How to Play Chkobba
Chkobba — Arabic for "sweep" — is Tunisia's most popular card game, a close cousin of Scopa played with a 40-card deck. Match or sum your way to a capture, and clear the table completely for a bonus Chkobba. Learn the rules here, then play free as part of our Ultimate Scopa Collection.
Overview
Chkobba — Arabic for "sweep" — is Tunisia's most popular card game, and a close cousin of Scopa played with a 40-card deck. Capture cards from the table by matching or summing to your card's rank, and clear the table completely for a bonus Chkobba. Beat your opponent across five scoring categories, first to 21 points wins.
How to Play
- Deal. 4 cards go face-up on the table, and 3 cards to each player's hand.
- Reshuffle rule. If the opening table shows 3 or 4 cards of the same rank, it's reshuffled and redealt.
- Play a card from your hand.
- Capture or discard. Tap table cards that match or sum to your card's rank, or discard if nothing captures.
- Redeal. When both hands are empty, 3 more cards are dealt to each player (no new table cards), repeating until the deck runs out.
- Leftover cards. Cards left on the table at the very end go to the last player who captured.
- Score the five categories and keep dealing hands until someone reaches 21 points.
Card Ranks & Values
The deck has 40 cards in four suits — ranks 1 through 7, then Jack, Queen and King worth 8, 9 and 10 for capturing purposes. Card art can be French, Spanish, Napoletane or Sicilian; the values are always the same.
Chkobba — Clearing the Table
Capture every remaining card and clear the table completely, and you score a Chkobba — worth 1 point, tallied at the end of the hand.
Barmila Explained
Unlike Escoba's Prime category, Barmila only ever counts 7s and 6s — suit doesn't matter, only rank. Chasing 7s in any suit is the most important strategic goal after the 7 of Diamonds.
End of Hand — Five Scoring Categories
Most Cards — 1 point to whoever captured more cards overall. A tie scores nothing.
Most Diamonds — 1 point to whoever captured more Diamond-suit cards. A tie scores nothing.
7 of Diamonds — 1 point to whoever captured it.
Barmila — 1 point to whoever captured more 7s and 6s combined, regardless of suit.
Chkobbas — 1 point for each Chkobba scored during play.
Strategy Tips
- Chase 7s for Barmila — a 7 in each suit is the biggest lead you can build in that category.
- Prioritise the 7 of Diamonds above all else — it's a guaranteed point the moment you capture it.
- Watch the Diamonds count. With only 10 Diamond cards in the deck, every one your opponent captures pulls that category further out of reach.
- Time your Chkobbas. A capture that clears the table is worth an extra point on top of the cards themselves — don't rush a smaller capture if a table-clearing one is close.
- Remember the reshuffle rule — a table with 3 or 4 cards of the same rank never survives the deal, so don't plan around it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many players does Chkobba need?
Chkobba is played by 2 people, each on their own, using a 40-card deck.
How do you capture in Chkobba?
Play a card that matches a table card's rank, or that sums with other table cards to reach its value.
What is a Chkobba?
Clearing the entire table with a single capture is called a Chkobba, and scores 1 point, tallied at the end of the hand.
What is Barmila in Chkobba?
Barmila is one of the five scoring categories — 1 point to whoever captured more 7s and 6s combined across all four suits, regardless of suit.
How do you win Chkobba?
Score across five categories at the end of each hand — Most Cards, Most Diamonds, 7 of Diamonds, Barmila, and 1 point per Chkobba scored during play. First to 21 wins.
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Play Chkobba Free
Chkobba is one of 13 fishing games in our Ultimate Scopa Collection — download it free and start sweeping the table today.