Play Chinchón online

Spain's rummy: meld sets and runs with the Spanish deck, close before anyone else and don't go over 100.

Playing Chinchón online

Chinchón is the rummy of the Spanish deck, the after-dinner game of Spain. It seats 2 to 6 and is at its best with 3 or 4: with two it is a quick duel, and with 5 or 6 it is dealt from two decks and the hands get wilder.

A game is a run of short hands, three or four rounds each, until only one player is left under 100. With four players that is about fifteen minutes; the short game, to 50, takes half that.

The table melds your hand for you, marks which cards are already combined and what each loose one is worth, and tells you when you can close. At the end of the hand it does the count for you, laying your loose cards off on the closer's melds whenever that helps.

What gets settled before the deal

Two things. The limit: 100 points is the classic game, about fifteen minutes with four; 50 is the short one, with roughly half the hands. And the buy-back: when it is on, a player who goes over comes back once on the score of the worst player still in, which is what keeps an early exit from leaving you watching the rest of the game.

At a public table there is no host to decide: everyone votes and the tally shows on each button.

Your first game

Cards that are already melded carry a coloured bar underneath, and loose ones show what they are worth. Above your hand you will see how many loose points you hold and, as soon as you can close, which card to close with: the close button appears on its own.

Under each opponent you can see the cards they have taken from the discard pile this hand, just as you would remember them at a real table. It is the best clue to what they are after.

The turn clock is twenty-five seconds. If it runs out, the table draws and discards at random for you, so when in doubt it is better to decide something than to let the clock run.

How to start a game

1. Create a room from this page and share the code on screen with whoever is playing.
2. Everyone opens House Of Decks, enters that code and takes a seat at the table.
3. Once there are between 2 and 6 of you, the host deals and the game begins.
4. If you would rather not organise anything, drop into Quick Play and play with whoever is waiting.

Deck: Spanish 40-card deck (two decks with 5 or 6 players) · Players: 2 to 6 players

Full rules for Chinchón