diff --git a/ui/src/lib/i18n/en.ts b/ui/src/lib/i18n/en.ts
index 71e07b4..db0cad9 100644
--- a/ui/src/lib/i18n/en.ts
+++ b/ui/src/lib/i18n/en.ts
@@ -257,6 +257,7 @@ export const en = {
   'invitations.with': 'With {names}',
   'invitations.accept': 'Accept',
   'invitations.decline': 'Decline',
+  'invitations.declineConfirm': 'Decline invitation?',
   'invitations.cancel': 'Cancel',
   'invitations.waiting': 'Waiting for replies',
 
@@ -264,10 +265,10 @@ export const en = {
   'new.withFriends': 'Play with friends',
   'new.pickFriends': 'Choose who to invite',
   'new.searchFriends': 'Search friends',
-  'new.gameType': 'Game type',
+  'new.gameType': 'Variant',
   'new.invite': 'Send invitation',
   'new.moveTime': 'Move time',
-  'new.hintsPerPlayer': 'Hints per player',
+  'new.hintsPerPlayer': 'Hints',
   'new.multipleWordsPerTurn': 'Multiple words per turn',
   'new.start': 'Start game',
   'new.invited': 'Invitation sent.',
diff --git a/ui/src/lib/i18n/ru.ts b/ui/src/lib/i18n/ru.ts
index 122260f..4321efd 100644
--- a/ui/src/lib/i18n/ru.ts
+++ b/ui/src/lib/i18n/ru.ts
@@ -258,6 +258,7 @@ export const ru: Record<MessageKey, string> = {
   'invitations.with': 'С {names}',
   'invitations.accept': 'Принять',
   'invitations.decline': 'Отклонить',
+  'invitations.declineConfirm': 'Отклонить приглашение?',
   'invitations.cancel': 'Отменить',
   'invitations.waiting': 'Ожидаем ответы',
 
@@ -265,10 +266,10 @@ export const ru: Record<MessageKey, string> = {
   'new.withFriends': 'Игра с друзьями',
   'new.pickFriends': 'Кого пригласить',
   'new.searchFriends': 'Поиск друзей',
-  'new.gameType': 'Тип игры',
+  'new.gameType': 'Вариант',
   'new.invite': 'Отправить приглашение',
   'new.moveTime': 'Время на ход',
-  'new.hintsPerPlayer': 'Подсказок на игрока',
+  'new.hintsPerPlayer': 'Подсказки',
   'new.multipleWordsPerTurn': 'Несколько слов за ход',
   'new.start': 'Начать игру',
   'new.invited': 'Приглашение отправлено.',
diff --git a/ui/src/screens/Lobby.svelte b/ui/src/screens/Lobby.svelte
index c8c5f73..b06ba42 100644
--- a/ui/src/screens/Lobby.svelte
+++ b/ui/src/screens/Lobby.svelte
@@ -3,17 +3,19 @@
   import { SvelteMap, SvelteSet } from 'svelte/reactivity';
   import Screen from '../components/Screen.svelte';
   import TabBar from '../components/TabBar.svelte';
+  import Modal from '../components/Modal.svelte';
   import { app, handleError, refreshFeedbackBadge, seedChatUnread } from '../lib/app.svelte';
   import { connection } from '../lib/connection.svelte';
   import { gateway } from '../lib/gateway';
   import { navigate } from '../lib/router.svelte';
-  import { t, type MessageKey } from '../lib/i18n/index.svelte';
+  import { t } from '../lib/i18n/index.svelte';
   import { resultBadge } from '../lib/result';
   import { badgeKind } from '../lib/unread';
   import { getLobby, setLobby } from '../lib/lobbycache';
   import { preloadGames } from '../lib/preload';
   import { gamePhase, groupGames, orderedSeats, scoreStanding, shouldBlink, type LobbyPhase } from '../lib/lobbysort';
   import type { AccountRef, GameView, Invitation } from '../lib/model';
+  import { VARIANT_FLAG, VARIANT_RULES } from '../lib/variants';
 
   let games = $state<GameView[]>([]);
   let invitations = $state<Invitation[]>([]);
@@ -209,11 +211,14 @@
     }
   }
 
