Partita for Three

 

 

This is a simple variation on the regular game of Partita but worth knowing if you’re short a player.

 

 

Cards

 

The game uses a reduced pack of 54 cards with irrational ranking, traditionally Piedmontese cards, so your pack will consist of:

 

The Fool, I-XXI of trumps, and then in the suits:

 

Spades & Clubs / Swords & Batons

King, Queen, Cavalier, Valet, 10, 9, 8, 7

 

Hearts & Diamonds / Cups & Coins

King, Queen, Cavalier, Valet, 1, 2, 3, 4

 

 

Fool, Pagat & Angel 4

Kings   4

Queens   3

Cavaliers  2

Valets   1

 

 

 

 

 

As with other Italian games, the Angel is the highest trump and honour. Like the old Bolognese cards, the II, III, IV, and V of trumps (the Female Pope, Empress, Emperor, and Pope) are all of equal rank. If more than one is played to the same trick, then the last to be played is considered to outrank the previous card.

 

 

Deal

 

The first Dealer is chosen at random with the deal moving to the right after each hand. Each player is dealt 17 cards with Dealer taking the last three and discarding three cards that will count towards Dealer’s tricks. Kings and Honours may not be discarded, trumps may only be discarded if there is no option and then they must be exposed to the other players.

 

 

Play

 

Dealer leads to the first trick, playing any card in his/her hand to the middle of the table. Each player in turn, moving to the right, must then play a card of the same suit (follow suit). If a player cannot follow suit, then they must play a trump, if they cannot play a trump, then they can play any card, though it will not win. If no trumps have been played, then the highest card of the suit led wins the trick and that player takes the cards and puts them into his/her trick pile. Otherwise, the highest trump played wins the trick.

 

The Fool may be played to any trick as an excuse for not playing a card you are otherwise obliged to play, but may be neither won nor lost – it is retained by the side that played it. Unlike other games, if the opposing side won the trick, no card is given in exchange.

 

 

There are three obligatory signals:

 

If leading from a long suit (strictly defined as four or more cards), then drag the edge of the card from your left to right before placing it on the trick.

 

If leading another card to a trick when the King is held in that suit, then a call of “King” must be made.

 

When leading to a trick with a regular suit that you believe the last player will trump, you must knock on the table with your fist.

 

 

Scores

 

The cards are counted individually, so that there are 104 points in the pack. Each game consists of three hands, at the end of each hand players score or lose a point for each card point over or below 34. At the end of a game, the player who has the lowest total pays a fixed stake to the other two players. This is a little unusual and it would not be unreasonable to assume that the stake would consist of the next round!

 

 

Going out early

 

This rule is played as standard but I’m tagging it at the end as an option because not everyone will play a game like this in a focussed manner. During the third hand of a game, players are expected to keep a mental not of the points they win trick by trick. When one of them reaches a total of 35 points for the game, then they declare that they are out. In reckoning the total, the Fool and Angel may be taken into account (as they will not be lost). The player continues to play but according to the following rules:

 

Whenever leading to a trick, the highest trump held must be played. If no trumps are held, then the highest card of any of the other suits must be led.

 

When playing to a trick, the player must play to win the trick with the highest card they have. If they cannot win the trick, then the lowest possible card must be played.

 

The Fool may not be played until the last trick.