How to play Court Piece

A step-by-step guide for four players — ten minutes to your first round

You need four people, a pack of 52 cards, and one evening. Here is the game exactly as it is played at a family table, in the order things happen.

Step 1 — Sit down

Two teams of two. Partners sit opposite each other, so play goes you, opponent, partner, opponent around the table. Decide the first dealer by cutting the pack — highest card deals.

Step 2 — The five-card deal

The dealer gives each player five cards, one at a time, and stops. Nobody picks up more yet. The player to the dealer's right looks at those five cards and must name the trump suit — the rang — from them alone.

Tip: name the suit you hold most of, not the one with your highest card. Length in trump wins rounds; a lone ace does not.

Step 3 — The rest of the deal

Once the rang is named, the dealer deals the remaining cards: everyone ends with thirteen. Now you can plan.

Step 4 — Playing a haath

1. The caller leads any card.
2. Going right, each player must follow suit if they hold a card of the suit led.
3. If you cannot follow, play anything. A rang card cuts — it beats every non-rang card on the table.
4. The haath goes to the highest rang card; if none was played, to the highest card of the led suit.
5. The winner of the haath leads the next one.

Step 5 — Winning the round

Thirteen haath are played. The team that takes seven wins the round. Take the first seven in a row, and it is a kot — the round's big prize and the thing your partner will mention for a week.

Step 6 — Scoring and the next deal

Families score rounds or courts; see scoring and the kot. Whichever team won deals next; some houses pass the deal regardless. Play to an agreed number of rounds or points.

Five beginner mistakes

• Cutting a haath your partner is already winning.
• Leading rang early when the opponents hold more of it.
• Throwing a court card on a haath you cannot win — keep it for one you can.
• Forgetting which rang cards have been played. Count them.
• Naming rang on a single high card instead of a long suit.

Practice without three friends

Rung Royal deals the same game against three bots that play like real relatives — one aggressive, one careful, one who hoards trumps — with a guided first hand that shows you each decision as it comes. Free, offline, and in eight Indian languages.

Play your first hand free →

Questions people ask

How many cards does each player get in Court Piece?

Thirteen: five first (the trump is chosen on these), then the remaining eight. Four players, 52 cards, nothing left over.

What happens if I cannot follow suit?

You may play any card. If you play a trump (rang), it beats every non-trump card in the haath — this is called cutting. If you play a card of another suit, it cannot win.

Who leads the first haath?

The player who named the rang leads the first haath. After that, whoever wins a haath leads the next one.

What if the caller does not want to name a trump on five cards?

Depends on the house. Many tables let the call pass to the partner once; some let the caller demand a fresh deal. Rung Royal offers both as settings so the table plays your way.