-  const variantKey: Record<string, MessageKey> = {
-    scrabble_en: 'new.english',
-    scrabble_ru: 'new.russian',
-    erudit_ru: 'new.erudit',
-  };
+  // The invitation pending a decline confirmation: the ❌ opens a modal (mirroring the
+  // in-game resign confirmation) rather than declining on the first tap.
+  let declineTarget = $state<Invitation | null>(null);
+  function confirmDecline() {
+    const inv = declineTarget;
+    declineTarget = null;
+    if (inv) declineInvite(inv);
+  }
 </script>
 
 <Screen title={app.profile?.displayName ?? t('app.title')}>
@@ -230,16 +235,23 @@
                 <span class="sub">{t('invitations.waiting')}</span>
               {:else}
                 <span class="who">{t('invitations.from', { name: inv.inviter.displayName })}</span>
-                <span class="sub">{t(variantKey[inv.variant] ?? 'new.english')}</span>
+                <span class="vrow">
+                  {#if VARIANT_FLAG[inv.variant]}
+                    <span class="vflag">{VARIANT_FLAG[inv.variant]}</span>
+                  {:else}
+                    <img class="vflag-img" src="flag-ussr.svg" alt="" />
+                  {/if}
+                  <span class="sub">{t(VARIANT_RULES[inv.variant])}</span>
+                </span>
               {/if}
               {#if !inv.multipleWordsPerTurn}<span class="sub">{t('game.oneWordRule')}</span>{/if}
             </span>
             <span class="acts">
               {#if inv.inviter.accountId === myId}
-                <button class="ghost" onclick={() => cancelInvite(inv)}>{t('invitations.cancel')}</button>
+                <button class="iconbtn" onclick={() => cancelInvite(inv)} aria-label={t('invitations.cancel')}>❌</button>
               {:else}
-                <button class="btn" onclick={() => acceptInvite(inv)}>{t('invitations.accept')}</button>
-                <button class="ghost" onclick={() => declineInvite(inv)}>{t('invitations.decline')}</button>
+                <button class="iconbtn" onclick={() => acceptInvite(inv)} aria-label={t('invitations.accept')}>✅</button>
+                <button class="iconbtn" onclick={() => (declineTarget = inv)} aria-label={t('invitations.decline')}>❌</button>
               {/if}
             </span>
           </div>
@@ -308,6 +320,15 @@
     {/if}
   </div>
 
