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Kontest

Whot

The Nigerian card game: match shape or number, pick two, hold on, general market.

Players
2 to 8 (more than 2 in groups)
Cards
The 54-card Whot deck, 5 each
Luck
Some: the deal and the market

The deal and matching

Five cards each. The top of the market (the face-down stack) is turned to start the pile. On your turn play one card that matches the top of the pile by shape or number, or go to market and draw one.

5 cards
They
Pile

Match shape or number, or go to market

4 of circles on top: the 7 of circles matches by shape.

Whot 20 is wild: play it on anything and call the shape the next card must be. The next card must be that shape, or another 20.

The special cards

  • 1, hold on: you play again.
  • 8, suspension: the next player misses their turn. With two players that means you play again.
  • 14, general market: everybody else draws one, and play passes on.
  • 2, pick two and 5, pick three: the next player draws two (or three), or defends with a card of the same number, which stacks and passes it on: a 2 on a 2 is four to pick. Only like answers like: a 5 doesn’t answer a 2, nor does a 20.
  • Whoever picks up has their turn end there.
4 cards
They
Pile

Match shape or number, or go to market

3 of stars on top. Your 2 of stars matches, and it is a pick two.

Market and winning

You may always go to market instead of playing; it draws one (or the waiting pick) and ends your turn. An empty market is refilled from the pile, under its top card. The first to empty their hand wins, and the last card counts even if it is a special.

If the market runs out for good, the game ends and the lower hand wins: card numbers added up, stars counting double, 20s as 20. Equal is a draw.

Three to eight players

In a group, Whot seats up to eight at one table. Play goes round in turn, and the specials work on the next player. When the game ends everybody gets a place, shown in a results table.

  • Count (the usual way, and the default): the first player to empty their hand wins and the game stops. Everybody else counts what is left in their hand, the Nigerian way: each card is its number, a star counts double (a 7 of stars is 14), and a Whot is 20. Lowest count comes next, and so on.
  • Play on: the first out wins, and the rest keep playing for the places, leaving the table as they empty their hands, until one is left.
  • If the market runs dry, everybody still holding cards is counted. Two hands worth the same are placed in turn order after the winner.

On Kontest

Series. A game can be one game or a best of 3, 5 or 7: a win is a point, a draw half each, and the first past half wins the match. Who moves first swaps every game, against KBot too.

Start between games. After each game both players press Start for the next. You have the clock’s base time to do it (3 minutes on 3 + 2, an hour on an hour a move). Not pressing in time loses that game. If nobody presses Start, the match ends there: the leader wins it, and a level score is a draw.

Clocks. Either a time per move (from a minute to a day), or a time for the whole game, with or without an increment added after each move (“3 + 2” is three minutes each plus two seconds a move). Run out and you lose. The default is an hour a move.

Draws and resigning. You can offer a draw or resign at any time; in a series you choose whether it is for this game or the whole match, and the other player sees which. At a table of three or more you leave instead: you’re placed last, and the rest play on.

KBot. In your own chat you can play KBot, on Normal (it plays properly) or Easy (it makes mistakes). Games against KBot don’t count towards your stats or the leaderboards.

Just for fun. Dice and card games involve luck, so they are only ever friendlies: they never carry a prize.

Ready for a game of Whot?

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