Literature (card game)

Literature is a card game for six or eight players divided into two teams, played with a shortened version of the standard 52 card pack, most often with the eights removed so the deck splits evenly into eight six card books, such as Low Spades or High Hearts. Also known as Fish, Canadian Fish or Russian Fish because of its resemblance to the children's game Go Fish, Literature is especially popular in southern India as well as in parts of North America. On a turn a player asks a specific opponent for a specific card, but may only ask for a card belonging to a book the asking player already holds at least one card from, and may never ask for a card already in their own hand. A correct guess hands the card over and lets the asker take another turn; a wrong guess passes the turn to the player who was asked. Once a team collects every card belonging to a six card book, that team claims the book and scores a point for it, and the game ends once all eight books have been claimed, with the team holding more books declared the winner. Success depends heavily on memory, deduction and careful management of what a player reveals through their own questions.