xarranca

Xarranca is a traditional Catalan card game played with a 40-card Spanish deck. It is a trick-taking game where the objective is to win as many tricks as possible, especially those containing valuable cards. The game is typically played by two to four players.

The standard Spanish deck consists of four suits: oros (coins), copas (cups), espadas (swords), and bastos (clubs). Each suit has cards numbered from one to seven, followed by three face cards: sota (knave), caballo (knight), and rey (king). However, for Xarranca, the deck is often reduced to 36 cards by removing the sevens.

The game is played in rounds. Players are dealt a certain number of cards, and the remaining cards form the stock. A trump suit is determined, usually by turning over the top card of the stock. Players then play cards in turns, with the highest card of the led suit or the highest trump card winning the trick. Specific card rankings and play rules vary slightly depending on regional variations, but generally, the ace (or one) is the highest-ranking card, followed by the face cards in descending order (king, knight, knave), and then the numbered cards.

Points are awarded for winning tricks, and often for capturing specific cards within those tricks. The game continues until all cards are played, and the player with the highest score wins. Xarranca is known for its strategic depth, requiring players to carefully manage their hands, anticipate opponents' moves, and make calculated decisions about when to play high cards or trumps.