Tichu

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Tichu
Game data
author Urs Hostettler
graphic Res Brandenberger
publishing company Mirage ,
Abacusspiele ,
Rio Grande Games ,
999 Games ,
u. a.
Publishing year 1991
Art Card game
Teammates 4 (2 against 2)
Duration 5 minutes (game: 90 minutes)
Age from 10 years on

Awards

à la carte card game award 1992: 3rd place
Dutch game award 2006: nominated

Tichu [ ˈtiçʊ ] is a card game in which four players play in pairs "crosswise" with each other. In a table game, which always consists of several individual games, the opponents try to capture the most valuable cards possible in their tricks and through successful game announcements - in which the aim is to be the first to get rid of all of your cards - to achieve the game goal of 1000 points before the opposing party.

origin

Tichu was created by Urs Hostettler and published in 1991 by Fata Morgana Spieleverlag in Switzerland . Tichu has similarities with the climbing games family such as Zheng Fen, Zheng Shangyou or Choh Dai Di, which are particularly widespread in East Asian countries , but differs from them through typical Tichu elements such as “shoving” or the dog. If you want to believe the humorous rules of the game , then Tichu is a local variant played in the Nanjing area .

Games like Tichu are played in China with a normal French hand (52 cards: 2 to 10, jack , queen , king , ace in four suits). For the edition available here, Fata-Morgana-Verlag had new cards designed with Chinese motifs. In the course of these changes, other typical properties fell by the wayside: While in Chinese games the 2 is usually the highest card, the order of the cards was changed according to European customs with the 2 as the lowest and the ace as the highest card, and probably for those in the original game the special functions assigned to the three (or the jokers?) four additional special cards (dragon, phoenix, dog and mah jong) have been introduced so that the game known here now consists of 56 cards. The point values ​​assigned to the cards and typical for this family of games were retained: 10 points each for 10s and kings, and 5 points each for the 5s - a total of 100 points in the game.

A running gag of the original rules of the game arises from the uncertainty about the correct designation of Tichu players ("Tichant"? "Tichurent"?). From this joke the custom developed to let the winner of the German championship in Würzburg define a term that was binding for the period of his championship every year.

The word "Tichu" is probably not the Chinese name of the game, but only the approximate onomatopoeic rendering of a word that strikes a foreign viewer again and again - just as "Solo" is often said as "Schafkopf" in a Schafkopf group . It could come from "Di Huo", which also describes a particularly favorable game situation in the game Mah-Jongg .

The game

Handing out the cards

Whoever won the previous game (that is, who was the first to get rid of all cards - which does not necessarily mean scoring the most points) shuffles the cards, lets cut and places the deck of cards in the middle. Starting with the shuffler, the players take turns drawing cards one by one until the pile is used up and each player has 14 cards in hand. The game and also the draw run counter- clockwise - this is where the Swiss and Chinese customs differ from the German ones.

The "Schupfen"

Then each player swaps a card with each other: You choose a card for each of the three players and place them face down on the table in front of you. When each player has three cards in front of them, they swap: The middle card goes to the partner, the two outer cards to the left or right opponent. It is customary to give your partner a good card and a bad one at each other. You don't have to hand over the best card or the worst cards in your hand, the choice is entirely up to the player. Normally, however, you give the opponent an even number on the right and an odd number for the opponent on the left to keep the risk of a bomb down.

The first lead

Whoever holds the special card with the 1 (“Mah Jong”) in his hand after shoving has the first right to play. And whoever has the right to play in the course of the game may not only play a single card, but several at the same time - provided that these form a permitted combination. Mah Jong is usually played right at the beginning; but this is not mandatory.

Allowed combinations

These are the possible combinations:

Surname description example
Single ticket Each card can be played individually 5
pair Two cards of the same rank 8-8
Triplet Three cards of the same rank KKK
Full house Couple and triplet, played out together. When stinging, only the height of the treble is relevant 3-3-8-8-8
stairway Any number of consecutive pairs 6-6-7-7-8-8
Street At least five consecutive cards of any suit. 7-8-9-10-JQ
4 bomb Four cards of the same value (maximum number) KKKK
Street bomb Street (at least 5 in length) in the same color 4-5-6-7-8 (all red)

Process of a single stitch

Only the person playing the trick can choose what kind of combination he wants to play. All subsequent players in turn can either stick or pass with a similar but higher combination. "Similar" includes the number of cards for stairs and streets - so you can never stab a pair with three of a kind, any more than a street of length 7 can be stabbed with a street of length 8.

