Allegra

About this board game

Allegra is a card game for 2–6 players that takes about 40 minutes, combining low-score play with shared spaces and unexpected exchanges between neighbors.

Based on the public card game “Golf,” Allegra uses cards numbered from -1 to 11. Over three rounds, each player arranges twelve face-down cards in a four-column, three-row grid, then reveals two cards in their area. Your area overlaps with your neighbors: your rightmost column also belongs to the player on your right, while your area includes the rightmost column of the player on your left.

On your turn, draw either the top card of the deck or the top card of the discard pile. A discard-pile card must be swapped with a card in your area. A deck card may be discarded, revealing a card in your area, or swapped into your grid. Other players can also knock when you draw from the deck, asking for that card in exchange for a chance to replace one of their cards and make a swap involving your area.

• Keep card values low, including the -1 cards.
• Form three identical cards in a row or column to remove them from play.
• Watch overlapping columns, where a match can cross into a neighbor’s grid.

When one player has revealed all their cards, everyone else takes one final turn. Players then total the cards remaining in their area. The player who ended the round doubles their sum if it is not the lowest, and after three rounds the player with the lowest overall score wins.

With its shared grids and opportunities to help—or disrupt—neighbors, Allegra makes every draw and swap matter.