Kemps, also known as Twa, Kent, Scenics, Gampsh, Corners, Squares, Signal or Peanut Butter and Jelly is a matching card game for two to six teams of two players each. It is played with a standard 52-card deck. The origin of the game is not known and is generally learned from friend to friend. Kemps is played primarily by youth in the United States.

Objective and Game Play

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The object of kemps is for one member of a team to accumulate all four cards of a single rank in his hand and to have his partner recognize that fact aloud by yelling kemps before another team realizes that your team has four of a kind.

Prior to the game, partners confer to create a signal to indicate when four cards of a rank have been accumulated. When one partner accumulates four of a kind during game play, he makes the signal and his partner says Kemps. Partners sit opposite each other, with the playing surface in the middle.

• Each player is dealt four cards to begin the game.
• Four cards are turned face up on the central playing surface.
• All players may swap one of their cards for one of the central cards at any time.
• If it appears that no further swaps are desired, a player will verify this, clear the central four cards, and then turn up four new central cards.
• Cards that have been cleared may not be retrieved, so their ranks cannot be collected in full to complete the game objective.

The game is ended in one of two ways. If a team calls kemps, the opposing team checks to see if the partner who did not make the call has four of a kind. If the call was valid and the partner does in fact have four cards of a rank, the calling team wins. If the call was invalid, the calling team loses. In a two-team game, the other team wins in the case of an invalid call. Otherwise, no team is declared a winner.

Alternately, if a player believes that another player has four cards of a rank but the opponent's partner has not recognized this fact, he may call miss or contra-kemps (also non-kemps, counter-kemps or jelly, depending on the name of the game and rules established beforehand), indicating which player he believes has four cards of a rank. If the call is valid, the calling team wins. If the call is invalid, the calling team loses. In this case a winner may or may not be declared, as above. There is no standardized scoring for kemps.

Basic Setup

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Strategy

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Signals

The main strategy of kemps lies in the signals devised by each team. Signals can be subtle or flamboyant, as long as they are unknown to the other teams. A signal should attempt to be unique enough not to be noticed by other teams but recognizable enough that the partner can make a confident call. Using false signals is encouraged. By using false signals, players attempt to trick the opposing teams into calling contra-kemps. It is important that each player is paying attention to her parter, as the partner without four of a kind must call kemps in order to win. Combo-signals ususally consist of at least three moves, are a combation of several signals, and can be difficult for an opposing team to detect.

Watching the Cards

Another strategy is to watch what cards the opposing teams are picking up. If an opponent has picked up three of the same card, then there exists a good chance that they now have four of a kind. In this case, it would be prudent to pick up one of the rank they are going after, and hold it until you are sure that they have three of a kind, then discard it so they pick it up and you can call contra-kemps.

If a player thinks that an opponent is watching what she picks up, she has the option of chaning the rank she is collecting. Alternatively, the watched player can try to lure her opponent into falsely calling contra-kemps.

Verbal signals about situation

Some kemps teams like to develop a system of talking about their situation and the cards they require using a form of code. For example you may agree with ure partner that you are looking for the card just below the one you are really saying, for example when you say "i need a Ace" you really need a King. Or when you say "i need a seven" you really need a six.

You may also want to say your situation for example you may both agree that when you say "im cold" that means all you need is one more card and you will have a set. This may be really beneficial because you once your partner sees you picking up the card you need he/she can call kemps without a signal being shown, when signals are shown you are obviously at a disadvantage because the opportunity for the opposing team to call "contral kemps/ caught" is open.

Example Signals

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Signals Using Cards

1. Put all four cards in one hand
2. Put two cards in each hand
3. Arrange cards so partner sees only 3 cards
4. Put cards on ground
5. Put 3 cards in one hand and 1 in the other
6. Flip all cards horizontally
7. Stick one or two cards up from the others
8. Hold all cards to chin or chest
9. Any combination of turning a card
10. Re-arrange cards
11. Accidentally drop a card on the ground
12. Hold all cards between two fingers
13. Cross fingers behind cards (fingers visible to partner)
14. Close all the cards in your hand so it looks like you have only 1 card in your hand
15. Arrange card in a V formation in your hands

Silent Signals

1. Stick Tongue out
2. Roll eyes
3. Tug Bottom of shirt
4. Scratch
5. Put one hand on chin, and slowly drop it to the ground
6. Stick pinkies out
7. Start sitting on knees and once you have 4 of the same
8. Shrug
9. Wave hair
10. Fix glasses or rub eyes
11. Wink
12. Head nod
13. Chomp teeth
14. Touch your chest so many times(e.g., 4 times to indicate four of a kind)

Verbal Signals

Verbal signals can be single words, phrases or exaggerated/muted speech. In using a verbal signal, one partner may start a conversation with their partner, eventually incorporating the signal word or phrase into the conversation when he has accumulated four cards of the same rank. In this example, the signal word is "silenced":

• Partner A: I Really like on-line shoot 'em up games, don't you?
• Partner B: Yeah, so do I. One I like is Counter-Strike.
• A: Me TOO! One of my favorite weapons is the AK-47.
• B: Ha, mine is the M14.
• A: I only like that weapon when it is 'silenced'.
• B: Well, a glock is also a fine weapon...KEMPS!

