(Public Domain)
Introduction
Spar is a popular game from Ghana. It is a trick-taking game without trumps, in which the object is to win the last trick.
Spar is usually played by 2, 3 or 4 players, but it is possible for up to 7 to play. The game uses 35 cards from a standard international 52-card pack, the cards of each suit ranking from high to low: A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, but the Ace of Spades is normally not used, so the highest card in that suit is the King.
Play
Whoever played the highest card of the suit that the first player led is the winner of the trick. The cards played are not gathered in but remain in a face up pile. The winner of the trick leads any card from hand to begin the next trick, playing it face up on top of the pile, and once again the other players must each play a card: this must be the same suit as the card that was led if possible, otherwise any card.
This continues until five tricks have been played.
Scoring
Whoever wins the fifth and last trick wins the hand and scores:
3 points if the winning card is a 6;
2 points if the winning card is a 7;
1 point for winning with any other card - 8 or higher.
The winner of the hand deals the next hand, and therefore plays last to the first trick of the next hand. The session continues for as long as the players wish - there is no fixed number of deals or target score that ends the session.
Variations
Two other versions of this game exists: Jeu de Carte, which is played in Benin, and Sipa, a game played in Togo. Both share similar rules however.
Jeu de Carte
It is played with 31 cards (all the cards from Ace down to Seven except the Ace of Spades).
Players play their cards in front of them, rather than in a single pile in the centre. A player who is unable to follow suit to a trick plays his card face down.
The score is 1 point for winning the last trick, or 2 if it is won with a Seven.
The game is played until an agreed number of points is gained, often 24.
Sipa
The rules are identical to Jeu de Carte with the exception of Scoring:
Whoever wins the fifth and last trick wins the hand and scores:
6 points if the winning player wins the last three tricks with 7’s
4 points if the winning player wins the last two tricks with 7’s
2 points if the winning card is a 7;
1 point for winning the last trick with any other card - 8 or higher.
The winner is the player who is the first to score 10 or more points - or the players may agree on some other target score, such as 6, 12 or 24 points.