In contrast to most of the games played in this country, the trick is not decided after everyone has had a turn, but only when nobody wants to overstitch. So it is possible that everyone has a turn several times, and whoever has passed once can still pierce the same trick later.

If all other players have passed in turn, then the player who placed the last (and thus the highest value) combination takes the complete trick (the team's tricks are not thrown together yet) and play again. If he has no more cards, the passing right passes to the next player (i.e. the one on his right).

Why you want to be first

A single game ends as soon as the third player has discarded his last card. The last stitch will automatically go to him - even if the last one could overstitch. The last player then gives all his tricks to the first for settlement purposes, and all his hand cards to the opponents.

Whoever comes first can (if one of the opponents is last) gain points for his team or at least (if his partner is last) prevent the loss of points to the opposing team.

If you announce in good time that you want to be first, you can also win extra points for your team:

The game announcement

The game announcement is called "Tichu" like the game itself. Announcing a Tichu means that you want to be the first to get rid of all cards. This announcement is always personal: It applies not only when one of the opponents is lost first, but also when it is your own partner. A won Tichu gives the team of the announcer 100 additional points as a bonus, a lost one is punished with 100 minus points.

A game announcement is possible at the latest when you play your first card - if you only pass beforehand, it can sometimes be very late in the game. While the cards are being dealt - as long as you don't have more than 8 cards in your hand - you can even say a “Big Tichu”, which puts 200 points at stake. Such an announcement makes sense if either the first eight cards are particularly good or your own team is far behind.

Why you want to finish second

If the two players on a team are first and second, this game ends immediately. There is no counting of the points in the tricks, and the successful team receives 200 points for this “double victory”. The highest possible number of points in a game is 400 points: Big Tichu and double victory.

If you finish second, you get a lot of points for your team (if your partner was first) or prevent (if an opponent was first) a double victory for your opponents.

Why you want to be third

After all, the third player does not lose his own tricks on the first one (see above). He also fetches the remaining cards from the last person's hand for settlement in his own team.

Why you want to be last

The last loses his tricks to the first, so if you yourself have minus points in the tricks received (due to the phoenix, see below), it can make sense to purposely end up last in order to be able to give these points to the opponent. It should be noted that the last one must hand over all of his hand cards to the opponent.

Bombs

Bombs are particularly rare combinations - four cards of the same height or streets of cards of the same color - for which special rules apply: They stab every other combination (e.g. also an otherwise unstechable pair of aces), they can only outbid with higher bombs (the number of cards counts first, if the number is the same, the highest card), and they can be played out of turn - if you want to throw a bomb, you can call "stop" at any time to interrupt the current trick. Bombs cannot take away a fellow player's right to play.

The special cards

The special cards (clockwise from top left: Mah Jong, dog, dragon, phoenix)
Mah Jong The Mah Jong (hemp sparrow, named after the bird shown on the card) is the only one that occurs (the aces are high), the lowest card in the game. It can be built into a street as a 1, otherwise it can only be played as a single card. Its owner has the first pass right and can ask for a card value (2 to Ace, no special card). The player who is the first in the order of play to play a card of the desired value in accordance with the rules must play it - even if this weakens his hand. If the desired card is part of a bomb and cannot be played in any other combination, then the bomb must be played without any problems - but only when it is the player's turn.
dog The dog can never be played in a trick that is already in progress, but only when you have the right to pass. By playing the dog, you hand over the pass right to your partner. If this is already done, the pass right continues in the direction of play. This transfer of the allusion right cannot be bombed.
Dragon The dragon is the tallest card in existence. It can only be played as a single card, tricks every other single card and can only be outbid by bombs.

