Court Piece Rules (Rang)
Court Piece (Rang) is a trick-taking game for four players in two partnerships. One player chooses trump after seeing only five cards, and teams race to win seven of the thirteen tricks.
♠ Play it now: open Court Piece with a computer partner.
Players and cards
- 4 players in two teams; partners sit opposite. Deal and play go anticlockwise.
- A standard 52-card pack, Ace high to 2 low.
Dealing and choosing trump
- The dealer gives five cards to each player, starting with the player on their right, the trump caller.
- The trump caller looks at those five cards and names a trump suit.
- The rest of the pack is dealt (in fours) so everyone has 13 cards.
Playing
- The trump caller leads to the first trick.
- Follow suit if you can. If you can't, play any card: a trump, or a discard.
- The highest trump wins the trick; if no trump was played, the highest card of the suit led. The winner leads the next trick.
Winning a hand
- The first team to win 7 tricks wins the hand. Play usually stops there.
- A team that wins the first 7 tricks in a row makes a Court.
Scoring (Cheettukali)
| Result | Points |
|---|---|
| 7 tricks | +1 |
| Court (first 7 tricks) | +2 |
The first team to 7 points wins the match (you can choose 5 or 10).
Variations
- Sar / Rang with sars: tricks pile up in the middle and are only won by a player who takes two tricks in a row.
- Many tables give a bigger reward for a Court made by the team that didn't choose trump, or keep the same trump caller while their team keeps winning.
- Some count only Courts over a session.
Court Piece is closely related to Hokm, played in Iran, which uses the same five-card trump choice.
FAQ
How many cards does the trump caller see before choosing?
Five.
Do you have to play a trump if you can't follow suit?
No. In Court Piece you may play any card when you can't follow suit.
How many tricks do you need to win a hand?
Seven of the thirteen.