One, trick 9. You are the Declarer (P1), and P3 showed the called K
at trick 4. P4 has trumped the Spade lead with the XIII, and you play last.
P3Partner
P4Dealer
P2
P3
P4Your hand
Pad
- Still out: I, IV, VIII, XIV, XV, XVI, Skus, 10♣, 10♠.
- P4 has no Clubs or Spades.
- So far your side has 17 cards with 19 pips; the Defenders have 21 cards with 19 pips, talon included.
Which Tarok do you play?
Answer
XXI. Nobody plays after you and the Skus is not in this trick, so your Moon wins it and can no longer be lost. The XVIII or the XX would win this trick too, but the Moon would stay in your hand while the Skus is still out, and a later Tarok trick can bring the two together. Play the Moon into a trick that nothing can follow.
Rule: Protect the Moon: keep the Skus as its cover when you hold it, and never lead the Moon late while the Skus has not been played, whoever holds it. The Moon can only be lost to the Pagat in a Fairy Tale Trick, or to the Skus in any other trick, even if it is your Partner’s Skus that captures it.