Hearts.exe: The Classic Game of Betrayal
Welcome to HeartsExe.com. You are not just playing cards; you are stepping back into the early 90s, sitting in a virtual office, and trying to avoid the Queen of Spades at all costs.
1. The Origin Story (1992)
While Solitaire was for solo play, Hearts (or "The Network Game") was introduced in Windows for Workgroups 3.11 to showcase the new networking capabilities of PCs. It became famous for its default AI opponents: Anna, Lynda, and Terri, who were actually named after Microsoft employees of that era.
2. How To Play (The Rules)
The objective is simple: Have the lowest score at the end of the game.
- Heart Cards: Each Heart card is worth 1 point. You want to avoid taking them.
- Queen of Spades (The Black Lady): This card is worth 13 points. Avoid it like the plague!
- Passing: At the start of a hand, you pass 3 cards to an opponent (Left, Right, Across, or Hold). Use this to get rid of high cards like the Ace or King of Spades.
3. STRATEGY_GUIDE.DOC
Want to destroy Anna and Lynda? Here are the advanced moves:
(The Ultimate Move) If you manage to collect ALL 13 Hearts AND the Queen of Spades, you get 0 points, and every opponent gets 26 points! It's risky, but legendary.
>> TIP #2: VOIDING SUITS
Try to get rid of all cards of one suit (e.g., Diamonds) early. This allows you to discard your dangerous Hearts or the Queen of Spades when someone else plays that suit.
>> TIP #3: SMOKING OUT THE QUEEN
If you hold the King or Ace of Spades, try to force the player holding the Queen to play it before you are forced to play your high cards.
4. Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Anna?
Anna is one of the AI opponents on the left side. In the lore of Windows Hearts, the AI names (Anna, Lynda, Terri) often changed between versions (later becoming Pauline, Michele, Ben), but the ruthless gameplay remained the same.
What happens if I break a Heart?
"Breaking Hearts" means playing a Heart card as the leading card of a trick. You cannot do this until a Heart has been played in a previous trick (or if you have nothing else to play).
Can I play full screen?
Yes. Just click the Fullscreen option in the menu bar to focus entirely on the game.
"I didn't lose, I just failed to Shoot the Moon."