Mercy (game)
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Mercy is popular children's game of strength in certain districts of England, Pakistan and the U.S. In some parts of the United Kingdom, it is known as Peanuts.
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[edit] Rules
Two players face each other and grab their opponents 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 opponent attempts to bend the other's hands back and inflict pain by straining the ligaments and tendons in the wrist. When a player can no longer stand the pain, or reverse the situation by overpowering the other player and bending back their wrists, the player cries out "Mercy!" (or "Peanuts!" or "Uncle" in some areas) and is then defeated. The players then disengage hands and match is completed.
In some areas, Mercy is usually one-handed, with both players using either their right or left hands. In this version, the use of the other hand at all is considered cheating. There is also often a focus on bending the opponents arm as well as hand. 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.
[edit] Cheating and etiquette
Cheating involves any other activity during the match that inflicts pain, distraction or discomfort on the opponent. Additional sportsmanship etiquette includes the prompt release of the hand grip after the opponent is defeated. Some consider the rapid twisting of the wrist to be a dangerous cheat that could result in broken wrists. However, some consider this maneuver to be fair. Whatever the case, the rules should be agreed upon before playing.
[edit] Mercy for more than two
It is possible to play mercy 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.
[edit] Two on one
A stronger player may play two people at once, one on each hand.
[edit] Bench Mercy
This is a separate form of Mercy, which involves the 2 competitors, sitting on a standard 2x4 park bench (very common within school playgrounds), sitting back-to-back, 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.
Rarely, Bench Mercy has been used as a form of torture for schoolchildren, mainly bullying and the like. Other versions involve several people sitting in a row, and having only one person push with their back. This is used as either entertainment, or a test of endurance. Obviously, the more people on the bench the more pain each person receives.
