How to Play

Seven Bridge (Shichi Narabe) is the Japanese family card game where all four Sevens anchor suit spines in the centre of the table. 3 to 7 players build each suit up and down from its Seven; the first to empty their hand wins.

Seven Bridge (Japanese Shichi Narabe, 七並べ, 'sevens in a row') is one of Japan's most widely played family card games, a layout-building game in the Fan Tan / Sevens family. All 52 cards are dealt out; the four Sevens anchor the layout in the centre of the table, and players take turns adding cards adjacent to existing cards of the same suit, building up (8, 9, 10, J, Q, K) or down (6, 5, 4, 3, 2, A) from each Seven. A player who cannot play may pass, but only three times: a fourth forced pass turns the player into a Yūrei (ghost) who must immediately place their remaining hand face-up on the layout, continuing it on later players' behalf. First player to empty their hand wins; other players score remaining cards as penalty points. The game rewards tempo, memory, and cruel blocking tactics.

Players

3 to 7 players (4 or 5 play best), each playing individually. The first dealer is chosen by high-card draw; the deal rotates clockwise after each round. With fewer than 3 players the blocking tension disappears; with more than 7 the deal becomes too short.

Card Deck

One standard 52-card French deck, no Jokers. Suits are all equal in rank; the game only cares about building sequences of consecutive ranks within a suit. Card order within each suit (low to high): Ace (1), 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K. The four Sevens are the spine of the layout.

Objective

Be the first player to empty your hand by placing every card into the growing cross-shaped layout. Failing that, be left holding the fewest penalty points after the round ends.

Setup and Deal

1. Shuffle the 52-card deck thoroughly. The player to the dealer's right cuts.
2. Deal all 52 cards out clockwise, as evenly as possible. With 3 players the dealer gets 18 and others 17 each; with 5 players, 11-11-10-10-10; and so on.
3. Players fan their own cards in hand and sort them by suit and rank for easier planning.
4. Give each player three pass tokens (chips, coins, or slips of paper) representing their three available passes for the round.
5. The player holding the Seven of Diamonds leads by placing it face-up in the centre of the table as the start of the Diamonds spine (house rule: some groups require the Seven of Hearts instead; agree beforehand).7♦7♥
6. Turns then proceed clockwise from the leader.

Gameplay

1. On your turn, you must play one card face-up adjacent to the existing layout, or, if you cannot legally play any card, spend a pass token.
2. Legal plays are:
3. a. Play another Seven: Lay a Seven of any suit down next to the existing Sevens, opening a new suit spine. A Seven can always be played regardless of what else is in the layout.
4. b. Extend a suit spine downward: Place a card that is exactly one rank lower than the lowest card of its suit in the layout. For example, if the Diamond spine currently ranges from 4 to 9, you may play the 3 of Diamonds at the low end.3♦
5. c. Extend a suit spine upward: Place a card that is exactly one rank higher than the highest card of its suit in the layout. Continuing the example, you could play the 10 of Diamonds at the top.10♦
6. Suit spines build out from their Seven, normally shown as a row to the left (lower ranks) and a row to the right (higher ranks) of the Seven card.
7. You may only play one card per turn (not chains), even if you have several legal plays.
8. Pass rule: If you have no legal play (or choose not to play), spend one pass token. Play moves to the next player.
9. Fourth pass = Yūrei (ghost): The first time you cannot play and have no tokens left, you must immediately place every remaining card in your hand face-up on the table in its proper position on the layout (or, if the exact slot is not yet legal, reveal those cards to the other players and leave them on the table for subsequent players to place when they become legal). You are eliminated from placing further cards, but your exposed cards can be played by opponents and still count as your remaining penalty.
10. The round ends the moment a player places their last card; everyone else counts penalty points for cards still in hand (or still exposed on the table as a ghost).

Scoring

• Winner (first to empty hand): 0 penalty points for the round.
• Other players: Count the ranks of cards remaining in hand (or stranded as a ghost's exposed cards): Ace = 1, 2 - 10 at face value, J = 11, Q = 12, K = 13.
• Some groups simply tally the number of cards remaining (1 point per card) for simpler scoring; agree before play.
• Match format: Play multiple rounds; the player with the lowest cumulative penalty total after an agreed number of rounds (often 5) wins the match. Alternatively, play until one player exceeds 100 penalty points; then the player with the fewest points wins.

Winning

A single round is won by the first player to empty their hand; that player scores 0 for the round. The match is won by the player with the lowest cumulative penalty total after the agreed number of rounds, or (in the 100-point-out variant) the player with the fewest points at the moment any opponent crosses 100 penalty points. If two players are tied for the lowest cumulative score at the end of the match, play one tie-breaker round between the tied players (others watch) to settle the win.

Common Variations

• Five-Pass Casual Rule: Give each player five pass tokens for longer family games with less ghosting.
• No-Ghost Simple: When a player runs out of passes, they simply cannot play until a legal card appears; they do not reveal their hand. Softer and better for children.
• Mid-Century Japanese: The Seven of Hearts (not Diamonds) begins the layout; otherwise identical.7♥
• Jokers-Wild: Add two Jokers as wilds that can stand in for any missing card; this lets a stuck player force their hand to keep flowing.
• Race to Kings: A player who completes a full Ace-to-King spine in one suit earns a 5-point bonus at round end.
• Fan Tan (Western cousin): Essentially the same game without the ghost rule; dominant in continental Europe.

Tips and Strategy

• Hold blockers strategically. If you hold, say, the 10 of Diamonds, opponents with Jack, Queen, or King of Diamonds cannot play them until you do. Timing when to release is a core skill.10♦K♦
• Do not spend passes casually. Your three tokens are precious: you might legitimately have no play later in the round. Save a pass for a deadlocked turn rather than an avoidable one.
• Play isolated cards early. A rank that is far from its suit's spine edge (for example a Queen when the spine only reaches 9) cannot be played until the spine grows; play the spine-extending ranks first.
• Watch opponents' ghost potential. If an opponent has clearly already used two passes and still cannot play a common rank, forcing them into a third pass may destroy their round.
• Commit Sevens early. A Seven is always playable; holding one defensively merely delays your inevitable play and lets opponents build ahead.
• Count remaining suit cards. If all four Kings have been placed except yours, you now know the exact turn on which an opponent can legally play a Queen above them.

Glossary

• Shichi Narabe: Japanese name, literally 'sevens in a row'.
• Spine: The row of consecutive cards of one suit that extends out from its Seven.
• Seven: Anchor card for each suit; the first card placed for that suit.7♠
• Pass token: A chip representing the right to pass a turn when unable to play; each player has three.
• Yūrei (ghost): A player who has exhausted all three passes and is forced to reveal their hand on the table.
• Block: Holding a key linking rank (for example a Jack) to prevent opponents playing higher ranks of that suit.
• Spine edge: The lowest or highest card currently placed in a suit; the only positions where a new card can extend.