How to Play Court Piece
Name trump on 5 cards, then race your partner to 7 tricks.
Also known as Rung · Rang · Coat Piece · Hokm (Iran)
Learn Court Piece (Rang) for 4 players: the 5-card trump call, following suit, the 7 tricks that win a hand and the Bavney. Work through one hand, then play in your browser.
Naming trump on 5 cards
Your first 5 cards are A♠, K♥, Q♥, 9♥ and 7♥. You name hearts, not spades: 4 hearts with 8 cards still to come promise a long trump suit, and the lone A♠ wins a trick in any case. The other 8 cards are dealt and you lead.
| Cards played | Result |
|---|---|
| A♠ led, 10♠, 4♠, 7♠ follow | A♠ wins: no trump played, so the highest spade takes it |
| K♦ led, 2♥ played by a player with no diamonds | 2♥ wins: any trump beats every card of the other suits |
| Q♣ led, you hold no clubs | Play any card: trumping is never compulsory, so you may discard |
| Your side takes its 7th trick, the other side has 3 | The hand ends at once: 1 point to your side |
| Your side has 7 tricks, the other side 0 | Play on: all 13 is a Bavney for 2 points, one lost trick ends the hand at 1 |
Follow suit if you can; otherwise anything goes. The first side to 7 tricks wins the hand and 1 point, and the first side to the target, 5 points by default, wins the match.
Practise this game in your browser🎯 Objective
Win hands by being the first side to take 7 tricks, with your partner across the table. The first side to the target wins the match: 5 points unless you change it at setup (3 to 15).
🃏 Court Piece Setup & Rules
- Exactly 4 players, partners sitting opposite. A standard 52-card deck, Ace high, 2 low.
- 5 cards go to each player first, from the dealer's left. The player left of the dealer looks at those 5 and names the trump suit, which everyone sees.
- Then the other 8 cards are dealt, 4 and 4, so everyone holds 13. The deal moves one seat to the left each hand.
▶ How to Play Court Piece
- The trump caller leads the first trick; the winner of each trick leads the next.
- Follow the suit led if you can; otherwise play any card. Trumping is never compulsory.
- The highest trump wins the trick, or else the highest card of the suit led.
- The hand ends the moment a side takes its 7th trick, and that side scores 1 point.
- A side that reaches 7 tricks without losing one plays on for a Bavney: all 13 tricks score 2 points, but the hand ends with 1 point as soon as the other side wins a trick.
🎬 Watch: How to Play Court Piece
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📖 Detailed Guide
Setting up your table
- From the game menu choose Court Piece and fill the 4 seats: you and up to 3 app opponents at Easy, Medium or Hard, or friends. Partners sit opposite.
- Set the target: 5 points by default, from 3 to 15. A hand is worth 1 point, a Bavney 2.
- A standard 52-card deck, Ace high and 2 low. The seat to your right deals the first hand, so you name the first trump; the deal then moves one seat to the left each hand.
- 5 cards each are dealt first. The trump caller sees only those 5 when naming trump; the other 8 come 4 and 4 once it is named.
Naming trump
- The player left of the dealer names the trump suit from the first 5 cards. The suit is shown to the whole table at once.
- Call your longest suit among the 5, not your single highest card: length in trumps decides more hands than a lone Ace.
- Once trump is named the deal is completed, 4 cards and 4 more, and the caller leads the first trick.
- There is no pass and no bidding: the caller must name a suit.
Playing tricks
- Follow the suit led if you can. Only when you hold none of it may you play anything else, a trump included; you are never forced to trump.
- The highest trump in the trick wins it; with no trump played, the highest card of the suit led takes it.
- The winner of each trick leads the next, so control of the lead passes with the cards.
- A player who does not follow suit has shown out of it for everyone to see, so remember who is void in what.
Winning the hand and the match
- The first side to 7 tricks wins the hand and 1 point, and the hand stops there: the remaining cards are not played.
- A side with 7 tricks and the other side still on none plays on. All 13 tricks is a Bavney, worth 2 points; the moment the other side takes a trick the hand ends at 1 point.
- The first side to reach the target, 5 points by default, wins the match.
- The app does not play the second half of some house rules, where the losers try for 7 tricks in a row to take the court back.
📊 Court Piece Scoring
A won hand scores 1 point; a Bavney, all 13 tricks to one side, scores 2. The first side to reach the target, 5 points by default, wins the match. The app plays the simple game: a hand stops at the 7th trick, there is no second half in which the other side chases 7 tricks in a row, and the deal moves left each hand whoever won.
❓ Court Piece — Frequently Asked Questions
How many players do you need for Court Piece?
Court Piece is played with 4 players. On Vanikar, empty seats can be filled with AI opponents so you can always start a game.
Who names trump in Court Piece?
The player left of the dealer, from the first 5 cards only. The other 8 cards are dealt after the suit is named, and the caller leads the first trick. In the app the seat to your right deals the first hand, so you name the first trump.
What is a Bavney?
All 13 tricks to one side in a single hand. It scores 2 points instead of 1. A side that reaches 7 tricks without losing one plays on for it; the hand ends at 1 point as soon as the other side takes a trick.
How many points win a Court Piece match?
5 by default; you can set 3 to 15 at setup. A won hand scores 1 point and a Bavney 2.
Does the app play the second half, where the other side tries for 7 tricks in a row?
No. The hand ends at the 7th trick and the winning side scores 1 point; the only play after that is a Bavney chase at 7 tricks to 0. The deal then moves one seat to the left.