How to Play Bezique | HowStuffWorks How to Play Bezique NEXT PAGENEXT Bezique, the forerunner of the card game Pinochle, was invented in the early 1800s in Sweden. By the 1850s, it was a hit all across Europe, and it soon arrived in America. It's still widely enjoyed in Britain. Over the years there have been many exciting variations of Bezique. In this article, you will. learn how to play classic Bezique, Rubicon Bezique, and Chinese Bezique. Let's get started with traditional Bezique: Number of players: Two Card Term Glossary Here's a quick reference for some of the card language you will find in this article. Follow suit: To play a card of the suit led. Lead: To play the first card to a trick. Marriage: A meld consisting of the king and queen. Meld: A combination of cards with scoring value, generally three or more cards in sequence in one suit or all of the same rank; also, to show or play such a combination. Stock: The undealt cards available for future use.

Table: The playing area; also, to lay down a meld on the playing area. Trick: A round of cards played, one from each player's hand. Trump: A suit designated to be higher ranking than any other suit; any card in that suit. Also, to play a trump card on a trick. Upcard: The first card turned up after a deal, often to begin play or initiate a discard pile. For a complete listing of card terminology, click here . Object: To score points by melding and by taking tricks containing aces and 10s (brisques). The cards: Two sets of 32 cards, consisting of aces through 7s, are shuffled together into one 64-card deck. Cards rank -- from high to low -- A-10-K-Q-J-9-8-7. To play: Deal eight cards to each player, in groups of three, two, and three, and then turn up a card. This "upcard" will designate which suit will be trump. Place that card face up and so that it is slightly sticking out from under the draw pile. If the trump upcard is a 7, dealer scores 10 points immediately.

Nondealer starts play by leading any card. At this stage of play, and as long as there remain cards to draw, you are not obliged to follow suit; you may play any of your cards. The highest trump in a trick wins it, or, if there is no trump card, the highest card of the suit led wins it. When two identical cards contend for the same trick (for example, two 10s), the first one played wins the trick. The winner of each trick scores 10 points for each ace or 10 (also called a "brisque") it contains, and may also table one meld. (You may tally the 10 points for a 7 of trumps along with a meld, and if you table the first 7 of trumps you may also trade it for the trump upcard.) Tally all points when you meld as you score them (see "Melds in Bezique" table below). Tally brisques at the end of the hand. Both players take a new card from the stock, with the winner of the previous trick drawing first and then leading to the next trick.

Melded cards stay on the table until the stock is used up, but you may still play them on tricks. A card you meld one time can be used again, but only in a different meld and only with a winning trick. For example: Q melds with K in a marriage and can also meld later for 60 points with Q-- Q. But it can't meld with a second K -- a completely new pair is needed to score the second marriage. When only the upcard and one draw card remain, the upcard goes to the trick-loser. Put your remaining melded cards back in your hand, with the winner of the previous trick taking the last draw card and leading to the next trick. In the play of the final eight cards, each player must follow suit and also must win a trick whenever possible. Whoever wins the final trick scores an extra 10 points. ©2006 Publications International, Ltd. lead, though it gives opponent the chance to win a brisque. Instead, you could try either J, but as a card of lower rank, it is a more likely loser.

Scoring: The first player to accumulate 1,000 points -- or any other agreed-upon sum -- wins. Tips: The play in Bezique has 32 tricks, in which your opponent will try to trump any ace or 10 you lead. Therefore, you should save your 10s to win lower cards when your opponent leads. Meanwhile, there's usually a difficult suit for your opponent to win tricks in. Even if you lead low cards of that suit, it may cause discomfort: Players want to hold on to melding cards (aces, kings, queens, the 10 and jack of trumps, and Q and J for a possible 500-point double bezique). Yet each player can hold just eight cards! If you have a big meld near the end of the game -- for example, Q- Q- J- J -- you may not have time to meld it in two stages to score an extra 40 points. Your opponent may see through that plan and prevent you from winning a second trick and the additional 500 points.

Now that you've learned the basics of classic Bezique, move on to the next section to discover two challenging variations -- Rubicon Bezique and Classic Bezique. Up Next Bezique - definition of bezique by The Free Dictionary Bezique - definition of bezique by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Thesaurus , Encyclopedia , Wikipedia . be·zique (bə-zēk′) n. 1. A trick-taking card game for two players that is played with a special deck of 64 cards consisting of the 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, and A cards from two different decks. 2. The combination of the queen of spades and the jack of diamonds in this game, worth 40 points. [French bésigue, possibly from Italian bazzica, a kind of card game.] bezique (bɪˈziːk) n 1. (Card Games) a card game for two or more players with tricks similar to whist but with additional points scored for honours and sequences: played with two packs with nothing below a seven 2.

