Russian card game that doesn't use clubs is back — back in Russia (9)
I believe the answer is:
anastasia
'russian card game that doesn't use clubs' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.
'back back in russia' is the wordplay.
'back' becomes 'anastasi' (I can't justify this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'back in' says to take the final letters (the 'back' of the word).
The last letter of 'russia' is 'a'.
'anastasi'+'a'='ANASTASIA'
'is' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for anastasia that I've seen before include "Youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II" , "Russian royal" , "Russian princess claimed to have survived revolution" , "Film" , "Grand Duchess, daughter of Tsar Nicholas II" .)