NUMBER OF PLAYERS: Four (two teams of two)

AGE APPROPRIATE: 10 to adult

THE DECK: Universal Card Deck – all 60 cards

RANK OF CARDS: Galaxy (high), Sun, Moon, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

VALUE OF CARDS: Galaxy, Sun, and Moon cards are valued at ten points each. The other cards have the same value as their number; e.g., a number 7 card is worth seven points, a number 3 card is worth three points.

RANK OF SUITS: The suits are not ranked in this game. Each suit is equal.

THE SHUFFLE AND CUT: Draw or cut for deal; high suit deals – E (high), J, M, N, S, V. If any players draw or cut the same highest suit, the card rankings go into effect. Dealer shuffles. The player at dealer’s right cuts the deck.

THE DEAL AND SETUP: 28 cards are dealt face down, one at a time. Each player receives 7 cards. Deal and play are clockwise. With the remaining 32 cards the dealer forms a square in the center of the playing area by making four stacks of cards on each side of the square (see Diagram 1). Each stack gets two cards, one face down and the other face up on top of the stack. The row of four stacks closest to each player becomes that player’s board. The players opposite each other are a team, and their boards together are referred to as their team board. The deal rotates each hand.

OBJECT OF PLAY: For each team to turn over all down cards and play all cards out of hand.

THE PLAY: Each player may play only two cards during a turn. The player to the left of the dealer starts by playing one card on his/her team board. A card can be played if it is one rank in sequence less than one of the four upcards on the player’s board or team member’s board, and if it is of a different suit; e.g., a 5 J can be played on 6 S, but not on a 6 J. This starts the building process, which is forming columns of cards in descending order down from each of the four stacks. After the first card of a player’s turn is played, the player may start building by moving the upcards on his/her board with the intent of exposing and turning over down cards. The top card of any stack, together with all face up cards lined vertically down from it in descending order, may be placed at the bottom of another column only if that top card is the next lower card in rank than the bottom card of the receiving column, and is not of the same suit. This play is similar in concept to traditional solitaire. Empty spaces on a player’s board may be filled with a Galaxy card only. The rule of not playing cards of the same suit consecutively also applies to the Galaxy cards; e.g., a Sun N may not be played on a Galaxy N.When all the building is completed for that player’s particular turn, the second card is played to finish the turn. The second card can only be played on one of the opponent’s boards or on the bar, which is the area inside the square (see Diagram 2).Play on Bar: Play here is by suits, starting with the 1 cards as foundations for each of the six suits, and then stacking on top in ascending sequence; e.g., 1 V followed by the 2 V on top of it and so on. Play on Opponents’ Board: Play is made here if player does not have a card that can be played on the bar, or the player decides it’s more advantageous to play here in terms of strategy. Sometimes play here can be made to intentionally mess up the opponent’s play, making it harder for the opponent to expose down cards. After a player’s first turn he/she can play the first card of a turn on the bar or an opponent’s board. In fact, except for a player’s first turn and the last turn when going out, a turn could consist of one play on an opponent’s board and one play on the bar. A player may not play both cards in a turn on the bar or on the same team board. Any cards on one player’s board may not be moved to another player’s board, even if it’s the same team. A player may not remove just one card from a column, unless it is the only card in that column. Once the down card has been turned over in a particular column, cards can be played behind the top card; e.g., a 7 N can be slipped behind a 6 M.A player must play two cards per turn if he/she has the cards to do so. The strategy for playing cards on either the bar or the opponent’s boards will come after playing a couple hands. If a player has only one card that can be played for that particular turn, the play must be played and then his/her turn is over. If a player is unable to play a card at all, his/her turn is over. Going out: Playing all the cards out of a player’s hand. A player may go out even though he/she may still have down cards on his/her board or partner’s board. A player’s last card must be played on his/her team board to end the hand. If player’s last card can only be played on the bar or on the opponent’s team board, play continues. If none of the four players can make a final play on their team board, the hand is over.SCORING: The three players who do not go out count up the value/points of the cards remaining in their hands and then double that amount. In addition, the players count the points of any cards still face down on their individual boards (down cards are not doubled). The two amounts are added together. Each team then adds their two scores together for a team score. The team with the least amount of points receives the difference of the two teams’ scores as their score for that particular hand. A running total is kept for both teams. The first team to reach 100 points or more wins the game.

© Copyright 2003John Frampton & Craig Richter