Build-from-7 Sevens Card Game — Bieqi (憋七)

Play Bieqi (憋七, "Hold Back the Seven") — the Chinese Sevens card game also known as Pai Qi (排七) — against the computer. Each suit builds down from 7 to A and up from 7 to K. You may pass even when you can play, holding cards back to block the computer. Two deal modes: Classic (the traditional full deal — 24 cards each, no stock) and Draw (a modern variant with a hidden stock that adds real uncertainty to single play). Runs 100% locally in your browser. No ads, no signup.

Your hand 24 Computer hand 24 Wins 0 Deal: Difficulty:

Play a green card, hold back a red one. Green = safe · Red = opens cards for the computer.

Computer hand (face down)

Your hand — green = safe to play · red = risky

How to Play Bieqi

Two deal modes — Classic is the traditional game: all 52 cards are dealt (24 each), table empty except the four 7s, no stock — exactly how the folk game is played. Draw is our modern single-player variant: 10 cards each plus a 28-card face-down stock; after every card you play you draw back up to 10, so hidden cards keep the outcome uncertain. (Draw is a labelled adaptation, not the traditional rule.)
On your turn — play one hand card that fits next to its suit's sequence (one below the lowest card or one above the highest, e.g. ♠5 or ♠9 when ♠6 and ♠8 are showing). Or pass — even when you could play.
Read the colours — every playable card in your hand is outlined. Green = safe: the computer cannot follow up. Red = risky: in Classic, that card is provably in the computer's hand — exact deduction, and the tooltip shows how many cards it would open; in Draw, that card may be in the computer's hand or may still be hidden in the stock, so red means "maybe".
Hold back — blocking is the heart of Bieqi: play green cards while keeping red ones in hand, freezing the suits the computer is waiting on.
Computer's turn — the computer plays by the same logic. On Medium and Hard it holds back to block you too — if it passes while you are stuck, watch for its message.
Win — be first to empty your hand (in Draw mode, hands draw down only once the stock runs out). The game also ends when neither side has a playable card, or after four passes in a row with no card played; in both cases whoever holds fewer cards wins.

Example — How Blocking Wins

The table shows the four 7s. You hold ♠6 — and you know the computer holds ♠5 (in Classic mode this is provable: it is not in your hand, not on the table, so it must be in the computer's hand).

You pass. ♠6 stays hidden in your hand, so the ♠ column is frozen at 7 — the computer's ♠5 (and its ♠4, ♠3… if it holds them) cannot be played.
The computer plays other suits for a while. You keep passing.
Soon it has nothing left it can play: it passes too. On screen: "Computer passed — it's holding back!" or "Computer has no playable cards — it passed."
Now you release: play ♠6, then keep playing your other cards while the computer watches. You empty your hand first and win.

That is the whole trick — freeze a suit the computer is waiting on, and outlast it. Don't hold too long: if the game ends by remaining cards, all the cards you hoarded count against you.

Strategy Tips

Green first, red later — play safe cards immediately; keep each red card as leverage until you need it.
Count the freeze — a red card that its outline says "opens 3 cards" is worth holding: that is 3 computer cards stuck in its hand while you race ahead.
When only red remains — play the one that opens the fewest cards, and only then — compare the computer's frozen cards against your own remaining cards; near the end, stop holding back and race.
In Draw mode, red means "maybe" — the risk sharpens as the stock shrinks: once the stock is nearly gone, a red card is almost certainly in the computer's hand (exact, like Classic).
Watch the computer's hand size — when its pile of face-down cards shrinks, dump your cards instead of blocking.
It blocks you too — if the computer passes while you are stuck, it is holding back on purpose; switch to another suit.

FAQ

What is Bieqi (憋七)?

Bieqi is a Chinese card game of the Sevens family. Its name means "Hold Back the Seven" — you may pass even when you have a playable card, and that option to hold back (憋) creates the blocking tactics the game is named after.

Is this the same as the Sevens card game?

It belongs to the same family as the Western game Sevens (also called Fan-Tan, Domino, or Parliament): every suit builds up and down from the 7. The Chinese/Taiwanese version is called Pai Qi (排七) or Bieqi.