It is the second most important card in the game and is often crucial for reaching first place. However, this advantage is compensated for: The dragon counts 25 points in the settlement and - if it is not bombed - must be given away to one of the opponents with all cards in the trick. Cleverly, you naturally try to hit the weaker of the opponents - if this is actually the last, these points will be returned to your own team during the settlement.

Phoenix The phoenix (also called pheasant or turkey) is the only joker in the game and as such can replace any missing card in combinations; but it does not replace a special card, and it cannot be built into bombs.

Played as a single card, it is always 0.5 higher than the last card placed - so lying on a 7 it can be stabbed by an 8 and it can even outbid an ace. He stays under the dragon, but his flexibility makes him the most important card in the game, which often decides who will finish first. In order to compensate for this advantage, it counts minus 25 points in the settlement. If it is played as a single card in the face-off, it counts 1.5, so it cannot be beaten by Mah Jong.

variants

Tichu Nanjing

Tichu Nanjing is not a variant, but the game itself discussed in this article. The addition "Nanjing" is used to distinguish it from other variants.

Tichu Tientsin and Grand Seigneur

Tichu Tientsin and Grandseigneur are the game variants mentioned in the official rules. Tichu Tientsin is the same game, adapted for 2 teams of 3 players; Grandseigneur is a climbing game that uses combinations and special cards from Tichu. Both variants are practically meaningless. The Asian Zheng Shangyou (Chinese for fighting against the current ) is similar to the Grand Seigneur. Gang of Four is more widespread in France , and a greatly simplified variant of this game principle is circulating in Europe under names such as " Asshole " or "The last one is always the ass" or - as commercial versions - " Career Poker " and " The Great Dalmuti " .

Trichu

Trichu is an early three-player variation that has since been included in the official rules.

Chaos Tichu

A fun variant that is widespread online, in which both teams have to say a big tichu in every game. The players of each team may agree on this in brief words and without giving specific information about their hand.

Tournament variants

In tournaments every player should be able to play against as many others as possible. In order to achieve this, the 1000-point target is often dropped and alternative ratings are introduced, e.g. B. ends each round after four games and the pairings then change again.

At the German team championship in the board game, an alternative counting variant of victory points was used, which emphasizes the success of scoring more points than the opponent. The tichu points only served as a tiebreaker.

DTM - German Tichu Championships

Overview of the German championships. The DTM started in 1994 under the direction of Claudio Maniglio. It has been held in Würzburg since 1999, initially under the direction of André Maack, and since 2003 the DTM has been organized by the ATP (Association of Tichu Players). The victory points (VP) are distributed as follows:

  • 3 VP for team with a double victory
  • 2 VP for a team with more Tichu points
  • 1 VP for both teams in the event of a tie
  • 0 VP for teams with fewer Tichu points
year place Attendees German master Hometown SP TP Name of the Tichu player
1994 Dortmund 024 Jochen Maas Dortmund Tichuant
1995 Ingo Poen Ilsfeld Tichuchen
1996 Götz Glowatzki Cheeks Tichu cheeks
1997 101 Urs Hostettler SwitzerlandSwitzerland Bern 41 2070 Tichuolas
1998 107 Dominik Auer Wurzburg 43 2870 Tichupaths
1999 Wurzburg 134 Katharina Leuchs Wurzburg 42 2110 Tichurinas
2000 131 Kerstin Knepper Ruhrpott 42 1750 Tichombies
2001 108 Thorsten Segner Wurzburg 39 2110 Tichupotter
2002 069 Stephanie Deiss Nuremberg 42 2620 Tichumächd
2003 089 Thomas Burger Munich 42 2215 Tichulogen
2004 095 Alexander Kost Idar-Oberstein 42 2505 Tichunese
2005 123 Harald Reitberger Nuremberg 42 1975 Tichuhoffs
2006 145 Thomas Burger Munich 38 2470 Tichulino
2007 120 Karoline Mair Munich 43 2505 Tichu dogs
2008 109 Ralph Querfurth Effeltrich 43 2025 Tichuphile
2009 120 Jana Schäfer Leipzig 40 2420 Table cucumbers
2010 128 Dominik Auer Wurzburg 46 2150 Tichurinhas
2011 086 Tim Lasermann Nuremberg 42 2870 Tichunators
2012 076 Stefan Zengler Wurzburg 38 2180 Tichuzanken
2013 102 Karsten Lenuweit Stuttgart 42 2805 Tichumaniacs
2014 Jürgen Herzing Wurzburg
2015 Wurzburg 38 Tichulenen
2016 094 Daniel Jüling Alsdorf 38 2055 Tichu princes & Tichu princes
2017 088 Detlev Ebert Dusseldorf 41 Phoedras (Phoenix and Dragon)
2018 071 Tim Lasermann Munich 46 2460
2019 060 Daniel Jüling Alsdorf 38 Tichu princes & Tichu princes

