Chinchon

The Spanish pack has 40 or 48 cards distributed in four suits: oros (golden coins), copas (glasses), espadas (swords) and bastos (sticks); the picture cards are sota (jack,10), caballo (horse,11), and rey (king,12). Most games are played with the 40 cards pack (pictures and cards from ace to seven), but some of them need also eights and nines.

Two or more players may take part individually at chinchon.

The version that we offer is valid for 2, 3 or 4 players

Objective

Before the start of the game players decide the score they must exceed to be eliminated of the game. Several dealings are played, as much as it is needed until one of the players eliminates all the opponents.

The goal in every dealing is to sum the possible minimum amount of points. Players must join groups of cards with the same picture or runs of cards of the same suit.

How the game goes on

Start

The first dealer is randomly selected.

Each player is dealt seven cards.

The first of the remaining cards is left face up on the table, next to the pack.

Playing the cards

Each turn starts by taking one card; the player may choose between two options: take the last card left face up (the first card left in the dealing, or the last card discarded by previous player), or take the top card of the pack (face down).

The second part of the turn entails in discarding from one of the 8 cards in the hand, that must be left face up on the top of the pile of discarded cards.

If the pack is emptied before the dealing is closed, thrown cards are shuffled and placed to continue.

Joining the cards

This is the order of the cards in order to join runs:

40 cards pack: ace(1), 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, sota(10), knight(11) and king(12)
40 cards pack: ace(1), 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, sota(10), knight(11) and king(12)

Players must link their cards, making groups of 3 cards (at least), according to one of these conditions:

Cards with the same index.
Run (cards of the same suit with consecutive indexes).

Jokers (if used, 2) may replace any card; it is forbidden to join a group with two jokers and another single card.

Close the dealing

The player who has linked his cards can close the dealing. At least six cards mus be joined (one group of six cards at least, or two groups of 3 or 4 cards); if all the seven cards are not used, the remaining card must have an index below 5.

The player who closes the dealing must leave the discarded card face down on the pile before showing the joined cards.

If you want to close, you have to click on the padlock before clicking on the card to throw.

It is not possible to close during the first turn.

If players are waiting for cards that remain in hands of opponents, the game could be very long; if so, the hand is closed automatically when the pack has been run out of cards four times.

Laying off

The player who has closed starts laying off; the other players will lay off their groups of cards according to the same order used to play the cards.

After laying off own cards, each player may place any remaining card in some other group layed off by other player. This can only be made if the player who closed the dealing used 6 cards, not if 7 cards were used.

If you use the option to perform automatically forced moves (), the program will place the cards choosing the option that gives you the best possible score, according to your own cards and the cards already placed on the table. This process is quick and efficient in most cases.
Anyway, you may do it by yourself because sometimes you could prefer to decide about cards that could help some other players or you want to keep them because you think there will be a better place for them in another group that has not been shown. In you do it by yourself:

Cards must be selected in the same order of the runs, one by one.
In order to skip to the next group, or finish with the groups and start placing cards out of your own groups, sometimes you will need to click on the icon placed in the right corner ().
Whenever you select one card that can be put in different places, it remains selected, and you have to click on the card that will be next to it.

Scoring

The player who closes the hand gets a negative score if all the cards were linked, according to the following rules:

Two groups of cards (4 and 3): -10 points.
Run of seven cards, with two jokers: -25 points.
Run of seven cards, with one joker: -50 points.
Run of seven cards, without any joker (chinchon): wins the game.

When all the possible cards are placed, players sum the total amount of points of the cards left in thier hands, and the amount is added in the overall score.

Eliminations and returns

Players are eliminated when they exceed the score agreed before the start of the game, but there is also the option to return if it is allowed (if so, there is a maximum number of returns for each player). The player who returns takes the highest score between players who still remain below the elimination limit score.

If only one player remain below this limit after the dealing, the game finishes even if some of the other players have not used all their returns.

It is not possible to close the dealing keeping one card that leaves the player exceeding the limit score of the game.

There is not return option when only tow players take part in the game.

End of the game

The winner is the player who eliminates all the opponents.

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