Tango de Mente

An Argentinian 1990's card game about tango.

This is a very original and entertaining board game. The box (black) contains the rules (red) in Spanish and English and the cards (blue box). Illustrated by Hermenegildo Sábat, it is a purely porteño game made up of characters such as the Chanta, the Curda, the Muñeca Brava, the Viejita, and Carlos Gardel, among others.

—description from Museo del Libro "Gardel y su Tiempo"

Play a tango!

From the stories that tango lyrics tell, Tango de Mente was born, a new deck and a pastime to practice with friends.

Sitting the players at the table, the cards come and go. When playing Curda, the values are reversed and a lower number wins over a higher number. Where the Chanta appears, the best card does not win, but the one that follows in value. Muñeca Brava beats any man, even Carlos Gardel. In turn, Cafishio beats any woman, even the Viejita. When Garufa appears, there is a party and the one who wins the trick has to give it away. Misteriosa Mascarita is a card with gender to define, will it be male, will it be papusa?

The game is learned quickly and its rules barely occupies the first four pages of the book. The rest of the volume links pieces of tangos, memorable lyrics that act as background music for the game, breathing life into it and giving thickness to each card.

—description from the book back cover

¡Juéguese un tango!

A partir de las historias que cuentan las letras de tango nació Tango de Mente, una nueva baraja y un pasatiempo para practicar entre amigos.

Sentados los jugadores a la mesa, las cartas van y vienen. Cuando se juega Curda, los valores se invierten y un número menor pasa a ganarle a uno mayor. Donde aparece el Chanta no gana la mejor carta, sino la que le sigue en valor. Muñeca Brava le gana a cualquier hombre, incluso a Carlos Gardel. A su vez, Cafishio le gana a cualquier mujer, incluso a la Viejita. Cuando aparece Garufa, hay fiesta y el que gana la baza tiene que regalarla. Misteriosa mascarita es una carta con sexo a definir, ¿será varón, será papusa?

El juego se aprende rápido y su reglamento ocupa apenas las cuatro páginas iniciales del libro. El resto del volumen liga retazos de tangos, letras memorables que hacen de música de fondo para la partida, soplándole vida y dándole espesor a cada naipe.

—Spanish description