Mate was originally published in the pamphlet "Zwei neue Kriegspiele!" (that is, "Two New Wargames!") by the German chess player G. Capellen in 1915 as Matt. Mate is a game of perfect information played with a 20 card deck. It is played in matches of two rounds and rounds of two games. Players exchange hands between the two games of each round, which eliminates luck of the draw. A winning move or "mate" consists of playing a card that the other player cannot follow either in suit or rank. A point score for the game is calculated from the rank of the mate card and the total number of moves in the game (the more the better). The player with the most points wins the match.
Inteligencia del juego
1. Decide whether to use the Single Mate deck or the Double Mate deck format (each comprises twenty cards). Prepare the deck accordingly based on player preference.\n2. Shuffle the deck thoroughly.\n3. Randomly select a starting player to be the dealer.\n4. Deal ten cards to each player.\n5. The dealer leads first (plays the first card).
The dealer begins the round by leading any card from their hand. Play proceeds trick by trick:\n\n- The non-leading player must follow color if possible.\n- If unable to follow color, the non-leading player must follow rank.\n- The player who played the highest rank within a color wins the trick, OR if rank has been matched (tied color), the player who played the highest color wins the trick.\n- The trick winner takes the lead for the next trick and retains it until the round ends or they lose the lead.\n- Cards are played face up in front of each player (not into a common pile).\n- The round ends when a player cannot legally play (they are mated) or all cards are played.
The player with the highest cumulative score after three games (six rounds total) wins. Each game is won by the player with the higher score across its two rounds. The score difference between players can measure margin of victory. Fuentes de puntuación: Mate score: mating card's point value × trick number on which the mate occurred, Overmate (one sacrificer): mate score doubled, Both sacrifice: mate scored as if it occurred one trick later (trick number +1) × card value, Only one sacrifice: if mate on trick 9, scored as trick 10 × card value
Fuente: Rulebook
Las reglas más útiles para jugar bien la primera partida.
Each card in the Mate deck depicts one of five chess piece types. These pieces are ranked from highest to lowest as follows: King (highest), Queen, Rook, Bishop, Knight (lowest). Rank determines which card wins a trick when both cards share the same color.
Each card in the Mate deck is printed in one of four colors. Colors are ranked from highest to lowest as follows: Blue (highest), Green, Yellow, Red (lowest). Color rank determines which card wins a trick when a player cannot match the led color and plays a different color, and also resolves ties when rank is matched.
The Mate deck contains twenty cards total, available in two formats: Single Mate and Double Mate. Each card shows one of five chess piece types (King, Queen, Rook, Bishop, Knight) in one of four colors (Blue, Green, Yellow, Red). Players choose which format to use before preparing and shuffling the deck.
After preparing the deck in the chosen format, shuffle it thoroughly. Randomly determine which player will deal. The dealer deals ten cards to each player. All ten cards constitute that player's hand for the round. The dealer leads the first card to begin the round.
The player who holds the lead starts a trick by playing any card of their choice face up in front of them. The dealer has the lead at the start of the round. The lead is retained by the trick winner until the round ends or the lead is lost.
When the leading player plays a card, the opposing player must play a card of the same color if they have one in their hand. This is called 'following color' and takes priority over following rank. If the player has at least one card of the led color, they must play one of those cards.
If the non-leading player has no cards of the led color, they must instead play a card of the same piece type (rank) as the led card. For example, if a Rook is led and the player has no cards of the led color, they must play a Rook of a different color if they have one.
After both cards are played, the trick is resolved as follows: (1) The player who played the highest-ranked piece within the led color wins the trick. (2) If rank has been matched (both players played the same piece type), the player who played the highest-ranked color wins. The trick winner takes the lead for the next trick.
Because all played cards are placed face up in front of each player and the deck composition is fixed and known, perfect card tracking is possible. A skilled player should always know exactly which cards remain in the opponent's hand, enabling precise calculation of when a mate can be forced.
Mates scored earlier in the round score lower (low trick number × card value), while a mate on trick 9 or 10 scores much higher. However, a mate on trick 1 with a high-value card could still be significant. Weigh the risk of attempting an early mate against the reward of setting up a late, high-value mate.
Since the opponent must follow color first and rank second, stripping a player of a color forces them into the follow-rank obligation. If you can also exhaust their cards of a given rank, you can manufacture a situation where they have no legal play and are mated.
Sacrificing a card is a high-risk, high-reward decision. It reduces your hand by one card (potentially limiting legal plays) but doubles your mate score (overmate). It is most valuable when you are confident you can still force a mate with the reduced hand, and when the mate will occur on a high-value trick.
King's Privilege overrides the normal follow-rank fallback, forcing the opponent to play a King or follow with the King's color. If you know the opponent is void in Kings and short in the King's color, invoking King's Privilege can rapidly narrow their legal options and accelerate a mate.
Because hands are swapped after round 1 and both players play identical hands, the game rewards understanding how to play a given hand optimally from both the leading and responding positions. Study your opponent's decisions in round 1 — they reveal the optimal lines for when you hold those same cards in round 2.
The leading player controls which color and rank is demanded each trick, giving a significant strategic advantage. Play high-ranked cards in strong colors to win tricks and retain the lead, preserving your ability to dictate the terms of each subsequent trick.
The opposing player cannot follow color (no blue cards), so they must follow rank and play the Red Rook. The Green Bishop cannot be played because the player has a card matching the led rank (Rook). Follow-rank is only required when follow-color is impossible, but rank must be followed if available.
Both players played a Queen, so rank is matched. The trick is won by the player who played the highest color. Blue is ranked higher than Green, so the opposing player wins the trick and takes the lead.
Both cards are the same color (Red), so the highest-ranked piece wins. King outranks Knight, so the leading player wins the trick and retains the lead.
Yes. If the player cannot follow color AND cannot follow rank, they cannot make a legal play and are mated. The round ends and the leading player wins, scoring the mating card's value multiplied by the current trick number.
When both players sacrifice, the scoring rule is that the mate is scored as if it occurred one trick later — so a trick-5 mate is scored as 6 × card value. The overmate doubling does NOT stack with the both-sacrifice rule; the both-sacrifice rule (trick +1) applies instead.
Two rules apply: (1) Since only one player sacrificed, trick 9 counts as trick 10 for scoring. (2) Since the mating player sacrificed, it is an overmate and scores double. Therefore the score is (10 × card value) × 2.
When King's Privilege is invoked and the opponent has no King, they must play a card of the same color as the led King. The standard follow-color/follow-rank rules are overridden by King's Privilege — color of the King takes effect as the fallback, not rank.
No. A sacrificed card is permanently removed from play and cannot be used under any circumstances. The player must follow rank if possible, or is mated if they have no card of the led color or rank.
Players exchange their original dealt hands — each player takes the hand the other player held at the start of the first round. No new dealing occurs. The player who did NOT deal in the first round takes the lead (plays first) in the second round.
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