Guandan Rule The rule book · Part 04
Regional Variants
Guandan grew up as a folk game before it was ever standardised, so the rules still shift from town to town. These are the three you will meet.
National · 2017 ruleset
| Return card | 10 or lower only |
|---|---|
| Promotion | 1+2 → 3 ranks / 1+3 → 2 / 1+4 → 1 |
| Three failed A | Not used |
| End | Time and round limits |
The competition standard issued by the General Administration of Sport. This app defaults to it and most online ranked play follows it.
Bombs: Bomb order follows the national rules. With wilds a bomb can reach nine or ten cards, all still below the royal bomb.
Huai’an · original
| Return card | No limit — any card |
|---|---|
| Promotion | 1+2 → 3 ranks / 1+3 → 2 / 1+4 → 1 |
| Three failed A | Common — back to rank 2 |
| End | Until A is cleared |
The folk style of the birthplace. With no limit on the returned card you can hand back a big one to rescue your partner.
Bombs: Bomb order is the same, though some tables refuse to recognise nine- and ten-card bombs.
Nanjing · strict
| Return card | Strictly 10 or lower |
|---|---|
| Promotion | No gain on 1+4 · demoted one rank if partner is last |
| Three failed A | Used |
| End | Until A is cleared |
The style settled around Nanjing, with the harshest promotion. Finishing first alone is not enough, so partner play matters most.
Bombs: Bomb order is identical, but the tight promotion makes players hoard bombs to the end.