(Card Games) (in this game) the queen of spades and jack of diamonds declared together [C19: from French bésigue, of unknown origin] be•zique a card game resembling pinochle but played with more cards. [1860–65; < French bésigue, bézigue] ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend: Noun 1. bezique - a card game played with a pack of forty-eight cards (two of each suit for high cards); play resembles whist card game , cards - a game played with playing cards Translations Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us , add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content . Link to this page: pinocle References in periodicals archive ? Luca Cumani's latest Italian import Bezique hasbeenabsent for over a year and has to be watched on his British debut unless the market speaks in his favour . Could beaw alkinthe park forBaref oot Lady A ladies' loo has been installed, I'm sure I clocked a bottle of Bezique behind the bar and Tam Parks is now selling food.

On the Wish list; After filling his face with Florida's fast food, Tam savours guid Scots face in the culinary capital of downtown Wishaw EATING OUT ARTISAN 249 MAIN STREET, WISHAW plants--to colonize), perithecium, EES eesome (attractive to the eye), teesoo (Dhak flowers) ES Esau, thesis, obese IC ici, police IES gieseckite (variety pinite), Schoenflies (mathematician) IS isblink, artiste, piste, ambergris, kris ISS pelisse (a fur garment), camiss (a Muslim shirt) OES oestrin AES aestivation, quaestor EAS Easter, yeast, grease, increase EEC fleece, Greece EIS eis-blink, leister (a fishing spear) EYS keystone IEC piece IIS iisblink (a luminous appearance on the horizon) caused by the reflection of light from ice) OEC oecist (the founder of an ancient Greek colony), dioecy IX Dix (the lowest trump in Bezique and other card games) short 's' sound followed by long 'E' sound.

Rules of Card Games: Bezique Home Page > Classified Index > Trick Taking Games > Ace-Ten Games > Marriage Group > Bezique Bezique Bezique originated in France in the early 19th century as Bésigue. It was extremely fashionable in Britain in the early 20th century, and was Winston Churchill's favourite card game. Although its popularity declined in the late 20th century, it still has many devoted players. Bezique is a two-player card game, and the basic version is played with a double pack of 64 cards (two copies of A-K-Q-J-10-9-8-7 in each suit). In its heyday, variations for larger numbers of cards were invented. The American game Pinochle is very similar in structure, especially in its two-player form . Sharon Clarke's description of Bezique: The Card Game is published on the BBC web site. Here is an archive copy of Chris Herring's rules for Six Pack Bezique . Howard Fosdick's web site has rules of Bezique and Polish Bezique . Rules of Bezique are available on the Card Game Heaven site.

Jean-François Bustarret's site has rules in French version for Bésigue . Here is a page describing a version of Bésigue played in Haiti. A shareware Bezique program which supports network and offline play is available from Meggiesoft Games. A free trial version is available. A shareware Bezique program for Windows is available from Games Galore. A free trial version is available. The Cardmaster package includes a 4-pack Rubicon Bezique computer program. How to Play Bezique Four Hand Bezique Two Handed Bezique A double piquet deck is the deck that is used in Bezique. This is a deck that has two standard decks combined with the cards 2-6 removed from each. This results in one large 64 card deck. The card rank is listed to the side and is A high, 10, K, Q, J, 9, 8, 7. Objective The objective of the gmae of bezique is to make melds or declarations that will win. Also, it is to win tirckes that have brisques. Brisques are are cards that have certain scores. Deal The deal is dtermined by the players cutting the deck.

Then, the dealer gives each player eight cards. The cards are dealt three at a time, two at a time, then three at a time. The next card in the deck, which would be the 17th card, is placed face up on the table and this becomes the trump suit for the hand. If the card happens to be a 7 then the dealer will have an automatic score of 10 points. The stock is then formed by placed the rest of the cards in a pile face down. Play takes place in two stages. The first stage will last for hoiwever long the stock has cards. The first player is the non-dealer. Then, after each trick the winner takes the lead. Declarations can be made after a trick is won. Any declaration may be made by the winner after each trick. The winner of the trick will then draw first from the stock and then the loser afterwards. The last stock card is taken by the winner of the last trick and the exposed trump card is taken by the loser. At this stage of the game the players do not have to follow suit. The highest card of the suit that led or else a trump card will take the trick.

