(+10) for each 10 or Q in each partner's pile (+200) for breaking an opponent's grand tichu (+200) for a skunk (in this case the piles are not counted) The scores are only updated at the end of a round. Since only the difference in score matters, in scoring we only keep track of which team is ahead by how many points. Game ends when one team is ahead by 400 points, or when 10 rounds have been played and the score isn’t tied. Players sit around 4 sides of a table, with partners across the table, as in bridge.
Only using the difference in scores makes it possible to quickly lose by overzealously calling Tichu (as opposed to simply drawing out the game).
I also found that I usually wanted a slightly shorter game, and one that was suitable for competitive play, so the scoring system has been reworked a bit. The other is that the original is, quite frankly, full of racist Chinese stereotypes, and I kind of don’t feel like playing with those cards or that terminology. I made this adaptation for two reasons - one is that I often found myself wanting to play this game but only had a regular deck of cards. It uses a standard 52-card deck, and requires exactly 4 players in 2 teams of 2. 52 card tichu is an adaptation of the commercial game Tichu, which itself is a combination of elements from Bridge and a Chinese game commonly known in the US as “deuces” or “president”.
