How to Play

Court Piece is the classic 4-player South Asian partnership trick-taking game. After seeing only 5 cards, the Hakem picks the trump suit; partners cooperate to win 7 or more of 13 tricks for one court. First team to 7 courts wins.

Court Piece (also spelled Coat Piece, and known as Rang, Rung, Coat, Chakri, or Seven Hands in various South Asian communities) is a 4-player trick-taking partnership card game played across Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Gulf States, and the wider South Asian diaspora. It is a strict-follow-suit game in the Whist family closely related to the Iranian game Hokm. The defining feature: after seeing only the first five cards of their hand, the designated Hakem (trump-caller) chooses the trump suit before the remaining 8 cards of everyone's hands are dealt. Partners sit across the table and cooperate to win seven or more of the 13 tricks, which scores one 'court' (or 'hand'). The first partnership to 7 courts wins the match, though house targets of 5 or 9 are also common. Court Piece is arguably the single most-played serious card game in South Asia and is a fixture at tea stalls, wedding gatherings, and family evenings.

Players

Exactly 4 players in two fixed partnerships, partners sitting across the table. Players sitting side by side are opponents. The first Hakem (trump-caller) is decided by drawing the highest card from a shuffled deck; thereafter, the Hakem rotates anti-clockwise (or clockwise depending on regional convention), but some groups keep the Hakem as whichever partnership won the previous hand, re-assigning to that side's designated caller.

Card Deck

One standard 52-card French-suited deck, no Jokers. Card rank within each suit, high to low: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. Only rank matters; court cards do not have additional special point values in the base game.

Objective

Across multiple deals, be the first partnership to reach the agreed target of courts (commonly 7 courts, sometimes 5 or 9). Each deal yields one court to the partnership that wins 7 or more of the 13 tricks; an all-tricks sweep may count as a double court (see variations).

Setup and Deal

1. Partners sit across from each other; the four players are at North, South, East, and West positions. The first dealer is chosen by any means and does not receive any special role.
2. Shuffle the deck thoroughly; the player to the dealer's right cuts.
3. The player to the dealer's right is the Hakem (trump-caller). The dealer deals 5 cards face-down to the Hakem only, in a single batch. All other hands remain undealt for now.
4. The Hakem examines these 5 cards and announces the trump suit aloud. The choice is final and cannot be changed.
5. The dealer now deals the remaining cards in batches of 4: first 4 to the Hakem's opponent (West), 4 to the Hakem's partner (opposite), 4 to the dealer themselves, and 4 more in the same order, so that every player ends with 13 cards total (the Hakem has the original 5 plus 8 more).
6. The Hakem leads the first trick with any card.

Gameplay

1. On your turn, play one card face-up to the centre of the table. The trick consists of four cards, one from each player in clockwise order starting from the Hakem for the first trick and, thereafter, from the player who won the previous trick.
2. Strict follow-suit rule: If you hold any card of the suit led, you must play one. This is the defining feature of Court Piece; you cannot trump or discard as long as you have a card of the led suit.
3. When void of the led suit: You may play any card, trump or not. There is no obligation to trump; you may discard a low side-suit card if you prefer.
4. Trick resolution: If any trumps are played, the highest trump wins the trick. Otherwise, the highest card of the led suit wins.
5. The trick winner gathers the four cards, places them face-down in their partnership's pile, and leads the next trick.
6. Run of 13 tricks: Play all 13 tricks of the deal; partnerships pool their tricks. At deal end, count each partnership's total tricks.
7. Signalling: South Asian Court Piece traditionally allows discreet partner signalling (eye contact, subtle card placement). Table talk such as 'play a high heart' is forbidden. Strict tournament play prohibits any signalling.

Scoring

• 7 to 12 tricks: Partnership earns 1 court (hand, sar, or ser).
• All 13 tricks (sweep, bavney or baunie): 2 courts (sometimes 3 in house rules).
• Consecutive courts bonus (optional): Some groups award an extra bonus court for winning 3 or more courts in a row, or make the Hakem's team earn a double court (koot or kap) if they win the first 7 tricks consecutively.
• Losing team scores nothing for the deal. A partnership that loses all 13 tricks may be required to sing or perform a forfeit depending on local custom; no extra points.
• If the Hakem's team fails to win 7 tricks: The opposing partnership scores the court instead; some variants double the court in this case because the Hakem chose the trump and was 'beaten at their own suit'.

Winning

Play deals until one partnership reaches the agreed court target (usually 7 courts for a standard match, 5 for a short evening, or 9 for a formal session). If both partnerships reach the target in the same deal, the higher court total wins; if still tied, deal one tie-breaker round.

Common Variations

• Single Sar: Classic rules as described; one court per deal won with 7+ tricks. Most common.
• Double Sar (Kot-Pees): If the Hakem's team wins the first 7 consecutive tricks, it is a 'Kot' (sweep-equivalent), worth 2 courts. Ubiquitous in Pakistani and urban Indian play.
• Hidden trump (Peg variant): The Hakem writes the trump suit on a slip of paper; it is revealed only when a player is void of the led suit and wishes to trump. Adds a bluffing dimension.
• Double Hakem (Dabbal Sar): Same team holds the Hakem for two consecutive deals before rotation; the team must win a court in both to retain.
• Badam Satti (no-trump): Occasional no-trump rounds played alongside classic trump rounds for variety.
• Court Piece with Bidding (Dehla Pakad crossover): Hakem declares both trump suit and a target (9, 10, or 11 tricks) for bonus points; failure to meet the target awards a double court to the opposition.
• Five-cards-only Hakem: Hakem sees only 5 cards before calling trump; variant where Hakem sees 7 or 9 exists in some regions.

Tips and Strategy

• Hakem: trump your longest and strongest suit. With 5 cards to evaluate, the best rule of thumb is to pick trump in the suit where you hold the longest run of top cards (A, K, Q, for example). Do not pick a 3-card trump suit with just an Ace.
• Lead trumps early as the Hakem. If you have trump length, lead Ace-trump to force everyone to follow; it clears opponents' trumps and establishes your side-suit winners for later tricks.
• Non-Hakem partners: hold up your Ace if short in trump. A single Ace of trump held until your partner runs out of trump is often more valuable than an Ace spent early.
• Strict follow-suit means you cannot trump carelessly. Plan suit management early; if you have four cards of a suit and your opponent has only one, the lead advantage flips the moment you force them void.
• Watch for void partners. If your partner discards a high side-suit card under your lead, they are signalling void (in groups that permit subtle signals).
• Count trumps played. There are exactly 13 trumps in the deck. Track every trump played; once all trumps are gone, your highest side-suit cards become king-makers.
• The Hakem's partner should save high trumps for trick 7 onward. Seven tricks secure the court; force opponents into position with side-suit leads early, then crash through with trumps after trick 6.

Glossary

• Hakem / Caller: The player designated to receive 5 cards first and choose the trump suit.
• Court / Hand / Sar / Ser: The scoring unit; awarded to whichever partnership wins 7 or more of the 13 tricks in a deal.
• Kot / Kap / Double Sar: A 2-court award, triggered typically by winning the first 7 tricks consecutively.
• Bavney / Baunie: Winning all 13 tricks in a single deal; often worth 2 courts or a house-rule triple.
• Trump suit: The suit declared by the Hakem; beats all other suits in trick resolution.
• Follow-suit rule: The strict obligation to play a card of the led suit if you hold any; cannot be broken by voluntarily discarding.
• Rang / Rung / Rung-Bazi: Alternate South Asian names for the game, particularly in Pakistan.
• Badam Satti: A no-trump variant occasionally interleaved with Court Piece for variety.