When cards that have the same value are played the trick is won by the card that led the trick. The second stage is played after the stock has been used up. For the last eight tricks the players must follow suit. However, if they can’t follow suit then they may trump. If a player is able to win a trick he must do so. Ten points goes to the winner of the last trick. Declarations After winning a trick, declarations may be made. Each meld’s cards must be placed in front of the player face up. However, they can be played to tricks like they were still part of the hand. TRUMPS the following cards J 10 points The following is how these declarations can work, based on the letters that represent each set of cards. A This is called a common marriage. It is when there is a king and queen of the same suit, notwithstanding trumps. The common marriage is 20 points. B The King and Queen of a trump suit is called a royal marriage. This is equal to 40 points. C. The queen of spades and jack of diamonds are called Bezique. It is worth 40 points. D.

Any set of 4 jacks is equal to 40 points. E. Any set of 4 queens is equal to 60 points. F. Any set of four kings is equal to 80 points. G. Any set of four aces is equal to 100 points. H. Sequence: A, 10, K, Q, and J pays 250 points when it is of the trump suit, not at any other time. I. A double bezique is worth 500 points because it is both queens of spades and both jacks of diamonds. J. The 7 of trumps exchanged for the face up card is worth 10 points. The other 7 of trumps is 10 points when it is played, but it is not a declaration. After winning a trick, a player can only make one declaration. However, if the player has exposed cards that show he could potentially make another declaration then he may declare that he will take a particular declaration on the next trick. A second declaration similar to this may not be based on one of the same cards.

An example of this would be if the declaration was for four queens then the player could not make a second declaration for four queens, but he could declare the queen as part of bezique, royal marriage, double bezique, or a sequence. When cards are used to make up a bezique then they may be used later to make a double bezique. However, these cards may not be used again to make up bezique. Bisques occur when a 10 and an Ace are taken in tricks and these receive 10 points each. Each player is responsible for counting his tricks when the game is over. The game is up to 1000 or 2000 points. Penalties When a player plays out of turn, meaning he draws a card out of turn, then he will give his opponent 10 points. If a player has more than 8 cards then he will give his opponent 100 points as long as he has the right number of cards in his hand. If a player moves on to the next trick and does not draw a card during the first stage then he will forfeit 10 points.

If a player does not follow suit during the last eight tricks, if he is able to follow suit, then he essentially forfeits all eight tricks to the other player. Scoring Special bezique markers are the best way to score the game. However, pencil and paper will also work. Some people use a cribbage board or other counters. Three Handed Bezique Three handed bezique is played the exact same way as two handed bezique. The only difference is that 96 cards are used, from three piquet decks and each player plays for himself. This game has 1500 points. Bezique, Rules of Card Games ♠ Links » Bezique Bezique is thought to have originated in Sweden and was Played in 19th century gaming establishments of Paris. Bezique first made itself known in Britain around the 1860s, but never really gained in popularity. However, it found much enthusiasm in the United States, and developed into a more popular variation, Pinochle. Bezique is a very good card game for two players. It is a fast engaging game that involves a combination of meld-making and trick taking.

The Cards Take two packs of cards and strip them of all 6s and down. That leaves a deck of 64 cards. Cards Rank: A, 10, K, Q, J, 9, 8, 7 Objective To score points by melding certain combinations. To win tricks with valuable cards in them. The first to accumulate 1000 points over several hands wins the game. The Deal Players cut to deal, and each player receives 8 cards, dealt in batches of 2 or 3, with the remainder of the deck left as stack. Turn the top card face up to establish trumps, and leave half protruding from beneath the stack. The Play The play is in two parts, the Preliminary and the Play-off. In the preliminary, the objective is to score points by declaring certain combinations. In the play off the objective is to win tricks with valuable cards in them. The Preliminary The non-dealer leads first, and thereafter, the winner of the trick leads to the next. At the conclusion of each trick, each player draws a card from the stack. Winner draws first. You can lead any card, and there is no obligation to follow suit.

The trick is won by the highest trump played to it, or by the highest card of the suit led. If the cards are equal, the trick goes to the leader. Upon winning a trick, but before drawing from the stack, a player may meld any one of the following combinations and score for it immediately, by laying the cards down, face up on the table in front of them and announcing its point value, such as "Four Kings for 80". Only one combination may be melded in a turn. Scoring Combinations in Bezique Apart from Declarations, you may also score 10 points for: Playing the lowest Trump (the Seven) Showing the lowest Trump Exchanging the lowest Trumps for the Trump Card. Upon winning a trick, a player may show the "Deece", and exchange it for the upturned trump card. In this stage of the game, there is little incentive to winning tricks, except if you wish to make a declaration, or if there's an Ace or a Ten for the taking. Eventually, the stack of cards will exhaust until you are left with the last two cards.

