Jarnac (play)

The Jarnac , or initially Jarnac! , is a Jeu of letters, created by Emile Lombard, opposing two players or two teams. The objective is to supplement the first its own grid.

Material of play

Each player uses a carpet of play comprising 7 lines of 9 boxes. An opaque bag contains 144 letters thus distributed: 14 have, 4 B, 7 C, 5 D, 19th, 2 F, 4 G, 2:00, 11 I, 1 J, 1 K, 6 L, 5 M, 9 NR, 8, O, 4 P, 1 Q, 10 R, 7 S, 9 T, 8 U, 2 V, 1 W, 1 X, 1 Y and 2 Z.

Course of the part

First turn

The first player receives 6 letters. He then seeks to compose a word of at least 3 letters which he places on the first line of his carpet. If it succeeds, it can draw an additional letter and, with the choice, supplement its first word or open the second line. It continues thus until more being able to modify its carpet. It then gives the opaque bag to its adversary which there picks in its turn 6 letters and acts in the same way.

Following turns

The alternation of play continues but the player who receives the opaque bag has the choice between two actions: to draw a new letter or to exchange three letters not used of its carpet.

End of part

The play stops when one of the players reached the seventh line of its carpet and does not find any more to supplement its words.

One then establishes the score of each one while allotting to each word a value equalizes with the square of his number of letters, therefore to the maximum 81 pts for a word of 9 letters.

Blow of Jarnac

The interest of the play and the source of many bounces are the possibility offered to the adversary to seize a word which the player would not have seen when it passes the hand. It is agreed to declare “ Jarnac ! ” at the time of such a phase of play.

Alternatives

One can make the play more difficult while obliging to each change to create a really new word, i.e. of different root. Thus, the series PLAYS --> TO PLAY --> she WILL PLAY would be refused, but the series PLAYED --> OPENING --> WILL PLAY accepted.
Certains followers refuses the conjugated verbs and authorize the opening of the final line only if it is impossible to supplement one of the preceding ones. These constraints are retained at the time of the festivals of plays: the classification is established with the number of victories, the variations of points make it possible to decide between the equal ones.
One can also play in team, for example to two against two, or a strong player against two weaker.
an option consists in accepting all the words but counting 100 pts for a word of 9 letters which is neither a verb combined nor a word with female or in the plural.

External bonds

Official site
Online game on Wanadoo
Solveur dedicated to Jarnac

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