PIQUET

card game known, under various names, since the 15th century, when it was played in France. Charles I of England gave the game its French nomenclature in honour of his French-born queen. Piquet is a game for two players, although there are variants for three and four. A pack of 32 cards is used, ranking ace (high), king, queen, jack, 10, 9, 8, and 7. Twelve cards are dealt to each player, two or three at a time. The remaining eight cards, the stock, are spread face down. A player who holds carte blanche (a hand with no court card), announces it and scores 10 points. Players then discard and draw from the stock to improve their hands. After the draw, players compare their holdings in each of three classes of scoring combinations. The classes are point, sequence, and set and are scored in that order. Only one player may score in each class. Point is the greatest number of cards in any one suit; sequence is the longest run of consecutive cards in one suit; and a set is three or four cards 10 or higher of the same rank. Upon completion of the declarations, play begins: the nondealer leads first. Each lead requires the other to follow suit if able. The trick is won by the higher card of the suit led. There is no trump suit. A game is usually six deals.