Vändtia

History

The game likely emerged in the 1970s in North Sweden. Although rarely appearing in card game books, it has been called a classic card game and a favourite among Swedes. It is also known as Spanish Skitgubbe or simply Skitgubbe in South Sweden, but is unrelated to the well-known Swedish game Skitgubbe. Internationally, it has spread under names such as Shed, China Hand, Palace, Karma, and Ten-Two Slide.

Play

The player holding the lowest card in hand (normally a 3) starts the discard pile. In case of a tie, the higher suit takes precedence, with suits ranking in descending order: Clubs, Spades, Hearts, Diamonds. Play proceeds clockwise; each player may play a card of the same or higher rank than the top card of the discard pile. A player unable or unwilling to play must draw a card from the draw pile; if still unable or unwilling, the discards are picked up and added to the hand.

After playing or picking up, the turn passes. A player whose hand drops below 3 cards draws enough from the draw pile to reach 3, subject to availability. A player with a set (multiple cards of the same rank) may play any or all at once if they are of the same or higher rank than the top card. Special cards: a 2 may be played on any card and followed by any card; a 10 may be played on any card, after which the discard pile is removed from play and the same player starts a new discard pile with any card or set; a 7 is considered 'glass' or 'transparent', playable on any card, and the next player must play a card or set that could have been legally played before the 7.

A quartet (four-of-a-kind) played in sequence acts like a 10: the player of the fourth card removes the discard pile and starts a new one.

Variations

In this version of the game, each player starts with twelve cards: four face-down, four face-up, and four held in hand. To rearrange, a player swaps one hand card for one upcard. At the start of play, a player can place a matching card or set onto an opponent’s upcard, but court cards are off-limits for this move.

If a player cannot or will not add to the discard pile, they have three options: pick up the whole pile without drawing; draw one card, then pick up the pile if still stuck; or draw up to two cards, then pick up the pile if still stuck. Playing a 2 grants an extra turn. Playing a 10 forces the player to start the next discard pile with a card of 10 or higher.

The 7 has no special power. Whenever an upcard is played, the downcard underneath is flipped face-up—no blind plays allowed. A player cannot finish the game with a 2 or 10, but an Ace is fine for going out.