How to play Sevens

Sevens is a classic card game for four players, also known as Fan Tan, Domino or Parliament. All 52 cards are dealt out, and together the players build each suit outwards from its seven: down to the Ace on one side and up to the King on the other. The first player to get rid of every card wins.

It looks simple, but there is real skill in it. On most turns you can play more than one card, and every card you put down opens the way for somebody. The skill is in choosing which doors to open and which to keep shut: helping your own long runs along while holding back the cards your opponents are waiting for. On skill.games you play against three computer opponents, Lily on your left, Max at the top and Zoe on your right.

How to play on skill.games

When the game opens, the settings appear first: choose a difficulty and tap PLAY. Your 13 cards are spread along the bottom of the screen, sorted by suit. The four suit rows are laid out in the middle, with the sevens in the centre column. Empty places show as faint outlines.

• Your turn: the cards you can legally play are lifted and glow, and the places they would go on the table glow too. Tap a glowing card to play it, or drag it onto the table.
• No card fits: a PASS button appears. Tap it to knock (pass your turn).
• Opponents: each computer player has a name tag showing how many cards they still hold. When they cannot play, a KNOCK sign pops up next to them.
• Menu: the button in the top-left corner pauses the game. From there you can resume, start a new game or turn the sound on or off.
• Saving: an unfinished hand is saved. Next time, tap CONTINUE to carry on where you left off.
• Results: at the end you see your place, your cards left and your passes, plus your wins, losses, win rate and streaks at that difficulty.

Rules

Setup. One standard 52-card deck is shuffled and dealt out completely, 13 cards to each of the four players. Play goes clockwise.

Opening. Whoever holds the 7 of Diamonds must start by playing it. It is never played for you automatically: if you hold it, the game asks you to put it down.

A turn. On your turn you must play exactly one card if you can. A card can be played when it is:

• any 7, which starts that suit's row in the middle, or
• the card directly below the lowest card of a suit already on the table (6, then 5, and so on down to the Ace), or
• the card directly above the highest card of a suit already on the table (8, then 9, and so on up to the King).

Aces count low only, so the Ace is always the last card on the low end and the King the last on the high end. Each suit row therefore grows outwards from its 7 in both directions, one card at a time.

Passing. If none of your cards can be played, you must knock and the turn passes on. You are not allowed to knock while you hold a card that fits; if you have a legal card, you must play one (although you choose which one when several fit).

Winning. The first player to play their last card wins the hand, and one hand is a whole match. The other players are placed by how many cards they still hold: fewer cards is better, and players with the same number share the better place.

Strategy tips

• Think about your far cards first. Aces, Kings and other cards far from the 7 can only be played once the whole chain leading to them is on the table. Favour plays that move a suit towards the end cards you are holding.
• Hold the blocking cards. If you hold a 6 or an 8, nobody can play further down or up that suit until you release it. When you have a choice, keep such cards back while they mainly help other players.
• Don't open a seven for others. A 7 with nothing else of that suit behind it in your hand only gives your opponents a new place to play. Hold it while you have other legal moves, unless you need it to reach your own cards later.
• Play where you are long. If you hold several cards of one suit in a row, opening that direction lets you play them turn after turn while others may be stuck.
• Watch the knocks. A player who knocks has none of the cards that were playable at that moment. Remember which suits made them pass, and avoid opening those directions for them.
• Count what is left. Work out which key cards are still missing and who is likely to be waiting for them.

Difficulty levels

All three opponents play at the level you choose.

• Easy: the computer plays a random legal card, quite often simply the first one it holds. It makes no attempt to block you.
• Normal: the computer prefers cards that open the way to its own cards further along a suit, and avoids playing a 7 it has nothing behind. A little randomness remains in its choices.
• Hard: on top of that, the computer holds back cards that would let its opponents play their runs, and it remembers who has knocked to judge who is waiting for which cards. It rarely makes a careless play.
• Crazy: the computer looks further ahead. Before each move it imagines many possible ways the hidden cards could be spread between the other players, consistent with everything it has seen so far, plays each one out, and picks the card that works best overall.