Bezique

Bezique, also spelled Bézique, is a two-player trick-taking card game with historical roots in 19th-century Europe. The game is typically played with a 64-card deck formed by combining two standard 32-card packs (piquet packs) or, in some variants, a double deck. Suits and card ranks are conventional, with players aiming to win tricks while also forming and declaring melds for extra points.

A central feature of Bezique is the scoring of melds in addition to trick-taking. The most famous meld is bezique, a combination consisting of the queen and jack of the trump suit, which carries a substantial point value. Other common melds include marriages (king and queen of the same suit) and various lower-value combinations. The exact melds and their values vary by regional variant. Points are also awarded for tricks containing certain high-value cards, and the overall objective is to reach or exceed a target score, typically set before play begins.

Play generally proceeds with players being dealt a fixed number of cards and then taking turns playing one card to a central trick pile, following suit when possible. Tricks are won by the highest card of the suit led, and taken cards contribute to the player’s score. In many variants, a stock or draw pile is used to replenish hands after certain tricks; the precise dealing, drawing, and declaration rules differ between regional versions.

Bezique has several regional variants and is considered an important historical predecessor to later European two-player and partnership trick-taking games. Its influence is noted in the development of later games in the Belote family and other traditional European card games.