Card rules · 2026-10-29
How to Separate Card Controls from the Rules of Play
“Tap a card to play” tells you how to select a card. It does not tell you which card is legal. A useful answer depends on the particular question being asked.
“Tap a card to play” tells you how to select a card. It does not tell you which card is legal. A useful answer depends on the particular question being asked.
Question: why can I not choose a different suit?
Take a trick-taking exercise in which clubs are led. You hold 3♣ and K♥. If the mode requires following suit whenever possible, 3♣ supplies the required suit. The king's higher rank does not remove that obligation.
The relevant information is the follow-suit clause. Instructions about tapping, dragging or enlarging cards cannot answer this question.
Question: which suit is trump in this hand?
This may come from a hand-specific designation rather than the general control page. Knowing today's trump still does not explain whether following the led suit is compulsory. The designation and the obligation perform different jobs.
Question: what makes the exercise finish?
Look for the mode's completion condition: a completed trick, an accepted grouping or a stated match endpoint. A button labelled finish cannot supply that definition on its own.
These questions belong at different levels of help. Controls explain an input. Mode rules explain permitted play. A hand notice supplies a temporary condition. Matching the question to the right level prevents a familiar interface instruction from being mistaken for a complete rulebook.
Follow a question through the right help section
Suppose tapping a card selects it, but the next action is refused. The control instruction has already explained selection. To understand the refusal, look for the rule about the current turn or the kind of card that may be played. Repeating the tapping instruction cannot answer a question about permission. First name the action you attempted, then find the condition governing that action.