The winner of this trick draws the last face down card, and shows it to his/her opponent, and leads to the next, and the other player draws the face up card. The Play Off Now the stack is exhausted, the time for meld making is over, and trick taking has come. Now we play the last 8 tricks in the following manner. The objective is to win tricks with valuable cards in them, and to win the last trick. The following rules apply: You must follow suit to the card led, if possible. You must try to win the trick, by playing a higher card If you can't follow suit, you must play a trump. If a trump is led, you must overtrump, if possible. The winner of the last trick scores 10 points for it. The trick is won by the highest trump played to it. If no trumps are played, the trick is won by the highest card of the suit led. If the cards are equal, as they often can be, the trick goes to the leader. Scoring At the end of play, each player takes all the cards he/she won in tricks and awards themselves 10 points for each Ace and each Ten they have.

Because there are 8 Aces and 8 Tens, there are 160 points on offer. Thus points are awarded for melds made in the preliminary, and from all the Aces and 10s contained in the tricks the player has won. Rules for Pinochle and Bezique ♠ Links » Pinochle Pinochle is a derivative of Bezique, a 2 player game of French origin still widely played in Europe. Bezique was popular in Paris gaming establishments in the 19th century, and appeared briefly in Britain around the 1860s but never really gained in popularity. In America, however, the game was eagerly embraced and quickly gave rise to a number of variations of which one of them is Pinochle. Pinochle is a great card game for two players that employs a combination of meld-making and trick taking. It has two distinct stages of play, so the objectives and dynamics shift. The Objective The objective is to score points by making melds of certain combinations as set out below, and by winning tricks with valuable cards in them.

Because each player has twelve cards, and the stack will be exhausted after twelve tricks, the play has two very important stages, and the rules and the objectives shift. The game can be played to a grand total of 1000 points over several hands. There are many variations, but most of them concern the number of cards or value of melds. The basic dynamics of the game remain the same, so we will explain a standard version here. The Deck Take two decks of standard playing cards and strip out the 8’s and down. That will give you two decks of 24 cards that you combine to make one deck of 48 cards. Therefore you’ll have two of each card in your deck. A total of 8 Kings, 8 Queens, 8 Jacks etcetera. Rank and Value For the purposes of Trick-Taking, the cards rank A, K, Q, J, 10, 9 .

The value of those cards won in a trick and counted up as points at the end of the hand are: A = 11 10=10 The Deal Players cut to deal, and 12 cards are dealt to each player, in batches of three and four, whereupon the next card is turned face up and left protruding from beneath the remaining stack. This card determines the Trump Suit. Left of the dealer leads first, and thereafter whoever wins the trick leads to the next. A player leads by placing a card face up on the table, and the opponent responds by playing one of their cards face up in reply. After each trick, each player draws a card from the stack, winner first, until it is exhausted, and then they play out their remaining cards in hand. While there are still cards to draw, the following rules apply. A player may lead any card, and the opponent has no obligation to follow suit The trick is won by the highest Trump card played to it. If no trumps are played, the Trick is won by the highest card of the suit led Upon winning a Trick, a player may meld Upon winning a trick, a player may meld.

Of course, that means that if you don’t win the trick, you can’t meld. There is no particular incentive to win tricks in this stage, unless they offer a valuable card or the player wishes to meld. The players use this period of play to through off certain cards they don’t want, and prepare their hand for the Play-Off. There is, however, the opportunity to make melds and score points that way. And this is an opportunity that doesn’t last forever. After just twelve tricks, the stack will be exhausted, and then the time for meld-making is over, and the rules change. Rules on Making Melds Upon winning a trick, and before drawing from the stack, a player may meld any of the combinations displayed below, and score immediately its point value. A player may make only one meld in turn. Class A Q♠, J♦ 40 pts The Pinochle is always the Q♠, J♦ regardless of the Trump. However, some play that if Spades or Diamonds are Trumps, pinochle is redefined as Q♣ , J♥ .

A player melds by placing one of the combinations face up on the table, where they remain until they are played or led to a trick at the player’s discretion, as if they were cards in his/her hand. As far as taking cards from one meld and combining them with others to make a another meld the following rules apply At least one card must come from your hand. You can’t just re-arrange cards on the table and call them melds. You have to draw at least one from your hand. You can meld up, but you can’t meld down. That means you can take a card or cards from a lower meld class, and place them together with some cards from your hand to form a meld in a higher class. The meld doesn’t have to be of higher value, per se, just further up the tree. Therefore you can also meld up in the same class. In such a case the new meld must be higher scoring. For example, if you had the Pinochle laid down, the Q♠ J♦ and then later found the three other Queens in your hand, upon winning a trick, you could place the three Queens down, and place the Queen of Spades next to them to complete the quartet.

