Briscola Chiamata♠

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Five players and a hidden alliance

Briscola Chiamata is an Italian called-card game: the holder helps the caller while initially remaining unknown. We select Pagat’s basic card-rank auction, rather than separate chiamata al buio systems or auctions starting with point targets. There is no obligation to follow suit.

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Pack and deal

Exactly 5 play. Use 40 cards: A,3,K,Q,J,7,6,5,4,2 in each suit, also their descending order; Q represents the Italian horse. Values are A=11, 3=10, K=4, Q=3, J=2, others=0, totalling 120. Dealer shuffles and left neighbour cuts. Deal anticlockwise from dealer’s right, 4 cards twice: 8 each, no stock. Deal passes right.

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Auction and call

Dealer’s right speaks first, then anticlockwise. Name a rank without suit, or pass. Each new rank must be lower in playing order: A,3,K,Q,J,7,6,5,4,2. Passing is permanent. Once one remains, that player names trumps and calls the last-bid rank in that suit. Its holder is the secret partner; calling your own card makes a solo against 4.

At 2, another player may bid 2 with a target above 61 points; further targets must strictly rise, up to 120. Without such an increase the target is 61. If the winner holds the 2 of the chosen trump suit, they may instead call their lowest missing trump, not an arbitrary different card. Our explicit all-pass agreement is a scoreless redeal by the same dealer.

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Unrestricted card play

Dealer’s right always leads first, not necessarily the auction winner. Each in turn plays any card: following, trumping and overtaking are never compulsory. Highest trump wins; without trumps, highest of the led suit wins. Winner collects the 5 cards and leads next. Play 8 tricks without drawing. The called card identifies the partner when played. Do not expose other cards, coach your partner or announce the alliance early.

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Scoring and session end

Add the caller’s and partner’s captured points. Reaching the target exactly succeeds; less fails. Unit u depends on target: 61–70 → 1; 71–80 → 2; 81–90 → 3; 91–100 → 4; 101–120 → 5. Success gives caller 2u, partner u, and each defender loses u; failure reverses every sign. In a solo the caller gains or loses 4u and each other player the opposite u. If either side takes all 8 tricks, double the settlement; 120 points without every trick do not earn this bonus. Our teaching session lasts 10 scored deals, starting at 0. Highest individual total wins; equal totals remain tied.

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Revealed partner, lost trick

A called 2♠, making spades trumps. In turn the cards are A♥,2♠,3♥,7♠,4♣. B’s 2♠ reveals B as A’s partner, but D captures with higher 7♠. The trick contains 11+0+10+0+0=21 points. All discards are legal, even with hearts held. If the final target was 80 and the alliance captured 82, u=2: A gains 4, B gains 2, others −2 each. Changes sum to 0.

← On a small screen, scroll the diagram horizontally. →

Common questions