KILLE

OBJECT OF KILLE: The object of Kille is to be the last player remaining.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 4 to 6 players

MATERIALS: A 42-card Swedish Kille Deck, a way to keep score, and a flat surface.

TYPE OF GAME: Trick-Taking Card Game

AUDIENCE: Adult

OVERVIEW OF KILLE

Kille is a trick-taking game for 2 to 6 players. The goal of the game is to be the last player remaining. Players will be eliminated during the game when they reach a certain score. To keep your score low, you are trying to ensure you either have the lowest card and declare it or do not have the lowest card if no one declares.

SETUP

The dealer is random and passes to the left for each new deal. The dealer will shuffle the deck and deal each player a hand of 5 cards. Players may look at their hands and discard facedown up to 3 cards which are refilled by the dealer, so all players have 5 cards.

Card Ranking and Values

The ranking for Kille from highest to lowest is Blaren, Blompottan, Kransen, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, Värdshus, Kavall, Husu, Husar, Kuku, and Harlekin (low known as Kille).

The cards also have values associated with them. In above order the values for scoring are 0, 0, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 50.

GAMEPLAY

The game is played in 2 stages. There is the first stage which consists of 4 tricks that must be played, then a declaration stage. After both stages are completed scoring can begin.  

The game starts with the player left of the dealer. This player may lead any card they wish to. The following players always check for the highest card played so far and must see if they hold a card that is an equal or higher rank to the highest card played. If they do, they play the lowest of those cards. If they do not have a card higher or equal to the current highest card, they play the lowest ranking card they hold.

After all players have played a card in front of them, the highest card wins the trick. If there’s a tie the last of the highest cards played wins. All cards remaining in front of the players who played them, but the winner of a trick leads the next trick.

The second stage of the game begins after the 4th trick is won. The winner of the 4th trick now has the option to declare or pass. If you declare you are stating, you believe you have the lowest card of the cards remaining in players’ hands. If you pass you are not certain of this.

If you declare the round is over and scoring begins if you pass the next player gets the same options. Once a player declares or all players have passed the scoring begins.

SCORING

When scoring it depends on the actions of the second stage. If there was a declarartion there is a difference in scoring than if all players passed.

If declared all players reveal and either the declarer was correct, and they have the lowest-ranked card, or they were wrong and there is a lower or equal card of rank from another player.

If the declarer was correct, they score 0 points and other players score the value associated with their card. If the declarer was wrong, then they score 10 plus their card’s value, and the players with the lowest-ranked card(s) score zero. All remaining players score the value associated with their card.

If there was no declaration, then all players reveal. The player with the lowest ranked card scores 10 plus their card’s value and all other players scores 0. If there’s a tie for lowest then all players score 0 points.

If a player reaches 50 points they are eliminated from the game.

END OF GAME

The game ends when only one player remains. They are the winner.

Amber Crook
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