Likewise, you could use one of those Queens to make a marriage or join the Trump Flush in the A – Class, remembering that at least one card must come from your hand to make a meld. But, you couldn’t take a King or Queen from a Marriage (Class A), and use it to meld a quartet in Class B. What about adding just one King or one Queen to an already existing marriage? The answer is no. Not even if you have played one of those cards out to a trick. If you want another marriage in the same suit, you must use an entirely new pair of King and Queen in that suit. They can come one from your hand and one from a lower meld – that’s o.k. – but not adding a different King to the same Queen. Melding the Deece The ‘deece’ is the lowest trump, which is the 9 in a 48 card deck. Melding this on its own gives you 10 points. It is not necessary to ‘meld’ the deece in the manner that you do all other melds. You simply need to declare it, which can be done as you lay out another meld.

At this time, you can exchange the deece face up for the original trump turned up at the deal. ‘Melding the deece’ does not constitute a ‘melding turn’. You can also collect the 10 points for the deece simply by declaring it as it is played to a trick. Each play then consists of a lead, and a play. The winner has option to meld, and then winner first, each draws a card from the stack. Eventually, however, after just twelve tricks, the stack is exhausted. As you draw to the close, the winner of the 12th trick has the option to meld as usual, and then draws the last face down card from the stack and shows it to their opponent who draws the face up card, the last and final card of the stack. Now, the rules change, and we play a different game. The Play-Off This is the home stretch, the last mile, the dash and pound to the finish line. It’s about this time that you’d be thinking Pinochle would be a better game if you had to follow suit. As usual, the winner of the previous trick leads first and the following rules apply.

Each player must follow suit to the card led, if possible, and try to win the trick by playing a higher card. If unable to follow suit, a Player must play a Trump if possible If a Trump is led, a Player must try to beat it with a Higher Trump In this manner the last 12 Tricks are played out. The winner of the last trick scores 10 for it. Players then take all the cards they have won in their tricks, and count up their value. This total is added to their score as points. Counting up all the Aces and all the Kings, Queens, Jacks and Tens equates to 240 points. So, between the two players, there should be a total of 240. For example, if I score 130, you must have 110! Points are awarded in increments of 10. So anything smaller than 7 is rounded down. That means that if you score 136, that equals 130, but if you score 137, that equals 140.

If both of you score totals like 126 v’s 114, each scores 120 and 110 respectively, and the missing ten points are simply lost to the game. The points you score, come from melds which you have made within the first 12 plays, which you award as they are laid down. And you score points as the total value of all the cards you have captured in Tricks which you count up at the end of play. Scoring Because Pinochle can be a fun fast rolling card game, many players draw chips from a common stack to represent their score. As you lay down a meld, you merely draw the number of chips that represent its value and lead to the next trick. This way you’re not hampered by pencil and paper, stopping and writing, while you’re playing cards. Variations There are many variations in Pinochle and some of them concern the rank and value of cards, or the number of cards or decks used. The basic strategies and objectives remain the same, and in this regard Pinochle remains true to its derivative, Bezique.

Some play that the cards rank A, 10, K, Q, J, 9 with the same point values as listed above. Some also play that in the first twelve tricks, the 10s ranks above the Kings, but in the last 12 tricks the 10s rank as usual between the J and 9. Their point value (10) nevertheless remains the same. Also, for scoring purposes, it can be easier math to value the cards Ace and Kings at 10 points, Jacks and Queens at 5, and Tens like 9s, no value at all. This is common practice and makes scoring much less tedious. Some play that the winner of the 12th trick may look at, and choose which of the last two cards they prefer. There are many more variations of Pinochle that involve numbers of decks, and the point-value of melds, double melds and so on. Once the basic game is played within these rules, then the variations become ways of extending the game, or placing more emphasis on one aspect more than the other.

Pinochle should not be looked upon as a passive meld making game like Rummy, where you lay down melds till you run out of cards. In Pinochle, your hand is always being replenished, and new opportunities arise. Building a basis from low melds can lay the building blocks for higher melds, like a kind of march forward that lays out more and more of your cards on the table, while scoring handsomely for them. Of course, the flip side is, all your cards are out so it’s pretty easy to see what you’ve got. While you’re making melds and drawing cards, you also need to be spending some time brushing off and getting rid of cards you really don’t want later, when you have to follow suit. Your attention should be quietly arranging your cards, setting up your hand to see you through the home stretch at the play off. That’s why Pinochle is such a good game. It has these two stages, and there are always opportunities to score.

