Chinchón

Spain

The Spanish forty-card pack, seven cards, and a run of all seven wins the whole match.

Play Chinchón onlineFree, no account needed. The table starts from exactly the rules on this page, and the host can change any of them to match how your family plays.

How to play

The idea

Work your hand into sets and runs. Nothing goes on the table while the hand runs, so the race is to have as little left over as possible — and to end it before anyone else does. The match ends when somebody reaches 100. A low score is a good score.

Melds

There are only two kinds, and both need at least three cards.

  • Set — the same rank in different suits, like 7♠ 7♥ 7♦. Four at most, since there are only four suits, and two identical cards never count.
  • Run — a sequence in one suit, like 5♥ 6♥ 7♥. The ace is low, so A-2-3 is a run and Q-K-A is not, and a run may not turn the corner.

A set is not a run. Three sevens are a set however you look at them.

The deal

One deck — 42 cards, including 2 jokers. The player to the dealer’s right cuts, choosing how far down to take it. Everyone gets 7 cards.

Your turn

  1. Draw one card — from the face-down stock, or the top of the discard pile. Click the stock to draw.
  2. Discard one card to end your turn. Drag it onto the discard pile, or select it and press Discard.

The first time you draw in a hand you may take the top discard and simply keep it.

Knocking

Nothing is laid down during the hand. Once the cards you are left with — everything not in a set or a run — come to 5 or less, you may knock instead of discarding. That ends the hand, and the hands are compared.

Jokers

A joker stands in for any card, 1 per meld at most.

Left in your hand at the end, a joker costs you 25 points — the most expensive card in the game.

Going out and scoring

You go out by getting rid of everything, finishing with a discard.

Everyone else counts what is left in their hand: pip value for the numbers, 10 for a picture card, 1 for an ace, 25 for a joker.

The rules in full

Chinchón Spain

Cards

  • 7 cards each.
  • One Spanish 40-card pack — 42 cards, 2 of them jokers. No 8s, 9s or 10s, so a run reads 7-J-Q-K.
  • Aces are low only — no Q-K-A. Worth 1.
  • A joker left in hand costs 25.

Melds

  • Sets and runs, 3 cards at least.
  • At most one wild card in any meld.

Playing

  • Nothing goes on the table; hands stay hidden until somebody knocks.
  • Only the top card of the discard pile.
  • Your first pick from the pile each hand is free to keep.

Finishing and scoring

  • Knock to end the hand on 5 points or less of unmatched cards.
  • One run using your whole hand wins the match outright.
  • Knocking with nothing unmatched is worth -10.
  • What you are caught holding counts against you.
  • The match ends when somebody reaches 100.
  • The lowest total wins.

Other ways to play