Rummikub

Rummikub (also known as Rummy-O, Rummycube, Rummyking, "Rummy-Q", Tile rummy and Rummy Tile) is a tile-based game for two to four players.

History

Rummikub was invented by Ephraim Hertzano, a Romanian-born Jew, who immigrated to Mandate Palestine in the early 1930s. He hand-made the first sets with his family in the backyard of his home. The game combines elements of rummy, dominoes, mahjong and chess. Hertzano sold the first sets door-to-door and on a consignment basis at small shops. Over the years, the family licensed it to other countries and it became Israel’s #1 export game. In 1977, it became a bestselling game in the United States.

Hertzano's Official Rummikub Book, published in 1978, describes three different versions of the game: American, Sabra and International.