Sizette is an historical French

card game A card game is any game that uses playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, whether the cards are of a traditional design or specifically created for the game (proprietary). Countless card games exist, including famil ...

for six players in two teams of three. It is unusual in that communication between partners is allowed and the team captain is permitted to ask for information and direct play. It has been described as one of the most enjoyable games of cards, albeit one requiring skill to play well. It is a form of

Whist Whist is a classic English trick-taking card game which was widely played in the 18th and 19th centuries. Although the rules are simple, there is scope for strategic play. History In 1674, '' The Complete Gamester'' described the game Ru ...

for six players.

History

The name Sizette refers to the fact that it is played by six players.Panckoucke (1792), pp. 274–275. It was first recorded in 1725 in the ''Académie Universelle des Jeux'' when it was said to be little known in Paris and yet "one of the most agreeable games on the cards" but one that required "great tranquility and attention."''Académie Universelle des Jeux'' (1725), pp. 115–120. Translation by Abbé Belcour (1770). This earliest known description was reprinted numerous times during the 18th century. In 1828, it is recorded as a game played in Normandy and the departments to the north,Lebrun (1828), pp. 233–235. certainly there is evidence that it was played, for example, at

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

and in

Picardy Picardy (; Picard language, Picard and , , ) is a historical and cultural territory and a former regions of France, administrative region located in northern France. The first mentions of this province date back to the Middle Ages: it gained it ...

; however, other early 18th and 19th century sources say it was played mainly in the south of France, so we may assume it "travelled well". Sizette appears to have died out in the late 19th century, however its four-player relative Quadrette survived until the 1930s in

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million Alpes-Maritimes Alpes-Maritimes (; ; ; ) is a Departments of France, department of France located in the country's southeast corner, on the France–Italy border, Italian border and Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast. Part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'A ...

). In a 1785 dictionary for the regions of

Provence Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...

and

Comtat Venaissin The (; ; 'County of Venaissin'), often called the for short, was a part of the Papal States from 1274 to 1791, in what is now the region of Southern France. The region was an enclave within the Kingdom of France, comprising the area aroun ...

it is recorded that both Sizette, or Sisette, and Quadrette also went under the name Parlaire (from ''parler'', to speak) because players were expected to talk about the cards they held in their hands.Achard (1785), Vol 1, p. 646 & Vol. 2, p. 485.

Rules

The rules given in the literature hardly changed over the century and a half that the game was current; later sources merely clarify points or give clues as to where the game was played. Those below are based on the 1725 description, supplemented where necessary by later accounts.

Players

The game is played by six players in two teams of three. The teams sit alternately around the table so that each player has an opponent on the left and right. Each team selects a team

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

or 'governor'. Players decide on the

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to be

anted Anted is the name of the coins issued by Antedios (or Anted), an ancient king of the Iceni, a Brythonic tribe who inhabited the present day county of Norfolk in Britain from approximately the 1st century BCE until the 1st century CE. Only the fi ...

to the '' poule'' and the number of

deals Deals (previously stylized as ''DEAL$'') was a chain of discount variety stores owned by Dollar Tree. The chain operated more than 221 stores located in shopping centers, malls (until 2015), and urban areas in 19 states throughout the United Stat ...

needed to win the game.

Cards

A 36-card

French-suited pack French-suited playing cards or French-suited cards are cards that use the French suits of (clovers or clubs ), (tiles or diamonds ), (hearts ), and (pikes or spades ). Each suit contains three or four face/court cards. In ...

is used in which the cards

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in descending order from

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

to Six. The

Ace An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or a club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the ...

ranks between the

Jack Jack may refer to: Places * Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community * Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community * Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas People and fictional characters * Jack (given name), a male given name, incl ...

and the Ten as in

Triomphe Triomphe (French for triumph), once known as French ruff, is a card game dating from the late 15th century. It most likely originated in France or Spain (as triunfo) and later spread to the rest of Europe. When the game arrived in Italy, it shared ...

Deal

Players cut for the privilege of being first hand, which is an advantage; the player

cutting Cutting is the separation or opening of a physical object, into two or more portions, through the application of an acutely directed force. Implements commonly used for wikt:cut, cutting are the knife and saw, or in medicine and science the sca ...

the highest card handing the

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to the opponent on the left to

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. The dealer

shuffles Shuffling is a technique used to randomization, randomize a deck of playing cards, introducing an element of chance into card games. Various shuffling methods exist, each with its own characteristics and potential for manipulation. One of the ...

and offers them to the left for

before dealing two packets of three cards each, anticlockwise, beginning with first hand. The dealer turns up the last card for

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Play

The players on the team that includes first hand may them communicate among themselves about their hands; the captain uses this information to direct the others what to play; in particular to instruct first hand what to lead. Once first hand has led the first card to the opening trick, the other team has the opportunity to confer likewise. Play then continues. Players must

follow suit A trick-taking game is a card- or tile-based game in which play of a ''hand'' centers on a series of finite rounds or units of play, called ''tricks'', which are each evaluated to determine a winner or ''taker'' of that trick. The object of suc ...

if possible; otherwise may

or discard as they please. Players may even lay their cards openly, but if at least two players on one side do this, the third partner must also play

ouvert The following is a glossary of terms used in card games. Besides the terms listed here, there are thousands of common and uncommon slang terms. Terms in this glossary should not be game-specific (e.g. specific to bridge, hearts, poker or rummy), ...

Winning

The team that is first to take three tricks wins the game

singly Singly () is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France. See also *Communes of the Ardennes department The following is a list of the 447 communes of the Ardennes department of France France, officially the French Rep ...

; if they take all six they win

double Double, The Double or Dubble may refer to: Mathematics and computing * Multiplication by 2 * Double precision, a floating-point representation of numbers that is typically 64 bits in length * A double number of the form x+yj, where j^2=+1 * A ...

. Taking six tricks is called making a ''

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''.

Communication and tactics

The key to the initial communication is for players, especially the captain, to work out what cards their team has between them without revealing too much to their opponents. Equally it is important for players to work out what cards their opponents have. Players should disclose no more than necessary and are guided by their captain asks of them. Although easy to learn, the game requires experience and long practice to play well, especially as regards player communication.

Infringements

The early account includes strict rules concerning infringements. For example, a misdeal incurs the loss of the game as does

revoking Revocation is the act of recall or annulment. It is the cancelling of an act, the recalling of a grant or privilege, or the making void of some deed previously existing. A temporary revocation of a grant or privilege is called a suspension. Cont ...

(not following suit when able) and a faced card entails a redeal.

Footnotes

References

Literature

* _ (1725)
''Académie Universelle des Jeux''
Paris: Theodore Legras. * _ (1789)
''Académie Universelle des Jeux''
Vol. 1. Amsterdam. * Achard, Claude François (1785). ''Dictionnaire de la Provence et du Comté-Venaissin'']
Vol. 1.
an
Vol. 2
Marseilles: Jean Mossy. * Abbé Belcour (1770)
''The Academy of Play''
London: F. Newbery. * Lebrun, M. (1828)
''Manuel des Jeux de Calcul et de Hasard, ou Nouvelle Académie des Jeux''
Paris: Roret. * Panckoucke, Charles-Joseph (1792)
''Encyclopédie méthodique: Dictionnaire des Jeux''
Volume 3. Paris: Panckoucke.

External links

at salondesjeux.fr. {{Historical card games French card games French deck card games Six-player card games