How to play Chkobba

In this guide

• The deck
• Setup & deal
• Your turn
• Capturing rules
• Worked example
• The chkobba sweep
• Scoring
• Winning the match
• Strategy tips
• Glossary
• FAQ

The deck

Chkobba uses the classic Italian 40-card deck. Four suits, ten ranks each. Court cards are named in Italian; English equivalents are provided to keep things friendly.

Setup & deal

1. Four players take seats around the table. Seats 0 & 2 form one team, seats 1 & 3 the other. Teammates sit across from each other so the play rotates between teams.
2. The dealer shuffles the 40-card deck.
3. Each player receives 3 cards. The dealer turns 4 cards face-up in the centre of the table.
4. Play begins with the seat to the dealer's left and proceeds clockwise.
5. When everyone has played their three cards, the dealer deals three more to each player (no new table cards). This continues until the deck is empty.

Re-deal rule. If three or four kings appear on the initial table cards, the round is re-dealt — too many high cards make the round mathematically broken.

Your turn, step by step

1. Tap a card from your hand to select it.
2. If you want to capture a sum, tap the table cards that add up to your card's value.
3. Press Play Selected.
4. If you cannot capture anything, your card is placed face-up on the table.

The turn timer ring around your seat shows how long you have left. Run out and the server plays a safe move on your behalf.

Capturing rules

Single match (priority)

If your card has the same value as one or more table cards, you must capture one of those single cards. You cannot opt out of an exact match to take a larger sum. If several single matches exist (e.g. two sevens on the table and you play a seven), the game gives you a choice.

Sum capture

If no exact-value table card exists, you may capture any combination of table cards whose values add up to your card's value. Combinations may use any number of cards.

No capture

If neither a single match nor a valid sum exists, your card joins the table face-up and your turn ends.

Tip. When several sum combinations are possible, the server lets you pick. Choose carefully — a different combination can leave wildly different cards on the table for your opponents.

Worked example

Table: 3♣, 4♦, 7♥, K♠   —   Your hand: 7♦, 4♠, A♣

• Play 7♦: there is a 7♥ on the table, so the exact match wins. You capture 7♥ + 7♦. Bonus: 7♦ is the settebello — that point is now yours at scoring.
• Play 4♠: there is a 4♦ — exact match. You capture 4♦ + 4♠.
• Play A♣ (value 1): no 1 on the table and no combination summing to 1. The ace is placed on the table.

Now suppose your hand instead held a K♥ with the same table. Playing K♥ captures K♠ outright (single match). If only the K♠ were absent, you could try sum captures — for example, you have a J♣ (value 8): 4♦ + 3♣ + 1 = 8 isn't valid (no ace on table), but 7♥ + 1 = 8 also isn't (same issue). With only 3♣, 4♦, 7♥ visible, J♣ has no capture and is placed on the table.

The chkobba sweep

A chkobba happens when a capture leaves the table empty. Each chkobba is worth one bonus point, and a team can score multiple chkobbas in a single round. The visual end-of-round chalkboard tallies them with a "✕ N" multiplier next to each team.

Last-card exception. When the very last card of the deal is played and it happens to clear the table, no chkobba is awarded. This prevents an artificial bonus on the forced final move.

Scoring a round

When all hands are played, any cards remaining on the table go to the team that made the last capture. Then the round is scored:

Winning the match

Rounds repeat until a team reaches the agreed target. Common targets: 11 (short match) or 21 (long match). Chkobba Café defaults to 11; you can change this in room settings before the first deal.

If both teams cross the target in the same round, the higher total wins. If they tie on the total, an extra round is played to break the tie.

Strategy tips

• Hunt the settebello. The 7♦ is one of the most contested cards. If it lands on the table, play any 7 in your hand to grab it — the exact match priority makes it automatic.
• Watch the diamonds count. Six or more diamonds wins the suit point. Track which suits opponents have piled up.
• Don't feed sweeps. Leaving 1–2 small cards plus a king on the table is dangerous: any king or matching value clears the table for a chkobba. Stack the table when safe.
• Court cards are heavy. J/Q/K only pair with their own rank — there is no way to sum to 8, 9, or 10 with face cards. A solitary king on the table is safe unless someone has another king.
• Save 7s for the right moment. Holding a 7 to capture a 7 placed mid-round is often worth more than a routine sum capture.
• Communicate by play. Like Briscola, careful play can signal to your partner. Capturing diamonds when down on the suit is a way to silently say "we still need this".

Glossary

• Chkobba — clearing the table with one move. +1 bonus.
• Settebello — the seven of diamonds (7♦). +1 to whoever captures it.
• Denari — Italian for "coins"; the diamonds suit.
• Fante / Cavallo / Re — Italian names for J / Q / K (values 8 / 9 / 10).
• Capture — take cards from the table by exact match or sum.
• Sweep — synonym for chkobba.
• Last-capture rule — leftover table cards at the end of the round go to the team that made the most recent capture.

FAQ