The game where nobody wins – but someone loses
Durak (“fool”) is one of the most popular card games in Eastern Europe. It is played with 36 cards, from 6 to Ace. There is no winner in the usual sense: whoever gets rid of all their cards is safe, and the last player still holding cards is the fool.
Here you play the classic two-player version against the computer, with throw-ins (“podkidnoy”). Cards you can play light up, so you can learn the rules while playing. Attack with your weakest cards, save your trumps, and remember which cards have already gone out.
How to use
- Each player gets 6 cards; the bottom card of the stock shows the trump suit.
- The attacker plays a card. The defender beats it with a higher card of the same suit or with a trump – or takes all the cards.
- The attacker may throw in more cards of a rank already on the table, up to six.
- When everything is beaten, the cards are discarded and the defender attacks next. Refill to six cards while the stock lasts.
Ideas for using it
- Learning the rules. the highlighted cards show what you are allowed to play.
- Quick break. a game takes about five minutes.
- Practice for a card evening. get the feel for when to take and when to beat.
- Classic card game for two. like a game with a friend, but the computer is always ready.
Rules in short
- Ranks from low to high: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A.
- A trump beats any card of another suit; a trump can only be beaten by a higher trump.
- If the defender beats everything, the defender attacks next. If the defender takes, the same player attacks again.
- When the stock is empty, players who run out of cards leave the game. The one left holding cards is the durak.