Chinchón

How to play Chinchón

Chinchón is played by 2 to 4 players, each playing for themselves, with the Spanish deck of Oros, Copas, Espadas and Bastos: 48 cards by default or 40 if you prefer, plus up to two jokers (comodines). Play moves counter-clockwise, to the right, as it does in Spain.

• Each player gets 7 cards. The next card is turned face up to start the discard pile; the rest form the stock.
• On your turn, take the top card of the stock or the top card of the discard pile.
• Then discard one card face up, so you are back to 7. The card you just took from the discard pile cannot go straight back.
• Keep drawing and discarding to build melds in your hand: sets of the same number and runs of the same suit.
• When your hand is almost fully melded, close (cerrar) instead of making a normal discard. That ends the hand for everyone.
• Everyone adds the points of their unmelded cards to their total. Low is good.

Chinchón rules (reglas del chinchón): card values

Every loose card left in your hand when someone closes is a penalty, so card values matter. The Sota (10), Caballo (11) and Rey (12) are worth 10 points each. Every other card counts its face value: an As is 1, a 5 is 5, and in the 48-card deck an 8 or 9 is 8 or 9. A joker stuck in your hand costs 25 points, which is why nobody wants to be caught holding one.

Melds in Chinchón: sets and runs (escaleras)

There are two kinds of meld, called combinaciones, and both need at least three cards.

• A set is 3 or 4 cards of the same number in any suits, for example three Reyes or four 5s.
• A run, or escalera, is 3 or more consecutive cards of the same suit, such as the 4, 5 and 6 of Copas.
• In the 40-card deck there are no 8s or 9s, so the 7 is followed directly by the Sota in a run. In the 48-card deck the order is 1 to 9, then Sota, Caballo and Rey.
• A joker stands in for any card. The 4 and 6 of Oros with a joker make a run; two Caballos with a joker make a set.
• Each card belongs to one meld only. With 7 cards, the usual finished shape is a meld of 3 plus a meld of 4.

How to close in Chinchón (cerrar, menos diez)

After you draw, if all your cards are melded except at most one loose card, and that card is worth no more than the closing limit, you may close by placing your discard face down. The closing limit is a setting of 0, 3 or 5 points, with 3 as the default. With a limit of 3 you could close with two melds and a loose 2 of Espadas, but not with a loose Sota.

The best close is cerrar con menos diez: all 7 cards in melds and no loose card. It scores minus 10, taking 10 points off your total. Many hands turn on one choice: close now with a small loose card, or wait a turn for the minus 10.

When someone closes, the others lay down their melds. With the lay-off setting on (the default) they may also add matching cards to the closer's melds, such as a fourth Rey onto three Reyes or the next card of a run. Whatever they still cannot place counts against them.

What is a chinchón?

A chinchón is a run of all 7 cards in one suit made without any joker, such as the 1 to 7 of Oros. It is the rarest hand in the game and gives the game its name. Complete one and you win the whole game at once, whatever the scores.

A seven-card run with a joker is not a chinchón, just a strong minus 10 close, so never throw away a safe close chasing one.

Chinchón scoring and elimination at 100

After every hand the scoreboard adds each player's loose card points to their total and takes 10 off for a minus 10 close. A player who goes over the limit, 100 by default or 50 for a shorter game, is eliminated. The others play on until one player is left, and that player wins.

Enganche: re-entering the game

Many tables in Argentina and Uruguay play with the enganche, a way back in for an eliminated player. Here it is a setting, off by default. When it is on, a player who goes out may buy back in once, returning with the same score as the highest player still in. It only applies with 3 or more players and while at least 2 are still in.

Jokers (comodines) in Chinchón

You can play with 0, 1 or 2 jokers; the default is 2. A joker fills any gap in a set or a run, which makes closing easier and the game faster. The price is 25 points if a joker is still loose in your hand when somebody else closes. Chinchón con comodines rewards bold play; without jokers closes come slowly and every discard matters more.

