A sophisticated iOS Tarneeb card game with AI opponents powered by machine learning.

Overview

TarneebMaster is a complete implementation of the popular Middle Eastern trick-taking card game Tarneeb (also known as "Tarnibe" or "Hakam"). The game features advanced AI opponents that use both heuristic strategies and machine learning models trained through reinforcement learning.

Features

Game Features

• Complete Tarneeb Rules Implementation
  • 4-player partnership game (North-South vs East-West)
  • Full bidding phase with 7-13 bid range (Kaboot = 13)
  • Trump suit selection by winning bidder
  • Proper trick-taking with trump mechanics
  • Accurate scoring (success, failure, Kaboot bonuses)
  • Multiple target scores (31, 41, 61 points)

Game Rules:

Jawaker typically offers a standard partnership version of the game.1Here is a summary of the core Tarneeb rules on Jawaker, along with the "highest numbers" (tricks and score) involved in winning.Tarneeb Rules (Standard Partnership) on JawakerTarneeb is a 4-player game played in fixed partnerships (partners sit across from each other) using a standard 52-card deck.2 The game involves a bidding phase followed by a trick-taking phase.31. Card RankingIn all suits, the cards rank from Lowest to Highest:$$2 \rightarrow 3 \rightarrow 4 \rightarrow 5 \rightarrow 6 \rightarrow 7 \rightarrow 8 \rightarrow 9 \rightarrow 10 \rightarrow \text{Jack (J)} \rightarrow \text{Queen (Q)} \rightarrow \text{King (K)} \rightarrow \text{Ace (A)}$$The Ace (A) is the highest card in any non-trump suit.42. Bidding (The Call)Goal: Teams bid on the number of tricks ("Lamas") they believe their partnership can win in the round.5Minimum/Maximum Bid: Bids must be between 7 (the minimum) and 13 (the maximum, known as a "Kaboot").6The Trump Suit (Tarneeb): The player/team with the highest bid wins the auction and gets to declare the Tarneeb (trump) suit for that round (Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, or Spades).7Trump Power: Once declared, any card in the Tarneeb suit becomes more powerful than any card in any other suit.8 The highest-ranked Tarneeb card played will win the trick.93. Gameplay (Trick-Taking)The player who won the bid (the "Declarer") leads the first trick by playing any card.10Other players must follow suit if they have a card of that suit.11If a player cannot follow suit, they have the option to play any other card, including a Tarneeb (trump) card.12The trick is won by:The highest-ranked Tarneeb card played.13If no Tarneeb cards were played, the highest-ranked card of the led suit.The player who wins the trick leads the next one.14 This continues until all 13 tricks are played.4. Scoring (The Highest Numbers to Win)Scoring is based on whether the bidding team successfully achieves their bid.15SituationOutcomePoints ScoredSuccess (Normal Bid)Bidding team wins the number of tricks they bid, or more (e.g., they bid 9 and win 10).They score the total number of tricks won (e.g., 10 points).Failure (Normal Bid)Bidding team wins fewer tricks than they bid (e.g., they bid 9 and win 8).They lose points equal to the bid amount (e.g., -9 points). The opposing team scores the number of tricks they won.Kaboot Success (Bid 13)Bidding team bids 13 and wins all 13 tricks.26 points added to their score.Kaboot Win (Unbid 13)A team wins all 13 tricks, but their original bid was less than 13.16 points added to their score. Kaboot Failure (Bid 13) Bidding team bids 13 but fails to win them all (wins 12 or less).16 points deducted from their score.What are the Highest Numbers to Win?Highest Card Rank: The Ace (A).Highest Tricks in a Round: 13 tricks (known as Kaboot).16Highest Single-Round Score: 26 points (for successfully bidding and winning 13 tricks).17Highest Winning Total Score: The game ends when one team reaches a predetermined cumulative total.18 On Jawaker, this is often set to 41 points (the most common standard), but game settings often allow for 31 or 61 points to win the entire match