Rio Grande GamesTichu

Tichu is one of the earliest examples of “climbing” games to reach the West.  Climbing games — which are arguably a subset of trick-taking games, and at a minimum appear to be derived from them — generally have a few common elements.

Each player must play a higher card (or combination of cards) than the previous player.  This means that the games must generally be played with ranked cards. Players are generally not required to play a card — they can pass — and the “trick” ends once all of the other players have passed or once no higher card can be played

There is generally a scoring bonus for getting rid of your cards early, and the earlier you go out, the higher your mock social status. The first team to 1,000 points wins.

It has a medium learning curveNumber of players : 3 - 10

• Playing time : 30 - 45 minutes

Recommended age 10+