KONTSINA

Hey there! Have you ever heard of Kontsina? It’s an exciting fishing card game designed for two players. The goal is pretty simple: score more points than your opponent by the end of the game. But before we dive in, we need to decide how many rounds we want to play.

SETUP

Ready to get started? Great! To determine the first dealer, we can simply pick randomly. Keep in mind that being the dealer doesn’t really give you an advantage, so it’s fair to switch back and forth between players throughout the game.

Once we have a dealer, let’s shuffle the deck and deal each player a hand of four cards. We’ll also place four additional cards face-up between us. The remaining cards will form a stockpile off to the side.

Card Ranking

In Kontsina, there isn’t a specific ranking system for the cards, so no need to worry about that. Let’s focus on the strategy and excitement of the game!

GAMEPLAY

When I start playing the game, I am the nondealer. Then, it’s my turn to play a card from my hand. This is where the fun begins! There are different things that can happen when I play a card.

I can choose to capture a single card from the layout. In order to do this, the rank of the card I play from my hand must match exactly the rank of the card I want to capture. It’s a perfect match! This rule applies to Kings, Queens, and Jacks. Once I capture the card, both the captured card and the card I played will go into my score pile. It’s like adding points to my collection!

But wait, there’s more! I also have the option to capture multiple cards from the layout. However, if there are multiple cards that match the rank I played, I can only capture one of them. Tough choices, but it’s all part of the game!

If I don’t feel like capturing any cards, I can simply add a card to the layout in the center. This can keep the game exciting and add more options for future moves. It’s like leaving a surprise for the next player!

If you’re playing a game with multiple cards, you’ll need to add up their values to match the card you played from your hand. In this game, Aces are worth one point. Remember, you can only capture one set of cards, even if there are multiple sets available.

If you can’t or don’t want to capture cards from the layout, you have another option. You can play a card face-up from your hand onto the layout.

Whenever you capture a card or cards, those cards along with the one you played will go into your score pile. Keep your score pile facedown to keep it a surprise.

The game continues until you run out of cards in your hand. At that point, the dealer will give each player another hand of four cards. This process continues until the 6th deal, when all the remaining cards from the deck are dealt out. The round ends at the end of the 6th deal, and you can score all the cards.

Now let’s talk about scoring.

When the round is finished, you’ll need to tally up your score. Here’s how it works:

You’ll earn 2 points if you managed to capture the most cards. If you have the highest number of clubs, you’ll get 1 point. And don’t forget, the player who grabs the 2 of clubs receives another 1 point. Same goes for whoever captures the 10 of diamonds.

The Game’s Conclusion

Once you’ve completed the agreed-upon number of rounds, it’s time to see who came out on top. The player with the most points wins the game!