Terc

TERC is a logical card game

The principal of the game is that from the laid out cards, you must find a set of three cards which are matching according to the rules explained below. The aim is to react quickly after each new deal and to find more matching cards than the other players.

This TERC game can be played alone as a form of patience, in pairs or with more players competing individually.

The game consists of 81 different cards, with every card having four attributes:

Background Colour (yellow, white or black)
Shape (Ring, Filled Circle, Ring enclosing Filled Circle)
Colour of the Shape (red, green, blue)
Number of Shapes (one, two or three)

Each TERC comprises three cards which for each attribute of the cards, they are the same or completely different. Since all of the 81 cards are different at least one attribute in the TERC must be completely different. The detail rules explanation is inside the box.

The Rules of the Game

Background Colour (yellow, white or black)
Shape (Ring, Filled Circle, Ring enclosing Filled Circle)
Colour of the Shape (red, green, blue)
Number of Shapes (one, two or three)

So the following must be true:

The Background Colour of the three cards must be the same (e.g. all are yellow) or three different (i.e. yellow, white or black). Note: It is not acceptable if only two are the same.
The Shape on the three cards must be the same (e.g. all are Rings) or three different (i.e. Ring, Filled Circle or Ring enclosing Filled Circle). Note: It is not acceptable if only two are the same.
The Colour of the Shape on the three cards must be the same (e.g. all are red) or three different (i.e. red, green or blue). Note: It is not acceptable if only two are the same.
The Number of the Shapes on the three cards must be the same (e.g. all are two) or three different (i.e. one, two or three). Note: It is not acceptable if only two are the same.

In other words a Terc is a combination of cards where each attribute is either the same or completely different, bearing in mind that at least one of the attributes must be completely different on all three cards.

How to play the game

The players choose a dealer. It is recommended to separate the cards very well by laying them on the table mixing them or by shuffling into five separate piles, and then taking piles which are opposite each other. Then the Dealer lays 12 cards on the table as 4 columns of three cards.

The players including the Dealer place themselves so that they all have a clear view of the laid out cards.

The Dealer starts the game by saying "the game starts". The aim of the game is to find as many as possible matching sets of three cards. The first player to see a valid combination of three cards must say "Terc" and then he identifies the three cards. He can remove the three cards from the table providing the other players agree. He places the cards in front of him.

The players then look to see if another combination is present in the remaining cards, and this process continues until all players agree that no further combination of cards making a Terc are present. The dealer then replaces the removed cards to restore the 12 cards on the table as 4 columns of three cards. This procedure continues until all of the cards in the pack have been laid down and no more three card Terc combinations are possible.

In the case where everybody agrees that no three card Terc combinations are possible in the 12 cards laid down, the Dealer can lay down a further column of three cards. If a combination is found for a Terc then there is no need to replace the removed cards unless the remaining 12 cards yield no further combinations.

In the case where everybody agrees that no three card Terc combinations are possible in the 15 cards laid down, then the dealer removes the recently dealt fifth column and places the three cards at the bottom of the pack. He then deals three new cards in the fifth column.

When all of the cards in the pack have been laid down and no more three card Terc combinations are possible the game is finished. The winner of the game is the player who has removed the greatest number of cards as successful Terc.

Examples:

The following three cards make a Terc because: The Background Colour of the three cards is the same (all are black). The Shape on the three cards is the same (all are Rings enclosing Filled Circles). The Colours of the Shapes on the three cards are all different (green, blue and red). The Number of the Shapes on the three cards is different (one, two and three).
The following three cards do not make a Terc because: The Background Colour of the three cards is not the same nor is it completely different (two are yellow and one is black). This invalidates the Terc, although the other three attributes are correct. The Shape on the three cards is the same (all are Filled Circles). The Colours of the Shapes on the three cards are all different (green, red and blue). The Number of the Shapes on the three cards is the same (one).
The following three cards make a Terc because: The Background Colour of the three cards is completely different (yellow, white and black). The Shape on the three cards is the same (all are Rings enclosing Filled Circles). The Colours of the Shapes on the three cards are all different (blue, red and green). The Number of the Shapes on the three cards is the same (three).
The following three cards do not make a Terc because: The Colours of the Shapes on the three cards are not the same nor are they completely different (two are blue and one is green). This invalidates the Terc, although the other three attributes are correct. The Background Colour of the three cards is the same (all are white). The Shape on the three cards is the same (all are Rings). The Number of the Shapes on the three cards is different (one, two and three).

In summary three cards are not a Terc when for at least one of the attributes of the cards, exactly two cards are the same.

We wish you a lot of fun with this game.