écarte

Écarte, also spelled écarté, is a two-player trick-taking card game of French origin that was popular in Europe, especially in France and England, during the 18th and 19th centuries. The name derives from the French écarter, meaning to set aside or discard.

Equipment and setup: The game is typically played with a 32-card deck derived from a standard pack (A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7 in each suit; some variants use a full 52-card pack). After shuffling, the dealer deals four cards to each player. The remaining cards form a stock, and a bidding phase determines which player will be the declarer. Depending on the variant, players may exchange or discard cards with the stock during the bidding.

Gameplay: Play proceeds in tricks. The declarer leads to the first trick; players must follow suit if able, and the highest card of the led suit wins the trick. In many rules there is no fixed trump, while some variants designate a trump suit through bidding or a turned-up card. The objective for the declarer is to win a majority of the available tricks, while the opponent aims to prevent this.

Scoring and variants: Scoring systems vary by variant, but generally the declarer earns points for achieving the contract and the defender for obstructing it. A session may consist of several rounds, with points accumulated to determine the overall winner. Écarte exists in multiple regional forms, and its mechanics have influenced other two-player trick-taking games. Today, it is primarily of historical interest but remains noted for its role in the development of early two-player card games.