Tëtka (Tyotka)

4 players, 52 cards

Compendium games of the Hearts family often include a deal

that incorporates in one go all the penalty features of the
preceding deals. Tetka is Russian for ‘Auntie’, and refers to
the undesired Queen.

Source: Mike Arnautov.

Preliminaries
Four players use 52 cards, ranking AKQJT98765432.

Play to the left.

A game is any agreed multiple of four deals.

Deal
Deal thirteen each in ones and reveal the last card before
adding it to the dealer's hand. This is the bum card, its suit
is the bum suit for that deal, and its rank is the bum rank.

Object To avoid incurring any of the following nine penalties:

1. Taking a Queen in a trick (1 penalty each = 4).

2. An extra penalty for taking the Queen of the bum suit

(‘Tetka’).

3. Taking the bum card in a trick.

4. Winning the ‘bumth’ trick (i.e. the first if the bum card
an Ace, the second if a Two, and so on).

5. Winning the last trick. (If the bum card is a King, this is
also the bumth trick, and so counts 2 penalties.)

6. Winning the greatest number of tricks. (Tie-break by the

greatest number of cards of the bum suit, or, if still tied,
the highest-ranking card ofthat suit.)

Play
Eldest leads. Players must follow suit if possible, otherwise
may play any card. The trick is taken by the highest card of
the suit led, and the winner of each trick leads to the next.
There are no trumps.
Score
One penalty point per penalty incurred. Note that several
penalties may fall to the same trick. To take the most extreme
and unlikely example, if a Queen is the bum card, and a player
leads a Queen at trick 12, and everyone discards a Queen
because unable to follow suit, the total number of penalties
in that trick will be seven: 2 for Auntie, 1 for each other
Queen, 1 for taking the bum card, and 1 for the bumth trick.