Players may also agree on noises as a verbal signal, such as mooing, snorting or whistling.

In a game which allows for verbal signals a very sucessful one is for both players in a partnership to be constantly saying random words. But at the start of the game both players agreed to a certain letter which would be the signal, lets use as the example. "fish, grasshopper, pancake, CD, wallet, Cup, Ashtray" , once ashtray is said then "kemps" will be called because that was the word with [A as the starting letter

Verbal Code Signals

Since kemps is usually played in a series of rounds, players may find it useful to have more than one signal, and change their signal each round. When using multiple signals, teammates give code names to their different signals, like 'a-formula', 'y-formula', '2-formula', or 'b-signal'. While in play, one teammate will say a code name to change the signal.

For example, suppose 'a-formula' is be the code name to make the signal whitsling, 'y-formula' the code to make the signal yawning, and 'b-signal' the code to change the signal to clucking like a chicken. After each round the team can change their signal by simply calling out 'a-formula!' or 'b-signal!'. Players can also use the code signals to change their signal during play. Using this type of complicated signal is difficult, and not necessarily more successful than using simpler signals. The most complex signal is no substitue for good team observation.

Crazy Signals

1. Scatter all the cards in the middle (a great way to end the game)
2. Attempt to eat the person next to you
3. Say, "I have four of a kind"
4. Smack the opposition
5. Collapse on the ground
6. Show cards to partner
7. Say "ooga booga"

Crazy signals add humor to the game, but ususally cannot be used more than once because they are so obvious to the opposing team.

Fake Signals

Any signal that is not the agreed upon signal between partners can be used as a fake signal. Panters who have agreed upon yawning as their kemps signal, for example, can use any signal besides yawning in an attempt to trick the opposing team into saying contra-kemps.

Variations

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Different ways to play a great game!

Silent Kemps Variation

In this variation of the game, players are prohibited from using verbal signals, or making loud noises during play. Teams are engouraged to use subtle signals, putting empasis on concentration and perceptivity.

SUPER SERIES KEMPS VARIATION

In this variation of the game you require four players a side. This game takes a bit more time due to strategising and starting and stopping play but the depth of strategy this game allows is significantly better.

This game still uses the basic principles of kemps with a pair vs another pair. But in this game at the very start both teams flip a coin the winning side decides who will go first. There are 6 rounds per game. Each of the four players will play in three of the six rounds. So why flip a coin to see who goes first? Well this basically means the side which must go first has to decide the pair they will bring to the 1st round first. After this team has decided who they will give for this first round the opposing team can choose the pair they want to bring out to play against them in the 1st round. So hopefully you can see this game becomes strategic in who you like to play against who. The team who according to the coin flip is "going first" will have deicide their pairs for the 1st 3 rounds first, and then it will swap and the 2nd half of the game will the other team will decide their pairs first.

Then there is the supersub rule. In the game as you know there is 2 people vs 2 people, at the start of any round of the game your team can call on your supersub. The supersub cannot call "kemps" but can only call "contra-kemps, caught, jelly (or other variation which relates to catching the other side)". So effectivley it will be a pair vs a pair + 1, and that 1 person (the supersub) cannot call kemps or use cards, but they improove your chances as you have someone else who can do spotting. Can another team bring on a supersub when one of the teams has called theirs on? Yes absoultely, In this situation you effectly have 3 vs 3 with each team having 1 person sitting down spotting. How many times can you bring a supersub on? ONCE out of the 6 rounds. Who can be a supersub? Well since you already have two of the four people sitting at the table going to play for your team any of the other 2 can be a supersub. Can a supersub talk during the game? absolutely, a supersub might want to give a running commentary on what cards are being picked by whom so teammates are ready to pick up those cards to prevent the opposition from claiming a set.

Strategies

This game comes down to deciding who you like to put against who. A team might call on two unstoppable people and the otehr team to respond with may not want to waste their good people on a round which is likley to be lost (cos remmeber each player only gets to play in 3 rounds). Or if you see someone who is obviously trigger happy in calling "contra-kemps, caught, jelly etc etc...." you might want to put ure weaker players down with the instructions to try and bait them into calling "caught". The supersub ideally should be called in a round where you want to gurantee a win, or you might want to leave them till a point in the game where the stakes are quite high (obvsiouly usually in one of the final rounds). The CAPTAINS or playmakers for each side ARE PIVOTAL in this form of the game, and strategies can be quite complex

In this game a draw can happen if both teams win 3 rounds each. Which makes this a difficult game to win, and draws are common. But when there is a win it is usually quite deserving.

קרה קופה | Matching card games