+  {#if declineTarget}
+    <Modal title={t('invitations.declineConfirm')} onclose={() => (declineTarget = null)}>
+      <div class="confirm-row">
+        <button class="cancel" onclick={() => (declineTarget = null)}>{t('common.cancel')}</button>
+        <button class="danger" onclick={confirmDecline} disabled={!connection.online}>{t('invitations.decline')}</button>
+      </div>
+    </Modal>
+  {/if}
+
   {#snippet tabbar()}
     <TabBar>
       <button class="tab" disabled={atGameLimit} onclick={() => navigate('/new')}>
@@ -365,6 +386,40 @@
     border-radius: var(--radius);
     user-select: none;
   }
+  /* The middle column grows; the envelope and the action column stay at their natural width. */
+  .invite .info {
+    flex: 1;
+  }
+  /* The variant row in an invitation: flag + the rules summary (mirrors NewGame). */
+  .vrow {
+    display: flex;
+    align-items: baseline;
+    gap: 6px;
+  }
+  .vflag {
+    font-size: 1.1rem;
+    line-height: 1;
+  }
+  .vflag-img {
+    width: 1.3rem;
+    height: auto;
+    border-radius: 2px;
+    align-self: center;
+  }
+  /* Borderless icon action (✅ / ❌), like the in-game .hicon buttons. */
+  .iconbtn {
+    background: none;
+    border: none;
+    color: var(--text);
+    font-size: 1.3rem;
+    line-height: 1;
+    padding: 4px 6px;
+    border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
+    cursor: pointer;
+  }
+  .iconbtn:active {
+    background: var(--bg-elev);
+  }
   /* Game rows are a compact, flat list: no per-card frame, a hairline divider between
      consecutive rows. */
   .list {
@@ -516,23 +571,31 @@
       opacity: 0;
     }
   }
+  /* The ✅ / ❌ actions stack vertically with a small gap — a min-width right column. */
   .acts {
     display: flex;
-    gap: 8px;
+    flex-direction: column;
+    gap: 10px;
     flex: 0 0 auto;
+    justify-content: center;
   }
-  .btn {
-    padding: 8px 12px;
-    border: 1px solid var(--accent);
-    background: var(--accent);
-    color: var(--accent-text);
+  /* Decline-confirmation modal (mirrors the in-game resign confirm). */
+  .confirm-row {
+    display: flex;
+    gap: 8px;
+  }
+  .confirm-row button {
+    flex: 1;
+    padding: 11px;
     border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
-  }
-  .ghost {
-    padding: 8px 12px;
     border: 1px solid var(--border);
     background: var(--surface);
     color: var(--text);
-    border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
+    font-weight: 600;
+  }
+  .danger {
+    background: var(--danger) !important;
+    color: #fff !important;
+    border-color: var(--danger) !important;
   }
 </style>
diff --git a/ui/src/screens/NewGame.svelte b/ui/src/screens/NewGame.svelte
index 0064751..ac28cca 100644
--- a/ui/src/screens/NewGame.svelte
+++ b/ui/src/screens/NewGame.svelte
@@ -67,9 +67,12 @@
   let friends = $state<AccountRef[]>([]);
   let selected = $state<string[]>([]);
   let friendFilter = $state('');
-  // No default game type yet — the player must pick one (a smarter default from play
-  // history / language would be a future refinement). '' renders the disabled placeholder option.
+  // A lone offered variant is pre-selected and its picker disabled (nothing else to choose);
+  // with several, the player picks. '' renders the disabled placeholder option.
   let inviteVariant = $state<Variant | ''>('');
+  $effect(() => {
+    if (variants.length === 1 && !inviteVariant) inviteVariant = variants[0].id;
+  });
   let timeoutSecs = $state(86400);
   let hints = $state(1);
 
@@ -152,6 +155,7 @@
             <input type="checkbox" bind:checked={multipleWords} />
           </label>
         {/if}
+        <div class="grow"></div>
         <p class="movelimit">{opponent === 'ai' ? t('new.aiInactiveLimit') : t('new.moveLimit', { n: AUTO_MATCH_HOURS })}</p>
         {#if opponent === 'random'}<p class="searchhint">{t('new.searchHint')}</p>{/if}
         <button
@@ -179,7 +183,7 @@
           <div class="settings-row">
             <label class="field">
               <span>{t('new.gameType')}</span>
-              <select bind:value={inviteVariant} class:placeholder={!inviteVariant}>
+              <select bind:value={inviteVariant} class:placeholder={!inviteVariant} disabled={variants.length === 1}>
                 <option value="" disabled>—</option>
                 {#each variants as v (v.id)}<option value={v.id}>{t(v.label)}</option>{/each}
               </select>
@@ -387,6 +391,11 @@
     color: var(--text-muted);
     margin: 0;
   }
+  /* Pushes the auto-match start cluster (move-limit hint + Start button) to the bottom,
+     mirroring the friend-game invite button pinned by the .fg scroll area. */
+  .grow {
+    flex: 1;
+  }
   .invite {
     flex: 0 0 auto;
     padding: 14px;