Chouine♠

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Cards and deal

For 2 players use 32 cards, ranked A, 10, K, Q, J, 9, 8, 7. Values are respectively 11, 10, 4, 3, 2, 0, 0, 0. Each draws a card; the lower rank deals first, recutting ties. Shuffle, let the opponent cut, then deal 5 each singly, opponent first. Expose the next card as trump and place the other 21 face down across it. The indicator belongs to the drawing stock, not to either player. Alternate dealers after decisive deals.

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The open stock and the ending

Non-dealer leads any card. While stock remains, the response is completely free. Highest of the led suit wins unless trumped; a card of another ordinary suit cannot win. Winner stores the trick, draws first, loser draws next, and winner leads again. After the 11 th trick the winner takes the last hidden card and the loser the indicator.

For the final 5 tricks, follow suit if possible. On a trump lead, overtake if able. Void in a plain suit, trump if possible; otherwise discard freely. There is no duty to overtake in a plain suit. Winner leads next. You may inspect your own tricks and only the opponent’s most recent trick.

The holder of 7 of trump may exchange it for the indicator without winning a trick or scoring a bonus. Do so before the lead to the 11 th trick. At that final opportunity, the leader calls “au sept” if an exchange is still possible, reminding the opponent.

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Announcements and an instant win

A same-suit K–Q marriage scores 20, or 40 in trump. K–Q–J tierce scores 30, or 60 in trump. A–K–Q–J quateron scores 40, or 80 in trump. A quinte of any 5 brisques, meaning aces or tens, scores 50 in the selected local code. A same-suit A–10–K–Q–J is a chouine and wins the deal outright.

Either player declares while playing a card from the held combination; show the remaining cards after the trick. Winning that trick is unnecessary. Do not declare using captured cards. Cards not played stay in hand. Only a single suit-combination can be declared for each suit in a deal, and only a single quinte: do not score marriage after tierce in the same suit or replace a brisque to claim quinte again. A surviving card may later serve in quinte after a suit declaration. Announcements remain possible after the stock empties.

If both announce chouine in the same trick, a trump chouine wins; otherwise the leader’s declaration wins. Resolve both declarations before awarding the deal. No card-point calculation is needed for a valid chouine.

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Score, ties and the match

Otherwise play every card, add captured values and 10 for the last trick, making 130 card points overall, then add valid announcements. Higher total wins the deal. At equality, neither wins; the same dealer redeals. First to win 3 decisive deals wins our manche. Card points do not carry between deals; only deal victories count towards the match.

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Points can reverse a trick advantage

After a completed deal, Alice has 70 from cards and the last-trick bonus, Bob 60. Alice declared an ordinary marriage for 20; Bob a trump marriage for 40. Final scores are 90 and 100, so Bob wins the deal despite taking fewer card points. A trump tierce would instead be worth 60, not an additional marriage and tierce together.

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

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Local sources and variants

Chouine belongs to the Loir Valley card-playing tradition. Proust’s rules were published by the association preserving Lavardin castle; Pagat credits later clarification by a Lavardin player. The local sheet attributes an early origin, but does not supply dated evidence establishing an exact invention year, so none is asserted here. Its quinte value differs from the later Pagat profile. Three-player, four-player and Mondoubleau games also change the deal or trump creation and require separate rules.

Common questions