Tichu
Tichu – Review
The Tichu card game was published in 1991 and is designed by Urs Hostettler. It’s a trick-taking, race game where the goal is to get rid of your cards before your opponents!
Click to buy Tichu on Amazon
Tichu:
- Designed by: Urs Hostettler
- Published by: Rio Grande Games
- Number of players: 3-6
- Playing time: 60 minutes
- Player ages: 12+
Tichu – A Quick Overview
In Tichu, there are rules for 3-6 players but it is best to play with 4. The four-player version of the game pits two teams of two players in a race to get rid of their hand of cards by playing tricks.
The winners are determined by the values of the cards won in tricks. A typical game will continue until the first team scores 1000 points or more.
Tichu – Game Play
Tichu uses a deck of cards (four suits) with four special cards (Dragon, Phoenix, Dog and Mahjong) for a total of 56 cards. All 56 dealt out to each player; in a 4 player game, each player will get 14 cards.
Players then must give 1 card to each of the other 3 players and then the game begins.
The player with the Mahjong card leads with the first trick and can play from any of the following combinations:
- Single card
- Pair
- Consecutive pairs
- Three of a kind
- Full house
- Straight of 5+ cards
Click here to buy Tichu Board Game on Amazon.
Play is done in (counter)clockwise fashion with each player trying to match the number of cards played (instead of the suit).
The goal of Tichu is to go out first and then have your partner go out after you. These combinations are what score points.
Each hand of Tichu is worth 100 points. Each “10″ and King is worth 10 points for a total of 80. Each “5″ is worth 5 points.
Unlike other trick-taking games, in Tichu, the round is over if there is one player with cards left in their hand. This player then must give all cards in hand to the opposing team and give all won tricks to the player who went out first.
The special cards, Dragon, Phoenix, Dog and Mahjong and the calling of “Grand Tichu” and “Tichu” are what give this game that bit of oomph! The “Tichus” are the most potent way to gain points; but if you fail to make Tichu, it becomes the most poten way to lose points!
This makes play very exciting and builds tension!
Tichu – Summary
Click here to buy Tichu Board Game from Amazon.
The Tichu card game is a fun game and is very portable. It can be played anywhere and can be taught easily. As far as strategy is concerned, it is probably more suitable for a slightly older age group but I have still had great success with kids as young as 9 or 10 years old.
Tichu is about team-play and the partnership aspect is very appealing to kids. And if you have an excellent partner, you can easily gain 200+ points per round.
Happy gaming from a Tichu board game enthusiast 