Chotto
2–4 Players, Ages 6+
Chotto ちょっと ▶ “hey!” [frustrated] is a simultaneous hanafuda game for 2–4 players. The goal is to capture the highest-value cards to earn more points than your opponent.
This game is a Junior original, created by Louie Mantia. Its concurrent gameplay is fairly unique for hanafuda. It’s great for people looking for variety in gameplay.
Cards
This game uses a 48-card hanafuda deck.
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If you’re using a Junior Hanafuda deck, be sure to set aside its extra cards.
Setup
Shuffle the deck and deal three cards to each player. Place the remaining deck adjacent to the field.
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To begin, each player selects one card from their hand, placing it face-down in front of them. When all players have made their selections, they simultaneously reveal them and move them into the field.
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Gameplay
Goal
The goal of Chotto is to match and capture cards from your hand with cards in the field to score the most points possible.
Sequence
At the beginning of each sequence, every player draws one card from the deck to replenish their hand to three cards.
Next, each player selects one card from their hand, placing it face-down in front of them, with all players revealing their selections simultaneously.
If you find two matches, you may only capture one of them with the card you introduced to the field. However, if the card matches three cards in the field, you may capture all four.
If you cannot make a match, your card is surrendered into the field.
If you find a match, you capture these cards. Place both cards face-up in front of you.
If two players attempt to capture the same suit, neither player captures cards, and both of their cards will be added to the field to form a stack of three.
If two players introduce cards of the same suit without a third in the field, the pair is removed from play and cannot be captured by any player.
Continue until all cards are depleted.
Ending
When all players have depleted all the cards from their hands, the round ends.
Scoring
At the end of the round, each player tallies the points of their captured cards according to the following table.
| Hikari | Tane | Tanzaku | Kasu |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 10 | 5 | 0 |
Then, each player subtracts the par score from their subtotal. Refer to the following table for the appropriate par score.
| Players | Par Score |
|---|---|
| 2 | 120 |
| 3 | 80 |
| 4 | 60 |
Series
Games are best played in a series of 3, 6, or 12 rounds. The player with the highest total score at the end of the series wins!
If the players have identical scores, rejoice in the shared victory!
Strategy
Prioritize capturing cards when matching opportunities arise, introducing lower-value cards into the field when you cannot see a match. However, be aware of what opportunities a lower-value card may introduce for your opponents. A Kasu might not be valuable to you, but it could allow someone to capture the Hikari card from that month.
At the beginning of a round, there may be a decent chance players attempt to capture the same card in the field, but as the round progresses, keep an eye on what has been captured. Because the months have only four cards, up to two matches can be made from that month. If two cards have already been captured, and the last two are in your in your hand and in the field, you’re the only player who can capture it. You don’t have to rush for it.
