Chimera
Invented by Francis Dobbs. Submitted by Philippa Bird
Introduction
This is a game using a full pack of 52 cards suitable for 4, 5 and 6 players who play individually except when 6 play in pairs designated A, B and C, the rotation around the table being A - B - C - A etc. NB 4 players may play individually or in pairs, partners sitting opposite.
Dealing and making tricks
The pack having been shuffled and cut for trumps the maximum even number of cards are dealt to each player (12 each when 4 play, 10 each when 5 play, 8 each when 6 play). The undealt cards are set aside and not used in the play.
The game proceeds according to the same rules as the classic game of whist. Only the winning card in a trick is retained, face down. The remainder are discarded.
Scoring
A combined score is entered for each card thus:
- 1 point per winning card
- Points according to the suit of the winning card as follows: Clubs 1, Diamonds 2, Hearts 3, Spades 4.
Hyperchimera
Introduction
In this variant of Chimera, the pack is reduced 32 cards when 4 persons play. Each suit ranks high to low from ace to seven. The full 52-card pack is used for 5 or 6 persons.
Bidding
Each player in turn bids to make a specified number of tricks by discarding 2 cards from the hand, values as follows:
| Zero tricks: | two cards face down |
| One or more tricks | one or two cards face up showing number of tricks according to the number of suit points in the exposed cards. eg. 3 tricks can be shown by 1 club and 1 diamond face up, or by 1 heard and 1 face down card. |
Scoring
- 1 point per winning card
- Points per suit of winning card as per Chimera
- Bonus of 5 points for a correct bid eg. player bids 3 tricks and 3 tricks are won.
Hyperchimera 42
In this four handed version for two players, players sit and right angles to each other so that the hand opposite each player may be exposed as dummy after having had any two cards discarded and the players' bids declared.
[Since this is a 4-handed variant of Hyperchimera, it is played with 32 cards: 8 cards are dealt to each player and 8 to each dummy. After both live players have bid, six cards of each dummy are exposed, and the remaining two cards discarded unseen by either player.]
Each player deals from the pack in dummy's position when appropriate so that the lead from the four hands rotates clockwise.
Dummy hands are displayed in columns per suit ranking high to low towards the relevant players.
All hands are played in clockwise rotation, each player playing from dummy opposite when appropriate, the trick winning card being awarded to the hand that furnished it as all scores are accumulated individually.
Dummies' scores do not count and are therefore ignored.