Tichu on the computer

The online game of the board game world

The online gaming platform Brettspielwelt has contributed significantly to the spread of Tichu in Germany in recent years. Tichu has been one of the BSW's most popular games for over five years; online tournaments in the form of leagues and championships take place regularly. For those interested there is the possibility to log games played and to view and analyze them using various so-called logging tools.

The online game on Gravon

Gravon is another online platform where you can play Tichu for free. The user interface on Gravon is a little easier to use for beginners. You can also play the variant Trichu here.

Tichu against the computer

Apps have been released for the iPhone, iPod Touch and Android with which you can play Tichu against the computer.

glossary

  • A dropout is an uncovered combination, with whose pass one is likely to give up control of the game to the opponent.
  • Blind wish , wish for amok : Wanting a small card in the hope that this wish will produce many individual cards for the opponent without knowing whether the player has this card, so you didn't snuff it yourself. If the card is not available, there is a risk that you could harm your partner.
  • Bombproof refers to a style of play, usually when an announcement is made, that tries to minimize the risk of being damaged by enemy bombs and for that sacrifices other advantages (points, chance of a double win, etc.).
  • What a bombshell weather / mood , a game where more than one bomb is played.
  • One: another name for mah jongg.
  • An insertion is a low, but rare combination (for example: 3 or more ascending pairs) that you allude in the expectation that no one can outbid it, so you retain the allusion right.
  • Carry through: A game tactic in which the stronger one holds back and tries to strengthen the weaker partner and only intervenes when the opponent does not let the partner have their way. After a lost announcement, this tactic is often recommended in order to save at least as many card points as possible.
  • Beginners: A high, dominant combination with which you can gain control of the game if you have a suitable template. Those who count well usually know which single cards, pairs or triplets are currently dominant, but with other combinations you have to rely on your feelings.
  • Cowardice is an accusation often heard by the losing party after someone came first without saying anything.
  • Covered is a low combination that can be backed off with a similar dominant combination.
  • A compact sheet consists of only a few combinations and in particular hardly contains any individual cards. With such a hand you can lead the game, even if you have only a few beginners, but without dominant cards you can easily end up last, as you can seldom play cards.
  • A match ball is a game in which you have the chance to reach 1000 points. If the distance is high enough (e.g. 550: 950), "two match balls" or more.
  • What a grandma , true to the motto that my grandma would have won too.
  • A point game is a game without any announcements. Since the aim is not to secure or prevent a win bonus, the game tactics then concentrate more on conquering the valuable cards.
  • Pushing, pushing : another expression for pushing .
  • A silent tichu is a hand that has a high probability of only going first if you do not announce it. There is of course no bonus for that.
  • Insurance or airbag : a dog pushed to your partner with whom you dare to announce, although you probably don't have enough beginners yourself.
  • Birds is mostly used as a term for dragon and phoenix ("both birds", also: "large animals"); "All birds", "zoo" or "all critters" represent all four special cards.
  • Wuff, Wauzi, Mutt and many other names stand for the dog.

Web links

Commons : Tichu  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ From the life of a game inventor | Urs Hostettler | TEDxBern on YouTube (at 5:20 minutes) from August 31, 2018, accessed on August 10, 2020.
  2. ↑ Zheng Fen , pagat.com, accessed on August 10, 2020 (English).
  3. ↑ Zheng Shangyou , pagat.com, accessed on August 10, 2020 (English).
  4. ↑ Big Two , pagat.com, accessed on August 10, 2020.