘vingel’, or ‘tringel’, as the case may be.

You needn’t say how many tricks when bidding, except to

overcal .

Procedures. In a bid of Single, turn the top card of talon for

trump, make from one to eleven discards, and draw

replacements from the talon, starting with the turned card. If

dissatisfied, pay the opponents points as if the first turned

card made trumps, and turn the next for a new trump. You

must accept this, and it counts as a second try. Then discard

and draw again up to as many as remain, after which, if any

stil remain, your opponents may also discard and draw as

described above.

In a Vingel, turn the top two cards of the talon, nominate as

trump the suit of either one, and discard and draw as described

above. As before, you may pay for a second try. If any cards remain,

your opponents may then discard and draw as described above.

In a Tringel, necessarily contracting to win at least nine tricks,

turn the top three cards of the talon and nominate as trump the suit

of any one. As before, you may pay for asecond try. If any cards

remain, your opponents may then discard and draw as described

above.

A In all the above turn-ups, note that the last card of the talon (the dödsknapp, or ‘death-rattle’) may never be used to determine trump. You may therefore not

discard in your first try so many as to leave for a second try fewer than two in a single turn-up, three in a Vingel, or four in a Tringel.

1. Solo (for any number of tricks from 6 to 13). A bid to win at

least a given number of tricks without discarding and drawing,

but with your choice of trumps. You needn’t say how many

when bidding, except to overcal ; but a bid of thirteen is

announced as ‘Solo Vira’.

Procedure. State your trump suit and target number of tricks.

Your opponents may discard and draw, as described above.

1. Vira. A one-of , al -or-nothing bid to win al 13 tricks after

taking the talon, discarding any 13 from 26 cards, and

announcing trumps. Opponents may not exchange.

2. Cuckoo (G ö k). A one-of , al -or-nothing bid to lose every

trick at no trump, playing ouverte, after taking up the talon

and discarding any 13 from 26 cards. A further peculiarity is

that your opponents are virtual y obliged to overcal it (even,

in some circles, if they have already passed once) unless they

hold a safe low combination, such as a 2, a 3-4, a 4-5-6, etc.

Anyone who fails to overcal pays an additional chip into the

pot if the contract succeeds.

pot if the contract succeeds.

3. Misère. A bid to lose every trick at no trump, after discarding

a certain number of cards and drawing replacements. Such a

bid may be for one, two, three, four, five or six discards. You

needn’t say how many when bidding, except to overcal .

Procedure. Discard exactly as many cards as you bid, and

replace them from the talon. If dissatisfied, you may pay and

do the same again, which counts as a ‘second try’. Your

opponents may also exchange, as described above. If you bid

four or more, you make one additional discard and play to

only twelve tricks.

1. Solo misére. A bid to lose every trick after exchanging one

card or none. There are four such bids, namely:

2. 7.1 Petite misére: Make one discard before play, and play to

only 12 tricks. (Opponents do not discard.)

3. 7.2 Grande misére: Make no discard, and play to al 13 tricks.

4. 7.3 Petite or grande misére ouverte. As petite or grande

above, but

5. with your hand exposed before the opening lead.

6. 7.4 Petite or grande misére ouverte royale. As above, and the

opponents may openly discuss their play, but may not say or

show what cards they hold.

Procedure. Only the opponents may discard and draw from

the talon. If the contract is designated royale, they may discuss

their discarding strategy, but not otherwise.

1. Gask. Anof er toplay eitheratrump game or a no-trump misére

after exchanging a certain number of cards but forbidding

your opponents to exchange any. Gask may be bid for any

number of discards from 0 to 6. You needn’t say how many

when bidding, except to overcal .

Procedure.Given the contract, keep exactly the number of

cards stated in the bid, discard the rest, take the entire talon,