Contack

Last updated
Australian Red Cross workers pack boxes for Christmas 1942, including Contack games Red Cross workers packing Christmas presents for the Fighting Forces during World War II, 1942 (4189609872).jpg
Australian Red Cross workers pack boxes for Christmas 1942, including Contack games

Contack is a dominoes-like game for one to seven players which was patented by Parker Brothers and published in 1939. It uses 36 equilateral triangle tiles; each side is assigned a different color and numerical value. Players take turns laying tiles from a hand of five next to tiles already on the table; newly-laid tiles must match the color of adjacent tile(s).

Contents

Gameplay (multiplayer)

Setup

After flipping all tiles face-down and shuffling, each player draws five tiles, then displays them, face-up, keeping them visible to other players throughout the game. Play starts with the player holding the lowest-valued tile, computed by summing the three printed values for each side. That player places the lowest-valued tile on the table as the opening move of the hand. [1]

Turns

Valid move sequence:
First player placed the 1-2-3 tile, shown on right.
Second player placed the 9-2-8 tile, shown in middle, and scored 10 points for the summed value of the matched blue edges (1+9 is a multiple of 5).
Third player placed the 9-5-8 tile, shown on left, scoring no points for matching values across the gold edges (8+8 is a match but not a multiple of 5). Contack example 01.svg
Valid move sequence:
  1. First player placed the 1-2-3 tile, shown on right.
  2. Second player placed the 9-2-8 tile, shown in middle, and scored 10 points for the summed value of the matched blue edges (1+9 is a multiple of 5).
  3. Third player placed the 9-5-8 tile, shown on left, scoring no points for matching values across the gold edges (8+8 is a match but not a multiple of 5).

Play proceeds clockwise; each player usually is required to place one of their tiles adjacent to the tile that was placed by the preceding player, taking care to match a colored edge and either one of the following two conditions: [1]

  1. Values must match ("Matching Game")
  2. The sum of adjacent values must equal a multiple of 5 (5, 10, 15, etc. as the "Counting Game")

If the tile played simply matches values without summing to a multiple of 5, the placed tile earns no score for the player. However, if the sum of the adjacent matched edges is a multiple of 5, the player scores that sum for placing the tile. For example, 4-4 would score no points as a simple match, but 4-6 and 5-5 would each score ten points; although 5-5 is considered a match, its sum is also a multiple of 5. [1]

If a player is unable to make any legal move, and that player has less than five tiles in their hand, they are required to draw from the pile of undrawn face-down tiles, placing the newly drawn tile(s) face-up in their hand until either they have five tiles or they draw a tile that can be played legally. If they re-fill their hand to five tiles without exposing a tile that can be played, they lose their turn and play continues clockwise. If the pile of face-down tiles has been exhausted, the hand proceeds as long as possible. [1]

Adjacency

Normally, a player is required to play their tile adjacent to the tile that was placed during the preceding turn; however, when an "Opportunity Play" exists, that player may place their tile in a different location. This occurs when a player holds a tile that can contact two or three adjacent tiles. Scoring follows the same rules, including the matches that sum to a multiple of 5 on up to three edges. [1]

The following player must then either play a tile adjacent to the tile played during the Opportunity Play, or take advantage of an Opportunity Play of their own. If the Opportunity Play placed a tile that leaves no exposed edges (i.e., played legally against three adjacent tiles), the following player must also play an Opportunity Play, or else the hand is over. [1] Note that in Example B, illustrated above, the following player has no chance to make an Opportunity Play after the three-edge play, as there will be no open spaces with two adjacent edges, and so the hand is over following the triple edge Opportunity Play.

