Card games
Tichu
Tiki ÉditionsUrs Hostettler1991
- players
- 4
- minutes
- 60
- years
- 10+
In the box
56 cards: 52 standard cards and 4 special cards (Mah Jong, Dog, Phoenix, Dragon)
Official rules (PDF, publisher's site)
Box details
- Designer
- Urs Hostettler
- Artwork
- Kerri Aitken, Christine Alcouffe, Res Brandenberger, François Bruel
- Publisher
- Tiki Éditions
- Mechanics
- Hand ManagementLadder ClimbingPredictive BidTeam-Based
Where to buy it
Near you and online
In a shop
Within 50 km.
Online
Affiliate link: Marquoir may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
The basics
In teams of two, get rid of your cards before the others by playing combinations, win the cards that score points and make good on your calls. You lead with a single card, a pair, three of a kind, a full house or a straight; each player passes or plays the same combination higher, a bomb can drop at any time, and whoever played last collects the trick. Kings and 10s are worth 10, 5s are worth 5, and the first team to 1,000 points wins.
Checked against the official rules · October 2026
The rules, step by step
Setup
2 teams, face to face, 14 cards each, Pass 1 to each player
- Four players in two teams, partners sitting opposite each other.
- 56 cards: four suits of 13 cards from 2 to Ace (the 10 ranks between the 9 and the Jack), plus four special cards, the Mah Jong, the Dog, the Phoenix and the Dragon.
- The winner of the previous round shuffles and has the deck cut. The cards are not dealt: in turn, each player takes the top card of the deck until everyone holds 14.
- As long as you have not taken your ninth card, you may call Grand Tichu.
- Once everyone holds 14 cards, each player gives one card face down to each of the other three; you only look at the cards you receive after giving yours.
How to play
Higher combination, Or pass, Bomb at any time
- The player holding the Mah Jong starts; play then goes to the right, anticlockwise.
- You lead with one of these combinations: a single card, a pair, a sequence of pairs of consecutive ranks, three of a kind, a full house (three of a kind plus a pair) or a straight of at least five cards.
- The next player passes, or plays the same combination with the same number of cards, but higher: a full house ranks by its three of a kind, a straight by its highest card. Having passed does not stop you from playing on your next turn.
- When three players pass in a row, the last player to have played collects all the cards of the trick and leads the next one; if they have no cards left, the lead goes to the next player who still has some.
- A bomb, four of a kind or a straight of at least five cards in the same suit, can be played at any time, even out of turn, on any combination. A longer bomb beats a shorter one; at equal length, the higher one wins.
- The round ends as soon as only one player still has cards: they give the cards left in their hand to the opposing team, and their tricks to the player who went out first.
Scoring
Kings and 10s: 10 points, Dragon 25, Phoenix −25, Tichu ±100, Grand ±200
- The cards won are worth 10 points per King and per 10, 5 points per 5, 25 points for the Dragon and minus 25 for the Phoenix; the others are worth nothing. Each round hands out 100 points.
- The Dragon wins its trick but must give it, with its 25 points, to the opponent of its player’s choice; the Dragon’s player keeps the lead. If a bomb takes the trick from it, the bomb keeps the trick.
- If both partners go out first and second, the round ends at once: their team scores 200 points, the cards are not counted, and the opposing team scores no card points.
- Tichu: as long as you have not played your first card, you may call "Tichu". If you go out first, your team gains 100 extra points; if not, it loses 100, even if your partner went out first.
- Grand Tichu: called before taking your ninth card, it earns 200 extra points if it succeeds, and costs 200 if it fails.
- These bonuses are added to or subtracted from the round’s points. Several players may call, but at most one call can succeed.
- In Marquoir, enter each team’s total for the deal, bonuses included.
End of the game
1,000 points, At the end of a round
- Rounds follow one another until a team reaches 1,000 points at the end of a round.
- If both teams pass 1,000 points in the same round, the higher one wins; in case of a tie, the Rio Grande rulebook has you play one more round.
House rules and pitfalls
The Mah Jong counts as 1, the lowest card: it is played alone or in a straight.
- The Mah Jong counts as 1, the lowest card: it is played alone or in a straight. When you play it, you may wish for a rank, but not a special card: the next player who holds that rank and can legally play it must do so on their turn, even with a bomb. The wish stands until it is fulfilled.
- The Dog never wins a trick: it is played alone, as a lead, and passes the lead to your partner, or to the next player if your partner has already gone out.
- The Phoenix replaces any card from 2 to Ace in a combination, but never in a bomb. Played alone, it is worth half a rank more than the previous card (1.5 when led): it beats the Ace, not the Dragon.
- The Dragon is the highest single card, which only a bomb can beat; it cannot be part of any straight.
- A call is personal: you do not discuss it with your partner. Calling Tichu before the card exchange amounts to asking your partner for their best card.
- A bomb cannot be played on the Dog. You may play one on your own trick.
- The Rio Grande rulebook allows playing clockwise, and dealing the cards instead of taking them.
Going further
Frequently asked questions · In the same family
Frequently asked questions
How do you score in Tichu?
Each team counts the cards in its tricks: 10 per King and per 10, 5 per 5, 25 for the Dragon, minus 25 for the Phoenix, making 100 points per round. Then the bonuses are added or subtracted: 100 for a Tichu, 200 for a Grand Tichu. A team that goes out first and second scores 200 points without counting the cards.
What happens to the last player’s cards?
They give the cards left in their hand to the opposing team, and their tricks to the player who went out first.
When can you call Tichu or Grand Tichu?
Tichu, at any time as long as you have not played your first card, even before the exchange. Grand Tichu, only before taking your ninth card, so knowing just eight cards.
Does the Tichu succeed if my partner goes out first?
No: the player who called must go out first themselves. Otherwise the team loses the bonus, even if the partner went out before everyone else.
Must you fulfil the Mah Jong wish with a bomb or the Phoenix?
Yes, if you hold the wished rank and can play it legally, even if it takes a bomb or a straight completed by the Phoenix. The Phoenix alone does not count as the wished rank: without that rank in hand, you are not obliged.
Can you play a bomb on the Dog?
No: a bomb is played on a combination lying on the table, and the Dog only passes the lead.