Auction Pinochle - Three Player Pinochle Although the game can be played almost identically above by three players, that practice gave way to a much more popular form of Auction Pinochle, which, it just so happens, has the unusual peculiarity of being an excellent game for three players. Objective: The player who calls the highest bid, the Bidder, attempts to fulfil his/her contract by scoring points in melds and cards in tricks won. The other two players team up to defeat the Bidder. The Deal A standard Pincochle 48 card deck is dealt out to each player in batches of 3 and 4 in such a manner that each player ends up with 15 cards, and there are 3, face down cards in the middle called the ‘Widow’. Beginning left of the dealer, each player takes it in turn to bid or pass. Once having passed, the player cannot re-enter the bidding process. Beginning at 300, each bid must be higher than the previous. The bid represents the number of points the player thinks he/she can score.

Once the bidding is settled, and the contract made, the Bidder turns the three cards of the Widow so that all players can see, and then adds them to his/her hand. The Bidder then names the Trump suit and lays out his melds and scores for them as usual as set out in the table above. No other players meld. Only the bidder. Once this is done, the Bidder takes up his cards and discards 3 face down for the Widow. These will be counted at the end of play together with the cards he/she wins in tricks. The Play The Bidder leads first, and thereafter whoever wins the trick leads to the next. The same rules apply as in the play off. You must follow suit. You must try to win the trick, if possible. At the end of play, the Bidder takes up his/her cards, including those discarded to the Widow, and counts up his/her total. The points he/she has made in his melds and won in his tricks make up his total. If the Bidder’s total is greater than or equal to the amount he bid, he makes his contract and each player will ‘pay’ him the amount of his bid and no more.

If the Bidder has scored more, the opponents only pay him the amount bid. That means, if the Bidder called 300, it’s a deficit of 300 points from each opponent and a reward of 600 points to the Bidder. On the other hand, if the Bidder fails to make his bid, he/she pays an amount equal his bid to each opponent – in the above example that’s 300 to each player, a deficit of 600 points. And each of the opponents gains 300 points. h2g2 - Bezique - The Card Game - Edited Entry Poker | Runger | Russian Crazy Sevens | Skat | Spades | War | Whist The card game of Bezique originated in France and is based on games played in that country over 350 years ago. There are at least six forms of the game and these variations mostly depend on the number of players participating. History Although Bezique originated in France and is believed to be the forerunner of Pinochle, it was superseded there by a similar game called Besigue.

Bezique in its original version was soon taken up by the UK and became an extremely popular game in the mid-Nineteenth Century. The more modern versions of the game are accredited to a Swedish schoolmaster, Gustav Flaker, who actually lived in Scotland. The earliest examples of custom-made cards for the game were manufactured by Thomas de la Rue in around 1862. Thomas de la Rue also provided Bezique markers made from bone and score cards designed by a man called Cavendish. Although conceived for, and usually played by, only two opponents, versions for more players soon found their way into gaming establishments. Deck sizes were also increased to make the games last longer. Most notable of these was Rubicon Bezique which was governed by rules drawn up by The Portland Club, London. Six deck Bezique, also called Chinese Bezique, was reported as being the favourite game of Winston Churchill . The Deck The cards required for playing Bezique differ from those used by more familiar card games in that they are based on a Piquet Deck. This comprises of a normal pack of cards with all the twos, threes, fours, fives and sixes removed, leaving only the seven upwards to the ace (high).

The tens take the unusual ranking of beating all other cards except the ace. Scoring Scoring is a fairly complex affair and changes with each variation of the game but is chiefly based on the two distinct parts of the game: The Play-Off and The Declarations. The aim is to form, and be able to declare, scoring 'melds', or combinations of cards, whilst also winning tricks in the basic whist fashion. Any variations on the standard game are mentioned in their own section. The Play-Off The non-dealer starts by leading a card and the dealer can play any card he pleases as following suit doesn't apply until the stock is exhausted. Any card higher than the original lead card and in the same suit will win the trick and any trump card will win unless the lead card was also a trump and valued higher. Once the stock is finished the final eight tricks must follow suit and a player must play a winning card if he is able. If he has no cards of the particular suit lead in his hand he may trump but is not obliged to do so 1 . The cards played to each trick are gathered by the winner and placed face-down at their side.

These cards play no further part in the round except at the end when tens and aces (in most games) are counted as 'Brisques' and score ten points each. Declarations In most games declarations can be made after winning a trick although some versions impose a ban on declaring until three tricks have been won. Acceptable melds are all based on the following guidelines: Meld Two Queens of Spades and two Jacks of Diamonds 500 points Rules for Declarations Melds must be placed face up on the table in front of the player in order to score. Only one declaration is allowed after winning a trick. If another combination is possible from the exposed cards (for example a Royal Marriage after declaring a Royal Sequence) the player can inform his opponent that he will declare this when he next wins a trick. No card already used in one meld may be added to a second, similar meld. For example a Queen of ♠ used to form a marriage cannot be paired with another King of ♠. It can, of course, be used with its original partner to form a Double Marriage. A card may be used as part of a different meld from the one already declared.

