Each player must play a higher card (or combination of cards) than the previous player.

Climbing games - which are arguably a subset of trick-taking games, and at a minimum appear to be derived from them - generally have a few common elements: Tichu is one of the earliest examples of “climbing” games to reach the West. What follows is my retrospective of Tichu, along with some Tichu tips by Mary Prasad and thoughts from the Opinionated Gamers. Fortunately, designer Urs Hostettler generously agreed to answer a few of our questions, and I interviewed him in November about the game’s history. It has sold hundreds of thousands of copies and has been in-print continuously for 25 years.ĭespite the game’s wide appeal, little is known about its origins.

Tichu has more than 100,000 logged plays on BGG (the most of any trick-taking or climbing game), and most major conventions have dedicated events for it. It is the highest-ranked trick-taking or climbing game on BoardGameGeek, and it has long been in the BGG Top 100, a rare accomplishment among older games. In a hobby that is often defined by the “cult of the new,” Tichu is still a perennial favorite among gamers, and it is arguably the hobby’s favorite traditional-style card game. This year marks the 25th Anniversary of Tichu’s publication. Game History by Chris Wray, Tichu Tips by Mary Prasad

Skull with tichu cards