Ending the hand

The hand ends when one player has exhausted their hand by playing all their tiles, or when no player is able to make a legal move. [1] Any players holding tiles at the end of a hand are assessed a penalty of 10 points per tile. [1]

After three hands, the scores are summed, and the high scorer is declared the winner. [1]

Single-player variants

Draw solitaire

The connection game may be played by one person; after shuffling the face-down tiles, one tile is drawn at random to serve as the starting piece. This is followed by a repetitive draw-and-discard sequence: Another tile is drawn from the face-down pile. If this tile cannot be played legally (matching color and either matching values or values sum to a multiple of five), it is placed, face-up, in a discard pile, and another tile is drawn from the face-down pile. Again, if the newly drawn tile cannot be played, it is placed, face-up, on top of the existing discard pile, repeating the draw and discard until a tile is drawn that can be played. [1]

After placing the second tile, the tile on top of the discard pile should be played if it can be placed legally next to the tile that was just played; otherwise, the draw-and-discard sequence should be repeated until a legal move is possible. Opportunity Plays (matching two or three edges) are allowed and follow the same rules as the multiplayer version. Play continues in this fashion until either all tiles have been played or there are no legal moves possible after exhausting the draw pile. [1]

Stacked solitaire

After shuffling the tiles, divide them into seven stacks, face-up. Six stacks will have five tiles and one stack will have six tiles. Cut the six-tile stack at random and use that tile as the starting tile. The next tile may be selected from the top of any stack to complete a legal placement. Again, play continues in this manner until either all tiles have been played or there are no legal moves possible. [1]

Equipment

The game includes 36 triangular tiles. Each tile has a gold, red, or blue edge, and each edge is marked with a value ranging from 1 to 10. [2] [3] [4] [5] Each edge has a unique value, i.e., there are no tiles with two or more edges which have the same value. For example, the 01-01-01 tile does not exist. The nomenclature adopted here describes each tile by the values on the blue, red, and gold sides, respectively, starting with the value on the bottom edge (colored blue) and proceeding anti-clockwise.

Contack tiles [6]
Other
values
Low
value
02-0303-0404-0505-0606-0707-0808-0909-10
01 Contack 01-02-03.svg Contack 03-04-01.svg Contack 05-01-04.svg Contack 01-05-06.svg Contack 06-07-01.svg Contack 08-01-07.svg Contack 01-08-09.svg Contack 09-10-01.svg
01-02-0303-04-0105-01-0401-05-0606-07-0108-01-0701-08-0909-10-01
[ 01 -02-03][ 01 -03-04][ 01 -04-05][ 01 -05-06][ 01 -06-07][ 01 -07-08][ 01 -08-09][ 01 -09-10]
02  Contack 02-03-04.svg Contack 04-05-02.svg Contack 06-02-05.svg Contack 02-06-07.svg Contack 07-08-02.svg Contack 09-02-08.svg Contack 02-09-10.svg
02-03-0404-05-0206-02-0502-06-0707-08-0209-02-0802-09-10
[ 02 -03-04][ 02 -04-05][ 02 -05-06][ 02 -06-07][ 02 -07-08][ 02 -08-09][ 02 -09-10]
03  Contack 03-04-05.svg Contack 05-06-03.svg Contack 07-03-06.svg Contack 03-07-08.svg Contack 08-09-03.svg Contack 10-03-09.svg
03-04-0505-06-0307-03-0603-07-0808-09-0310-03-09
[ 03 -04-05][ 03 -05-06][ 03 -06-07][ 03 -07-08][ 03 -08-09][ 03 -09-10]
04  Contack 04-05-06.svg Contack 06-07-04.svg Contack 08-04-07.svg Contack 04-08-09.svg Contack 09-10-04.svg
04-05-0606-07-0408-04-0704-08-0909-10-04
[ 04 -05-06][ 04 -06-07][ 04 -07-08][ 04 -08-09][ 04 -09-10]
05  Contack 05-06-07.svg Contack 07-08-05.svg Contack 09-05-08.svg Contack 05-09-10.svg
05-06-0707-08-0509-05-0805-09-10
[ 05 -06-07][ 05 -07-08][ 05 -08-09][ 05 -09-10]
06  Contack 06-07-08.svg Contack 08-09-06.svg Contack 10-06-09.svg
06-07-0808-09-0610-06-09
[ 06 -07-08][ 06 -08-09][ 06 -09-10]
07  Contack 07-08-09.svg Contack 09-10-07.svg
07-08-0909-10-07
[ 07 -08-09][ 07 -09-10]
08  Contack 08-09-10.svg
08-09-10
[ 08 -09-10]

By examination, the tiles also can be described starting from the lowest value and counting anti-clockwise; using this scheme, the edge value monotonically increases when moving anti-clockwise (i.e., the tile [01-03-04] exists but not [01-04-03]). The lowest value on the tile ranges from 1 to 8, and the other two values on the tile are sequential integers (i.e., [01-03-04] and [02-03-04] but not [01-03-05], [02-03-05], or [02-03-06]). Collectively, these reduce the number of potential tile patterns.

