Court Piece, Rang and Hokm: One Game, Many Names
Ask in Lahore, Delhi or Tehran and you'll hear different names for nearly the same game.
Court Piece
The name comes from the "court" (sometimes spelled "coat"): winning the first seven tricks, a crushing defeat for the other side. "Coat piece" and "court piece" are both common spellings.
Rang
"Rang" means colour, here meaning the trump suit, which is the heart of the game: one player chooses the rang after seeing five cards.
Hokm
In Iran the same idea is called Hokm ("command" or "order", again referring to the trump). The five-card trump choice and the race to seven tricks are shared.
Variations you'll meet
- Sar or "with sars": tricks pile up and are only won by taking two in a row.
- Keeping the trump caller: the same team keeps choosing trump while it wins.
- Different Court rewards: extra points for a Court made by the defending side.
Cheettukali plays the plain version: first to 7 tricks wins the hand, a Court scores double. See the rules.
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FAQ
Is Court Piece the same as Hokm?
They are very closely related, with the same five-card trump choice and race to seven tricks.
What does Rang mean?
Colour, meaning the trump suit.