The Queen of ♠ mentioned above can still be added to Queens of ♥,♦ and ♣ to form the declaration 4 Queens and may be added to a Jack of ♦ to form a Bezique. It can not be used with an extra Queen to form another 4 Queens declaration though. This same Queen ♠ cannot be paired with a different Jack ♦, but can be used for a Double Bezique with its original partner. Once a declaration has been made the face-up cards are available for playing to tricks or to form new melds. Scoring Scoring can either be done using a cribbage board (each hole representing ten points), Bezique markers 4 or a paper and pen. Scores for melds, sopping the first seven of trumps and playing the other seven of trumps to a trick, are all written down at the time they are scored. Scores for brisques are added up at the end of each round, the winner of the final trick of each round totalling his first. Winning requirements vary from game to game and are mentioned where appropriate. Penalties Penalties are immediately imposed if any player is holding more than eight cards at a time (100 points to the opponent).

Failing to draw a card after a trick before playing to the next leads to an immediate forfeit of ten points to his opponent. 'Revoking' is failing to follow suit or take a trick in the 'Play-off part two' section of the game and leads to the guilty party losing all of the final eight tricks. Two-Handed Bezique This version is the simplest form of the game and is possibly the one to try first. The Deal Two Piquet decks are required. The Deal is decided by cutting the pack, with the player with the highest card winning. Eight cards are dealt in turn using packets of three, two, three. The seventeenth card indicates the trump suit and is placed, face-up, next to the remaining cards, or stock, which are placed face-down. If this card happens to be a seven the dealer immediately scores ten points. The Play-off - Stage One The non dealer plays a card face up to the table. The dealer can either play a card in the same suit but higher, or a trump, if he wants to win the trick. If he chooses not to win the trick or holds no card which can do so, he may play any card from any suit he pleases.

In the event of an identical card being played it is the lead card which always wins. The winning trick is then placed, face down, next to the victor. These cards play no further part in the round except to count up brisques at the end. The winner of this first trick can then make a declaration 5 if he has one, by laying the appropriate cards face up on the table in front of him and stating the name of the meld. Both players then draw another card from the stock, the winner of the previous trick always drawing first and leading to the next. Play continues in this fashion until the stock is exhausted. Any player who holds or picks up the seven of trumps may exchange it for the trump card lying face-up next to the stock and score ten points for the privilege. This counts as a declaration and can only take place after winning a trick. The second seven of trumps does not count as a declaration and can be shown as soon as it is drawn or played to a trick, still scoring ten points for the holder. The winner of the final trick takes the last stock card and the loser takes the exposed trump card. No further declarations are allowed and the game enters stage two.

The Play-off - Stage Two The winner of the last trick in stage one now leads. His opponent must follow suit, must win a trick if he can and must trump if he can't. Play continues until all the cards have been used and are piled face-down next to each player. The winner of the last trick scores ten points. Players then look at their winning trick cards and count up the number of tens and aces, scoring ten points for each, the winner of the last trick adding them first. The winner is the first player to reach either 1,000 or 2,000 points depending on the target agreed at the start of the game. Three-Handed Bezique Specifically added to facilitate the game for three players who each play independently from each other, the three-handed version follows the same rules as for the two-handed version but uses 96 cards or three Piquet decks. The addition of more cards opens up the possibility of Triple versions of the standard scoring system, so the scores are tripled accordingly. A Triple Bezique, for example, is worth 1500 points. The usual target for winning the game is increased to 3000 points.

Rubicon Bezique A game for two players. Differences from the standard game: There is only one deal. The winner is the player with the highest score and gains 500 points plus the difference between his and the losers score. Any fractions of 100 points are generally ignored. Rubicon is achieved if the loser fails to make 1000 points by the end of the round. In this instance the winner is awarded 1000 points plus the sum of both scores, plus 320 points even if he, himself, has also not scored 1000 or over. The deck consists of four Piquet decks or 128 cards. The deal is of nine cards, dealt in packets of three. Trumps are established only when a player declares either a marriage or a sequence. The first stock card is not exposed and the seven of trumps has no value. Cards may be re-used to form a further meld. If four Kings have been declared and a player draws another king of any suit, he may use this card to form another four Kings declaration. Two marriages of the same suit may also be re-arranged to form two more marriages.

