Russian Bank facts for kids
Russian Bank, also known as Crapette or Tunj, is an exciting card game for two players. It's part of the solitaire family of games. To play, you'll need two regular decks of 52 playing cards. Some people even call it "probably the best game for two players ever invented"!
The main goal in Russian Bank is to be the first player to get rid of all 48 of your cards. At the same time, you need to build special "piles" in the middle of the playing area. These piles go from Ace all the way up to King, and each pile must be of the same suit (like all hearts or all spades). If a player makes a mistake with these piles, the other player can shout "Stop!" or "Tunj!" This immediately ends the first player's turn.
You might have heard of other games like Russian Bank, such as Skip-Bo and Spite and Malice.
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Game Names
This game has many names! Besides Russian Bank, it's often called Double Solitaire because it's like playing solitaire with two people. In Brazil and Portugal, it's known as crapette or crapot. In France, it's also crapette, which comes from a Breton word meaning "ladder." In the Middle East, people call it tunj (pronounced like "tonj" or "tunje").
How to Play Russian Bank
Russian Bank has a special setup and rules that make it a fun challenge. Let's learn how to get started and play!
Setting Up the Game
To begin, each of the two players sits across from each other. Each player takes one deck of 52 cards (without jokers). First, you shuffle your deck, then let your opponent "cut" it (split it and put the bottom half on top). The player who cuts the highest card gets to start the game.
The first player then takes 13 cards from their deck to make a "reserve pile." The very top card of this pile is turned face up. Next, they take four more cards and place them face up in a column between themselves and their opponent. These are called "auxiliary columns." The second player does the same on their side. In the middle, between the two sets of auxiliary columns, there should be space for eight aces. These will be placed there as the game goes on.
Playing Your Turn
When it's your turn, you start drawing cards one by one from the rest of your deck (your "talon"). You try to place each card you draw onto the "middle columns" (where the aces go) or onto the "auxiliary columns." If you draw a card that you can't place anywhere, you start your own "waste pile" (or "discard pile") in front of you.
The second player then takes their turn, doing the same thing. Here's a cool trick: if a card you draw doesn't fit on the ace columns or your own auxiliary columns, you might be able to place it on your opponent's reserve pile or their waste pile! But only if it matches the suit and is either one rank higher or one rank lower. This is a great way to give your opponent more cards while you get rid of your own! Both players can do this once the game is going.
It's usually a good idea to use the face-up cards from your reserve pile first if you can. You can play them on the ace rows or the auxiliary columns. If you run out of cards in your hand, you can shuffle your waste pile and use it as your new talon for your next turn. The first player to get rid of all their cards wins the game!
Building Middle Columns (Foundations)
As the game progresses, whenever an ace appears, it gets placed in one of the eight special spots in the middle. These aces are the starting points for "families" of cards. You build on these aces by adding cards of the same suit in increasing order. So, after an Ace of Hearts, you'd place a 2 of Hearts, then a 3 of Hearts, and so on, all the way up to the King of Hearts.
Using Auxiliary Columns
Cards on the auxiliary columns are built in a special way: they must alternate between red and black suits. For example, if you have a Queen of Spades (black), you could place either a Jack of Hearts (red) or a Jack of Diamonds (red) on top of it. You can move cards around on these auxiliary columns, but only one card at a time. You also need to make sure there's space for each card you move.
Older versions of the game used to build auxiliary columns with cards of the same suit in descending order, but that's not common anymore. Sometimes, instead of starting with four face-up cards, players might place one or two rows of face-down cards first, then put one face-up card on top of each.
Compulsory Moves and "Stop!"
In Russian Bank, there are certain moves you *must* make if they are possible. If a player misses one of these "compulsory moves," the opponent can shout "Stop!" or "Tunj!" When this happens, the player's turn ends right away, and it becomes the opponent's turn.
Here are the compulsory moves, in order of importance:
- Play your reserve card: If the top card of your reserve pile can be played onto a foundation (one of the ace piles), you must play it. This is the most important move!
- Play any card to a foundation: If any other card you can see (from your hand or auxiliary columns) can be played onto a foundation, you must play it. Building those ace families is very important!
- Play your reserve card to auxiliary columns: If your open reserve card can be played onto one of the auxiliary columns, you must do so.
Sometimes, these rules also apply if a player simply touches a card that they aren't allowed to move or that doesn't fit anywhere. If you accidentally place a card illegally, you must put it back where it came from before your opponent starts their turn.
See also
In Spanish: Russian Bank para niños
