How to play
Konken is one of Turkey’s best-known card games, a rummy adapted from the old Spanish game Conquian. It’s played with two 52-card decks and two jokers. You play at the bottom against three computer players; play goes counterclockwise (to the right).
The deal. The dealer gets 11 cards, everyone else 10. The dealer starts by discarding one card.
Your turn.
- Draw a card from the stock, or take the card the player on your left just discarded. Any discard may be taken.
- Lay down melds and add cards to melds on the table (see below).
- Discard one card to your right.
Melds. A run is three or more consecutive cards of one suit, such as 7-8-9 of spades. A set is three or four cards of the same rank in different suits, such as the kings of diamonds, clubs and spades. The ace is high: Q-K-A is a run, A-2-3 isn’t. A joker can stand in for any card.
Laying down. Melds can be laid down a few at a time. There’s no minimum: any meld opens you. On screen, select the cards of a meld and tap Set aside, then Open. From your next turn on you can lay more melds and add cards to any meld on the table, yours or anyone else’s. You must always keep one card to discard. The first player to discard their last card goes out and ends the round.
Scoring
Konken is scored in penalty points: the lowest total wins.
| At the end of a round | Points |
|---|---|
| The player who goes out | 0 |
| Everyone else | the value of the cards left in hand |
Card values: joker 15, ace 11, jack, queen and king 10, other cards their number. If the stock runs out, nobody goes out and everyone is scored as above. Choose 3, 5 or 9 rounds at the top; the choice applies to the next match.
Tips
- Lay down early. Every card still in your hand when someone goes out counts against you, and there’s no minimum to open.
- Don’t hoard jokers. A joker left in your hand costs 15 when someone goes out; use it in a meld rather than hold it.
- Take the discard when it helps. You may always take the left player’s card, but a card that doesn’t fit anything just costs you points.
- Add to other players’ melds. Once you’ve opened, laying off on any meld on the table is the fastest way to empty your hand.