In addition, the tiles which have three sequential integers (e.g., [01-02-03] or [05-06-07]) always have the lowest value on the blue edge, and the next value sequence with the same lowest value (e.g., [01-03-04] and [05-07-08], respectively) move the lowest value to the gold edge; the next sequence (e.g. [01-04-05] and [05-08-09]) moves the lowest value to the red edge. In other words, the lowest value rotates sequentially clockwise, from the blue edge to the gold edge to the red edge, cycling back around to the blue edge, etc.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahjong</span> Tile-based game

Mahjong or mah-jongg is a tile-based game that was developed in the 19th century in China and has spread throughout the world since the early 20th century. It is played by four players. The game and its regional variants are widely played throughout East and Southeast Asia and have also become popular in Western countries. The game has also been adapted into a widespread online entertainment. Similar to the Western card game rummy, mahjong is a game of skill, strategy, and luck. To distinguish it from mahjong solitaire, it is sometimes referred to as mahjong rummy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uno (card game)</span> Card game produced by Mattel

Uno, stylized as UNO, is a proprietary American shedding-type card game originally developed in 1971 by Merle Robbins in Reading, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati, that housed International Games Inc., a gaming company acquired by Mattel on January 23, 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triominoes</span> A board game consisting of triangular tiles.

Triominoes is a variant of dominoes using triangular tiles published in 1965. A popular version of this game is marketed as Tri-Ominos by the Pressman Toy Corp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">500 rum</span> Card game

500 rum, also called pinochle rummy, Michigan rummy, Persian rummy, rummy 500 or 500 rummy, is a popular variant of rummy. The game of canasta and several other games are believed to have developed from this popular form of rummy. The distinctive feature of 500 rum is that each player scores the value of the sets or cards they meld. It may be played by 2 to 8 players, but it is best for 3 to 5.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golf (card game)</span> Type of card game

Golf is a card game where players try to earn the lowest number of points over the course of nine deals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rummy</span> Group of matching-card games

Rummy is a group of games related by the feature of matching cards of the same rank or sequence and same suit. The basic goal in any form of rummy is to build melds which can be either sets or runs and either be first to go out or to amass more points than the opposition.

<i>Alhambra</i> (board game) 2003 board game

Alhambra is a 2003 tile-based German-style board game designed by Dirk Henn. It was originally published in Germany by Queen Games in a language-interdependent version; an English-specific version was released in North America by the now-defunct Überplay. The game is a Muslim-themed update, set during the construction of the Alhambra palace in 14th century Granada, of the 1998 stock trading board game Stimmt So!, which in turn was an update of the 1992 mafia influence board game Al Capone; the original version was subsequently released as Alhambra: The Card Game. Upon its release, Alhambra won numerous awards, including the Spiel des Jahres award. Its success has led to the release of numerous expansion packs and spin-off games, and is becoming Queen Games' flagship franchise.

Yaniv, also known as Jhyap, Jafar, aa’niv, Minca or Dave, is a card game popular in Israel. It is a draw and discard game in which players discard before drawing a new card and attempt to have the lowest value of cards in hand. The game is considered a backpackers game in Israel, and it's popular among soldiers and young adults returning from long backpacking trips.

<i>Okey</i> Board game

Okey is a tile-based game. The aim of the game is to score points against the opposing players by collecting certain groups of tiles. Okey is usually played with four players, but can also be played with only two or three players. It bears resemblance to the game Rummikub, as it is played with the same set of boards and tiles, but under a different set of rules.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chickenfoot (domino game)</span> Domino game

Chickenfoot or Chicken Foot, also called Chicken-Foot Dominoes and Chickie Dominoes, is a Block domino game of the "Trains" family for 2 to 12 players invented by Louis and Betty Howsley in 1986. Chicken Foot is played in rounds, one round for each double domino in the set and is best for 4 to 7 players.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Four color cards</span> East Asian card game

Four color cards is a game of the rummy family of card games, with a relatively long history in southern China. In Vietnam the equivalent game is known as tứ sắc.