Play is the same as for standard Bezique except that winning the last trick counts as 50 points. Scoring is still maintained as for the standard game with these exceptions: Carte Blanche can be declared when a player holds a hand with no court card 6 . It can continue to be declared for each successive draw afterwards if the player still holds no court card. Carte Blanche is valued at 50 points for each declaration. Ordinary Sequence: 150 points. Triple Bezique: 1500 points. Quadruple Bezique: 4500 points. Brisques are only counted at the end in the event of a tie or if the loser is in danger of being 'rubiconed'. In this instance both players count their Brisques. Six-Deck Bezique This is a variation of Rubicon Bezique and is often called Chinese Bezique. The main differences from the standard Rubicon Bezique are as follows: In this game the winner scores 1000 points. Rubicon is worth 3000 points and Carte Blanche is worth 250 points. The deck consists of six Piquet decks or 192 cards.

The deal is of 12 cards, dealt in packets of three. Play is the same as for Rubicon Bezique except that winning the last trick counts as 250 points. Declarations are valued the same as in Rubicon Bezique, with the addition of special scores for melds in the trump suit only. Four Jacks: 400 points. Rubicon is achieved if a player fails to reach 5000 points. Four-Handed Bezique This is the partnership version of Rubicon Bezique. The Deck: Six Piquet decks or 192 cards. The Deal: Nine cards, dealt in packets of three, the player to the left of the dealer leading to the first trick. Declarations: These are made either by the player who wins the trick or he can nominate his partner to do so. A player can use his own cards and those of his partner to form a meld, provided that his partner's cards have already been exposed in a declaration. Scoring is as for the standard Rubicon Bezique game with the following exceptions and additions: Double Carte Blanche: If both players of a partnership declare a Carte Blanche they score 500 points.

Any Four Jacks 7 : 400 points. Any Four Queens: 600 points. Any Four Kings: 800 points. Any Four 1's's: 900 points. Any Four Aces: 1000 points. Quintuple Bezique: 13,500 points. Sextuple Bezique: 40,500 points. Tips on playing Bezique As with any card game, winning depends mostly on the luck of the deal and draw. You can, however, increase your chances of winning by a few simple tricks. If you are holding the seven of trumps it is wise to try and play a trick-winning card straight away if the exposed trump card is higher than nine. Play lead cards wisely. Use the highest expendable card you hold, especially in the game version which insists on each player winning three tricks before being allowed to declare. The longer you stop your opponent from winning his three tricks the better chance you have of forcing him to discard cards which could make a meld. Keep a careful eye on what cards your opponent plays as well as what he declares.

It is no good collecting for a Double Bezique if he has already used one Jack of Diamonds in the centre play-off section of the game. Be aware of how many cards are remaining in the stockpile. Making a declaration of a Royal Marriage followed by a Royal Sequence may keep your opponent guessing as to whether you are holding the latter, but won't help if you cannot win a trick before the stockpile runs out, thus losing the ability to declare it! Remember, once the final card of the stock has been drawn no further declarations may be made If you have a good memory, take note of how many cards of each suit and number have ended up in the tricks which are no longer in play. Watch the trend of suits your opponent plays to the centre... it may give you an idea of what he is collecting and what he hopes to declare. If you suspect that a Double Bezique or Royal Sequence is imminent it is better to sacrifice your own lower melds in order to stop him winning a trick than to stubbornly hold on to poor scores. It is to your advantage to not reveal to your opponent that you hold cards you suspect he needs.

If he has already declared a Bezique with one Jack of Diamonds and Four Jacks with another and if you keep the Queen of Spades, which you hold, hidden from him, he will continue to retain both Jacks and his Queen in the hope of forming a Double Bezique. Once he knows that you have the other Queen he is free to use them in tricks and start a different collection. Never forget that the ten beats all cards except the Ace! If you are playing the standard game check all declarations carefully to make sure that all prials of four are composed with cards of differing suits. Play the endgame very carefully. Start by leading Aces and 10s if you are sure that he holds at least one card of that suit valued lower. If you hold plenty of trump cards play them next to 'draw out' his own trumps and any Brisques. If you suspect that he holds the Ace or Aces of trumps, use the ten or tens of trumps you have to over-trump suits for which you hold no other cards. There is nothing worse than losing your ten of trumps to the Ace in the final trick thus losing twenty points and possibly the game!

Relevant Links A shareware computer version of Bezique can be found at Card Parade 1 Except in some variations of the game. 2 Collections of three or more cards are called 'prials'. 3 Not accepted in all variations of the game. 4 Very hard to find now. 5 Some versions insist that declarations can only be made after a player has won three tricks. 6 The ten being allowed. 7 It is not necessary to hold one of each suit.

Question: Bezique is a card game for how many players?
Answer: Two