Mercy is a popular children's game

Game

A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...

 of strength ,skill and endurance in Britain

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, also is played in the Middle East

Middle East

The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...

 and Far East Asia in places like Malaysia and Brunei

Brunei

Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...

- although we don't actually know the origin. Many claim to have invented it but most likely it would have been played by school kids across the globe for centuries already . It also is known as Peanuts, Uncle, Pinochle, and Cravens. It may also be used as a form of bullying. Often Mercy is played at break and lunchtimes at school.

Rules

Two players face each other, holding their opponent's hands (opponent #1's right hand to opponent #2's left hand, opponent #1's left hand to opponent #2's right hand, interlocking fingers or thumbs with fingers wrapped around an opponent's back part of the hand). On the word "go", each player attempts to bend back their opponent's hand and inflict pain by straining their wrist. When a player can no longer stand the pain they declare defeat by shouting "Mercy!" (or "Peanuts!", "Danny Stavros Buck", "Pinochle" or "Uncle", depending).

Winners

The winner is usually called 'The Monster ' , 'The Champion' or an unusual term called 'Jetmir' . Jetmirs' are a long term champion but sometimes they can be overcome although this doesnt happen very often. They have the ability to withstand the test of time , energy and pain. Normally they don't look very strong but are tall and of normal body type. The grip and bursts of power make them formidable. Even the best usually lose against the 'Monster' or 'Jetmir'. Most opponents do not want a rematch after facing the winners.
Jetmir's (while being at the top) when beat will keep the name, but the winner will also be known as a 'Fahad'. This term is also unknown, but refers to skill, strategy, and excellence in will power. These players will more often than not have more strategy than strength and can back themselves up at the worst of times. This usually includes luring the opponent into a trap, tricking them and fooling them.

Cheating and etiquette

Cheating

Cheating

Cheating refers to the breaking of rules to gain advantage in a competitive situation. The rules infringed may be explicit, or they may be from an unwritten code of conduct based on morality, ethics or custom, making the identification of cheating a subjective process. Cheating can refer...

 involves any other activity during the match that inflicts pain, distraction or discomfort on the opponent. Sportsmanship

Sportsmanship

Sportsmanship is an aspiration or ethos that a sport or activity will be enjoyed for its own sake, with proper consideration for fairness, ethics, respect, and a sense of fellowship with one's competitors...

etiquette includes the prompt release of the hand grip after defeating the opponent. Some consider the rapid twisting of the wrist to be a dangerous cheat that could result in broken wrists; others consider this maneuver to be fair. During play, players may not move their feet (some play otherwise). Rules are often agreed upon before playing. Cheating in mercy is unusual but many have developed strategies the use their on individual body physique.

Strategy

Skilled Mercy players often use specific strategies to get their opponents into painful positions, such as twisting the arm around so that the elbow is pointed towards the neck, against the back, and then pushing up on the arm. Throwing an opponent on their back on either a desk or the floor maybe used if they are too persistent. Sometimes a mercy match can end very quickly or can last for minutes - it may look like they are dancing so its described as a martial art form.

The 'handlock' is a strategy mastered by those who are the best at mercy .Beware , 2 strong players could make each others fingers numb and cause hand marks over them.

Fahad's include complex strategic plans, based off Adam's and Abdools. Adam's are very defensive techniques, this means strengthening your grip, and hoping that eventually your opponent will slacken, then you will take this chance to fight back, however due to all the defending, this could mean that you become too weak to fight back. Abdooling is to be very offensive, and take attack as much as possible, this is often means pure strength. This can be very bad for for weaker opponents but Abdools will often lose to Adams. However both often lose to Fahad's.

Variations

Mercy may be played one-handed.

A stronger player may play two people at once, one on each hand.

A player may choose to have the inner or outer grip depending on the decision between players.

With Three or more Players

Mercy can be played with any number of people: players form a ring and interlock fingers with the adjacent hands of the two players on on either side. On "go" all players attempt to bend back the wrists of their neighbor. When a player cries "Mercy!", play ceases and that player is eliminated from the game. The remaining players rejoin hands and play resumes until only one person is left.

Bench Mercy

In another variation of Mercy, two opponents sit back-to-back on a bench, with feet against the arm rests on the far side of the bench. Both players then proceed to push each other in which standard mercy rules come into play; when one player cannot take the strain or pain any longer, they will cry "Mercy!" or the phrase at hand. One variation of this involves several people sitting in a row, and having only one person push with their back.

Rock, Paper, Scissor Mercy

This is a simpler variation. It is rock paper scissor with the same rules, except that the winner gets to slap their opponent's hand. Each players interlocks one of their hands with the other's, and then use the other one for slapping and playing rock paper scissor.

Arm wrestle Mercy

Arm wrestles are played in conjunction with Mercy . This makes the title of 'champion' harder to achieve.

Flooring Mercy

The players must play with mercy but also 'floor' the other player to win. This is a test of skill, power and the ability to focus your body in different ways. This is more popular when played in the snow. Players must use the basic mercy stance . The person who says 'Mercy!' or gets floored loses the game.