Bezique (1860)

About this game

A trick taking card game in which players score for winning aces and 10s in tricks, and for forming certain combinations of cards from tricks won and cards in hand. Point-scoring combinations include four of a kind (aces, kings, queens and jacks only), a marriage (king and queen of same suit), sequence (A-10 of trump) or a Bezique (queen of spades and jack of diamonds). Bezique uses a subset of the standard playing cards, composed of the seven through Ace taken from two decks (i.e. the deck contains no deuces through sixes, with all other cards appearing twice). A game of Bezique goes through three distinct stages or "phases" of play, and is somewhat reminiscent of cribbage and canasta. Bezique is the ancestor of Pinochle, and that game's two-handed version is very similar to Bezique but with slightly different deck and slightly different scoring. (The origin date listed for this game is approximate.)

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Strictly 2 players — no more, no fewer.
• Rules load. At 2.4/5 this is a mid-weight game — expect a proper rules explanation before you start.
• Age. The publisher suggests 10 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.