Chinchón with a 40 or 48 card deck

The 48-card baraja española has 1 to 9 plus Sota, Caballo and Rey in each suit; the 40-card deck drops the 8s and 9s. Both are traditional and you pick one in the settings. With 40 cards runs come together more often; with 48 the 8s and 9s are expensive loose cards.

New to the Spanish suits? A toggle switches to a French-suited deck: Oros become Diamonds, Copas Hearts, Espadas Spades and Bastos Clubs, with As as Ace, Sota as Jack, Caballo as Queen and Rey as King. The rules stay the same.

Chinchón vs rummy and gin rummy

Chinchón belongs to the rummy family, which is why it is often called Spanish rummy: you draw, discard and arrange your cards into sets and runs.

• Hand size: Chinchón deals 7 cards; gin rummy usually deals 10.
• Hidden melds: in basic rummy melds go on the table during play. In Chinchón, as in gin rummy, they stay in your hand until someone closes.
• Closing: gin rummy lets you knock with up to 10 points of unmatched cards. Chinchón allows at most one loose card worth 0, 3 or 5 points.
• Low score wins: in gin rummy you race to 100 points. In Chinchón going over 100 knocks you out.
• The instant win: no rummy game has an equivalent of the chinchón.

Chinchón strategy and tips

On every turn, think about three things: how close you are to closing, what your loose cards would cost if someone else closed, and what your discards tell the table.

• Get rid of expensive loose cards early. A lonely Rey costs 10 points if someone closes; a loose 1 costs almost nothing.
• Keep cards that work two ways. A 5 of Copas next to the 4 of Copas and another 5 can become a run or a set.
• Take from the discard pile only when the card clearly helps. Every card you pick up shows the table what you are building.
• Watch what opponents pick up. If someone took the 6 of Espadas, think twice before throwing the 5 or 7 of Espadas.
• Close as soon as you safely can when a rival is near the limit. A small close that pushes someone over 100 often beats waiting for minus 10.
• Do not hold a joker forever: it is the best card in the game, but also 25 points of risk.

Play Chinchón online with friends or against the computer

To practise, play against one, two or three computer opponents. Easy keeps the obvious melds and is a relaxed way to learn. Normal takes the discard when it helps and throws its highest loose card. Hard tracks every discard and every card its opponents pick up, avoids feeding your melds, and decides between closing now and waiting for minus 10.

To play Chinchón online with friends, open a room and share the link or the 6-character room code; a WhatsApp button sends it in one tap. Friends join from their own phone, tablet or computer, and the computer fills any empty seat. Rooms have a table chat with emojis and quick phrases and optional voice chat. There is no matchmaking with strangers: rooms are for people you invite.

Everything runs free in the browser with no download and no sign-up. Speed settings, sound, statistics, achievements and a leaderboard are all included. On a computer, click or use Tab and Enter to draw and discard; on a phone, tap. Cards cannot be dragged to reorder, so use the sort button to group your hand.

History of Chinchón: from Madrid to the Río de la Plata

The game is named after Chinchón, a historic town in the Community of Madrid known for its arcaded Plaza Mayor. The game travelled with emigrants to Latin America and became especially loved in Argentina and Uruguay, whose tables gave it house rules like the enganche, the choice of 40 or 48 cards and different closing limits.

En español: jugar chinchón gratis online

Aquí puedes jugar al Chinchón gratis en el navegador, sin descargas y sin registro, con la baraja española de 40 o 48 cartas y con 0, 1 o 2 comodines. Juega contra la máquina en tres niveles (fácil, normal y difícil) o crea una sala y comparte el enlace o el código con tus amigos por WhatsApp. Puedes cerrar con una carta suelta de hasta 0, 3 o 5 puntos, cerrar con menos diez y ganar la partida al instante con un chinchón. También hay eliminación a 100 o 50 puntos y la opción de enganche.