What's the difference between Classic and Draw?

Classic is the traditional full-deal game: all 52 cards are dealt at the start (24 each, table empty except the 7s) — this is how Bieqi / Pai Qi is played folk-style, and the colour hints are exact deductions. Draw is our own modern variant designed for single play: 10 cards each plus a 28-card face-down stock, drawing back up to 10 after each card played. The hidden stock keeps the game genuinely uncertain — something the traditional full deal cannot do, since in a two-player game every card's location is provably known. Draw is labelled as an adaptation, not the traditional rule.

How do you block the computer in Bieqi?

Keep in your hand the card the computer needs. In Classic mode the information is exact: any card not in your hand and not on the table must be in the computer's hand — the coloured outlines do that counting for you, and a red tooltip shows how many cards it would open. In Draw mode a red card may be in the computer's hand or still hidden in the stock. Either way: hold red, play green.

How do I know when to hold back?

Compare two things, both visible on screen: how many cards the computer would unlock if you played a red card (exact in Classic, an estimate in Draw), and how many green cards you still hold. Play green while you have them; when only red cards remain, play the least risky one and start racing. The game ends by remaining cards, so cards frozen in the computer's hand are worth points to you.

What are the other names for this game?

排七 (Pai Qi) in Taiwan, 憋七 (Bie Qi) in mainland China, "Chinese Sevens" in English. The Western equivalents are Sevens, Fan-Tan, Domino and Parliament.

What did you change for the single-player version?

Classic mode: the core rules are unchanged — you play against a computer using the same rules and the same deduction. Modern additions (both modes): colour-coded hints, three difficulty levels (on Medium and Hard the computer holds back to block you), and a clarified endgame — the game ends when neither side has a playable card, or after four passes in a row with no card played; fewer cards remaining wins. Draw mode is additionally our own variant (stock + refill) created to bring uncertainty to single play — it is clearly non-traditional and labelled as such.

Is the computer cheating? Does it see my cards?

No. In Classic mode it only uses information any player can derive: its own hand plus the table (which provably determine your hand) — exactly the same logic behind the green/red hints on your cards. In Draw mode the stock is hidden from both sides, so neither you nor the computer knows the future; the computer estimates risks just as you do.

Do I need an account or a download?

No. The game runs entirely in your browser, works offline, and stores your win count only on your device. No ads, no signup, no data collection.

📖 Rule Source — where these rules come from

Source	Traditional Chinese/Taiwanese game of the Sevens family (排七 / 憋七), oral tradition. The build-from-7 mechanic matches the Western Sevens / Fan-Tan family documented in standard English card-game references.
Original Rules	Multi-player: the four 7s start the layout; in turn, each player plays one card onto its own suit sequence (down to A, up to K) or passes — holding back playable cards is the core tactic. The first player to empty their hand wins.
Regional Names	憋七 Bieqi · 排七 Pai Qi · Chinese Sevens · (Western family: Sevens, Fan-Tan, Domino, Parliament)
Single-Player Adaptation	Two game modes. Classic — the traditional full deal (24 cards each, no stock) played against a computer, with colour-coded hints from exact two-player deduction and three difficulty levels (the computer holds back to block: Easy never, Medium sometimes, Hard often). Draw — a modern single-player variant created for this site: 10 cards each plus a 28-card face-down stock and a draw-back-to-10 refill after each play; clearly labelled as non-traditional, designed to bring uncertainty to what is otherwise a fully determined game. Endgame in both modes: no playable cards on either side, or four consecutive passes with no card played, ends the game with fewer cards remaining winning.
Win Rate / Target	Not recorded in sources. Solo target: empty your hand before the computer.
Implementation Notes	Classic mode is information-complete: any card not in your hand or on the table is provably in the opponent's hand, so the safety hints are exact rather than probabilistic, and the computer uses the same deduction. In Draw mode the hidden stock makes safety hints two-state (green = safe, red = risky). Games and wins are stored locally in your browser.