Zheng Shangyou is a Chinese card game whose name can be roughly translated as Struggling Upstream. The game exists in several variations, and has various alternative names. According to Zhang Shutai, the most interesting version is the partnership game for six players, also known as San jia xi (family of three) or Huojian (rocket). This is a skilful and light-hearted card game for four or more players, probably best with five or six.
Zheng Shangyou was brought to the UK by John McLeod, who learned it during a visit to China by some British Go players in 1979 from an interpreter Zhang Chuansheng. In Britain it was given the name Pits, which is easier to pronounce, and refers to the predicament of the losing players, who find themselves in a pit which is hard to escape from. A couple to whom Jonathan Norris taught it reported that they call it 'Unto him...'. It is closely related to several other games - the Japanese Dai Hin Min (or Dai Fugo), VietnameseTieng Len, Chinese Big Two and the Western derivative usually called Asshole or President. In fact you could argue that these are really all versions of the same game. Zheng Shangyou uses a 54-card pack consisting of the standard 52 cards with the addition of two distinguishable jokers, referred to as Red and Black. The object of each hand is to be the first to play out all one's cards and thereby gain two points, or second and gain one, towards a rubber-winning total of (usually) eleven. Research Zheng Shangyou
Abbreviations
Recreation
Research Zheng Shangyou