Go-Stop, also called Godori is a Korean fishing card game played with a Hwatu (Korean: 화투) deck. The game can be called Matgo (Korean: 맞고) when only two players are playing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pyramid Power (game)</span>

Pyramid Power is a tile game, where the goal is to score points by placing triangle-shaped tiles next to other triangle-shaped tiles so that the colors on the touching faces match. Doing so scores the player points. It was published by Winning Moves Games USA in 2008 and is one of three games in their Brain-Ade line of quick puzzle games and features both multiplayer and solitaire versions. This game is no longer in production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinchón (card game)</span>

Chinchón is a matching card game played in Spain, Uruguay, Argentina, Cape Verde and other places. It is a close variant of gin rummy, with which it shares the same objective: making sets, groups or runs, of matching cards.

<i>Qwirkle</i> Tile-based board game

Qwirkle is a tile-based game for two to four players, designed by Susan McKinley Ross and published by MindWare. Qwirkle shares some characteristics with the games Rummikub and Scrabble. It is distributed in Canada by game and puzzle company Outset Media. Qwirkle is considered by MindWare to be its most awarded game of all time. In 2011, Qwirkle won the Spiel des Jahres. A sequel, Qwirkle Cubes, was released by Mindware in 2009.

Buraco is a Rummy-type card game in the Canasta family for four players in fixed partnerships in which the aim is to lay down combinations in groups of cards of equal rank and suit sequences, there being a bonus for combinations of seven cards or more. Buraco is a variation of Canasta which allows both standard melds as well as sequences. It originated from Uruguay and Argentina in the mid-1940s, with apparent characteristics of simplicity and implications that are often unforeseeable and absolutely involving. Its name derives from the Portuguese word "buraco" which means “hole”, applied to the minus score of any of the two partnerships. The game is also popular in the Arab world, specifically in the Persian Gulf; where it is known as 'Baraziliya' (Brazilian). Another popular variation of Buraco is Italian.

Japanese mahjong, also known as riichi mahjong, is a variation of mahjong. While the basic rules to the game are retained, the variation features a unique set of rules such as riichi and the use of dora. The variant is one of a few styles where discarded tiles are ordered rather than placed in a disorganized pile. This is primarily due to the furiten rule, which takes player discards into account. The variant has grown popularity due to anime, manga, and online platforms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Three player mahjong</span>

Three-player mahjong is a variation of mahjong for three players rather than the more common four-player variations. It is not a mere adaption of four-player mahjong to suit only three players but has its own rules and idiosyncrasies that place it apart from the more standard variations. The equipment used and the basic mechanisms are much like four-player variations though some tiles are removed, certain plays are prohibited and the scoring system is simplified. The game is embraced in some Asian countries while ignored or snubbed in others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabo (game)</span> Commercial card game

Cabo is a 2010 card game by Melissa Limes and Mandy Henning that involves memory and manipulation based on the classic Golf card game and similar to Rat-a-Tat Cat (1995). The game uses a dedicated deck of cards with each suit numbered from 0 to 13, and certain numbers being marked as "Peek", "Spy" or "Swap". The objective of the game is for each player to minimize the sum of their own cards, four of which are played face-down to the table at the start of a round. Face-down cards may be revealed and swapped by card effects.

Le Trioker is an corner-matching puzzle game played using 25 equilateral triangle-shaped tiles. Each corner is marked with zero, one, two, or three dots and newly placed pieces must match the values on pieces already placed on the game board, similar to the gameplay of the earlier Triominoes.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Rules For Parker Brothers Game of Matching Triangles: Contack" (PDF). Parker Brothers, Inc. 1939. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  2. Hauser, Joanna (December 30, 2019). "Contack from Parker Brothers". Toy Tales. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  3. "Game of CONTACK". National Museum of American History. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  4. "Contack Game, 1939-1950". The Henry Ford Museum. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  5. "the game of contack". Victoria & Albert Museum. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  6. GBPatent 542116A,Parker Brothers Inc.,"Improvements in apparatus for playing a table or board game",published December 24, 1941