Shengji is a free online version of the Chinese partnership trick-taking game, played in the browser against three computer players with no download and no account. It is also known as Tractor, after its signature shape. Two decks are used — 108 cards, four jokers — with twenty-five to each player and eight buried in the middle. You sit opposite your partner. One partnership is the banker side, takes the eight buried cards, buries eight of its own and leads first; the other side attacks, and everything turns on the point cards: every 5 is worth five, every 10 and every king worth ten, and the two decks hold exactly two hundred points between them. The attackers need eighty. What makes this game genuinely its own is that trump is not a suit. It is a suit plus a rank: whatever the banker side’s current level is, all four cards of that rank become trumps too, alongside both jokers and the whole trump suit. At level 7 with hearts trump, the seven of clubs is a trump and the ace of clubs is not — which means the suit you must follow is often not the suit printed on the card. The trump order runs big joker, small joker, the level card of the trump suit, then the level card of any other suit, then ace, king and downward. And because there are two decks, identical cards exist, so pairs are a shape — and two or more consecutive pairs in one suit make a tractor, which nothing but a longer-or-equal tractor can beat. Win a hand and your partnership climbs one, two or three levels depending on how badly you held the attackers; getting past the ace wins the match. Six tables of opponents run from one that throws its kings away to one that never does.
How to play Shengji
- Four players in two fixed partnerships — you and the player opposite against the two at the sides. Two decks are dealt twenty-five cards each, with eight buried in the middle.
- One partnership is the banker side. Its banker chooses the trump suit, picks up the eight buried cards for a hand of thirty-three, then buries eight again and leads the first trick.
- Trump is a suit *and* a rank. Whatever the banker side’s level is, every card of that rank becomes a trump whatever its printed suit, along with both jokers and the entire trump suit.
- So at level 7 with hearts trump, the seven of clubs is a trump card. If clubs are led and the only club you hold is that seven, you are void in clubs and may play anything.
- Inside trump the order is: big joker, small joker, the level card of the trump suit, the level card of any other suit, then ace, king, queen and down. The three off-suit level cards tie with each other, and the first one played wins.
- You must follow the led suit while you hold any of it, and you must use every card of it you hold up to the number led. Once you are void you may play anything, including a trump — that is how a trick gets trumped.
- Leads can be a single, a pair, or a tractor. A pair is two identical cards, which two decks make possible; a tractor is two or more consecutive pairs in one suit.
- A tractor can only be beaten by another tractor of the same number of pairs, higher. A three-pair tractor does not beat a two-pair one — it is a different shape.
- Only fives, tens and kings score: five points for a five, ten for a ten or a king. The two decks hold exactly two hundred points, and the attacking side needs eighty.
- If the attackers take the very last trick, they also collect the eight buried cards, multiplied by twice the size of the winning play. Taking the last trick with a tractor is worth an enormous amount.
- Below eighty the banker side keeps the bank and climbs: one level under eighty, two under forty, three if the attackers score nothing. At eighty the attackers take the bank, and every further forty points is another level for them. Getting past the ace wins the match.
Tips
- Read your hand by trump, not by suit. The gold-edged cards are your trumps, and at a high level rank there are more of them than you expect — twenty-six cards in the pack are trumps at any moment.
- Never throw a five, ten or king into a trick your side is not winning. It is the single most expensive habit in this game, and it is exactly what the first two tables do — watch them do it and you will stop.
- Do feed points to a partner who has already won the trick. A king thrown onto your partner’s ace is ten points banked; the same king thrown onto an opponent’s ace is ten points given away.
- Lead tractors early. They are almost unbeatable while everyone still has cards, and they drag out two pairs of trumps at a time when they are ruffed.
- As banker, bury your weak side suit and never bury points. If the attackers take the last trick the buried cards go to them, multiplied — burying a king can hand over eighty points in one moment.
- As an attacker, count to eighty and not to victory. You do not need to win tricks, you need to win the tricks with points in them, and a trick of low cards is worth nothing to anybody.
- Watch the off-suit level cards. Three of them tie, so the first one played beats the other two — leading one is far better than following with it.
- Trump early rather than late if the opponents are running a suit. Every point in that suit is going to their side otherwise, and your small trump will never be worth more than it is right now.
FAQ
Is Shengji free to play?
Yes. It runs in your browser with no download, no sign-up and nothing to buy. All six tables of opponents are here and unlock as you win matches.
Why is a seven a trump when hearts are trumps?
Because trump in Shengji is a suit plus a rank. The banker side’s current level rank is trump in every suit, so at level 7 all four sevens are trumps alongside both jokers and the whole heart suit. It is the rule that makes the game different from every Western trick-taking game, and it is why the cards in your hand are marked — you cannot read trumps off the pips.
What is a tractor?
Two or more consecutive pairs in the same suit — for example two nines and two tens of spades. It is a shape in its own right, and only a tractor of the same number of pairs, higher, can beat it. The game is named after it, and it is only possible because two decks are in play, which is what makes identical cards exist.
How do the points work?
Only three ranks score: every 5 is worth five points, every 10 and every king is worth ten. Two decks contain exactly two hundred points. The attacking partnership collects the points in the tricks it wins and needs eighty of them; the banker partnership is trying to keep them under that.
What happens if I am void in the suit that was led?
You may play anything, including trumps — and playing a trump wins the trick unless somebody trumps higher. Note that "void" is decided by effective suit: if the only club you hold is the level rank, that card is a trump and you have no clubs.
What are the buried cards for?
The banker takes them, making a hand of thirty-three, then buries eight of their own. If the attacking side wins the very last trick of the hand, they collect whatever points are in those buried cards — multiplied by twice the size of the winning play. It is the biggest single swing in the game, and it is why a banker never buries a king.
How do I win the match?
By climbing past the ace. Your partnership starts at level 2 and moves up one, two or three levels for each hand it holds the attackers under eighty. Losing a hand hands the bank to the other side, and they start climbing instead.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. A twenty-five card hand fans to fit the screen width, and the four plays of a trick sit in the direction each player is in, so you can see at a glance who trumped whom rather than decoding a row.