What kind of game is Bezique?

Bezique or Bésigue is a 19th-century French melding (matching cards) and trick-taking card game for two players. The game is derived from Piquet, possibly via Marriage (Sixty-six) and Briscan, with additional scoring features, notably the peculiar liaison of the Q♠ and J♦ that is also a feature of Pinochle, Binokel, and similarly named games that vary by country.

The game achieved its greatest popularity in Paris by 1860 and in England a few years later. Perhaps the most famous proponent of the game was Winston Churchill, an avid player and early expert of Six-Pack, or "Chinese" Bezique.

A two-handed Bezique pack is a 64-card pack, consisting of the ace down to the seven of each suit doubled. In the US, the standard two-hand game evolved in the mid 19th century to use two or even three Euchre packs (also 32 cards).