German Schafkopf
Sheepshead • Skat |
German Schafkopf (
Today it is hardly ever played in its original form, but there are a number of important national and regional derivations.History
The word, variously spelt Schafkopf, Schafskopf, Schaffskopf, Schafskopff, Schaafkopf and Schaafskopf, appears as early as the 16th century and meant "sheephead" or "sheep's head", but was also a pejorative term for a "fool". An early example is in the 1676 German-Italian dictionary, where "Schafskopff" is equated to "Dumshirn" i.e. "dumb head".[1] In 1777, Adelung's dictionary records "Schafskopf" as the head of a sheep, but also as "Schafskopf or Schafkopf, an abusive term for a stupid, simple-minded person", but there is no reference to the game.[2]
The card game of Schafkopf dates to the 18th century or earlier and is the oldest member of its eponymous family.[3] It emerged in Leipzig, virtually all early references being published in that city. It first appears in Hartmann's play Die dankbare Tochter (1780) where Platz says "I think we'll play a Schaafkopf".[4] A 1783 novel published in Leipzig describes the scene after a wedding dinner as the dining tables were cleared away and replaced by games tables: "here stood an Ombre table, there a noble Schafkopf was played, over there a game of forfeits, soon everybody was busy playing when suddenly the sound of the strings announced the arrival of the dance band..."; the fact that the author felt no need to explain what Schafkopf was suggests it was already well known at that time.[5] According to an 1789 journal, Schafkopf was played in Schweidnitz in the Duchy of Silesia and may have derived its name from being played while drinking non-local beer which went under the name of Schöps in the 17th century, Schafkopf and Schöps being synonyms for a fool.[6][7] In 1796, we learn that students at Leipzig University liked to repair to disreputable bars to play Solo or Schafkopf for a couple of Dreiers.[8] In 1803, it is described as "a cute little game [played] with chalk and collection bag pennies".[9]
In 1811, the rules of Schaafkopf are recorded for the first time by Paul Hammer who notes that it has several regional names including Societätsspiel ("social game"), Konversationsspiel ("conversation game") and Denunciationsspiel ("announcement game"), the latter "because originally the trump suit and number of trumps had to be announced for each game."
Players | Cards | Wenzels | Trump suit |
Plain/Point trick |
Variant | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4 | 32 | U U U U | Any | Point | A | Urschafkopf or Ur-Schafkopf [d] |
4 | 32 | O O U U U U | Any | Point | C | |
4 | 32 | O O O O U U U U | Any | Point | D | c.f. Bavarian Schafkopf
|
4 | 32 | U U U U | Bells | Plain | B | No teams – Schellen-Schafkopf [e] |
4 | 32 | O O U U U U | Bells | Point | E | c.f. Wendish Schafkopf |
6 | 36 | O O U U U U | Bells | Point | F | |
4 | 2 x 24 | 2 x O O U U U U | Bells | Point | G | c.f. Doppelkopf |
6 | 2 x 24 | 2 x O O U U U U | Bells | Point | H | |
8 | 2 x 32 | 2 x O O O O U U U U | Bells | Point | I | |
4 (3) | 32 | O O O O U U U U | Bells | Point | Wendish | O and O form a team. Solo and call-Ace options. |
Variant D has the same configuration as modern Bavarian
In the 1830s it was confirmed as being "a card game common in Saxony".[13] In 1831, Schafskopf was also very much in vogue in several parts of rural Thuringia,[14]
In 1835,
By 1836 it had reached
In 1853 Von Alvensleben reproduces Hammer's rules and describes Schaafkopf as being very common especially among the lower classes perhaps due to its ordinary name ("sheep's head").[17] In 1882 Georgens & Gagette-Georgens claim that the original form of Schafkopf is Wendish Schafkopf, but this is clearly a misreading of von Alvensleben.[18]
In 1867, Schafskopf or Schafkopf was reported to be "especially popular in Saxony and further south."[19]
An 1888 Mansfeld dialect dictionary lists Schôfkopp as a four-hand card game in which Bells are trumps and the four Obers and Unters are matadors. The players with the O (de Ole) and the O (de Paste or Paster) play together. The game was also known as Wendsch (= Wendish Schafkopf). However, in Hesse, Schafkopf was another name for the children's game of Black Peter.[20]
The Palatinate is also home to Bauerchen or Bauersches, a four-player, partnership game in which the four Jacks are top trumps in the usual Skat/Schafkopf order. It is played with a short pack (20 cards), forehand calls trumps and leads to the first trick. Melds for a King-Queen pair earn extra points.[22]
Another game which appears to be a cross between German Schafkopf German Solo is the north German game of Scharwenzel, played by four or six players in fixed partnerships with four Wenzels but also the ♣Q, trump 7 and ♠ as top trumps. It is a plain trick game in which players bid the number of potential trumps they have.
Rules
The following rules appear to be based on Grupp (1994) and resemble those of the original Schafkopf game, i.e. von Alvensleben's Type A above.[23]
Cards
Players and cards
German Schafkopf is played with 4 players and 32 cards which, depending on the region, may be German or French packs. The players form 2 permanent partnerships.[24]
French suits | |||
Diamonds | Hearts | Spades | Clubs |
German suits | |||
Bells |
Hearts |
Leaves |
Acorns
|
Card values
French pack | German pack | |||
Card | Symbol | Card | Symbol | Points |
Ace | A | Deuce | A/none | 11 |
Ten | 10 | Ten | 10 | 10 |
King | K | King | K | 4 |
Queen | D | Ober | O | 3 |
Jack | B | Unter | U | 2 |
Nine | 9 | Nine | 9 | 0 |
Eight | 8 | Eight | 8 | 0 |
Seven | 7 | Seven | 7 | 0 |
Card ranking
The ranking of cards within the individual suits is as follows (highest to lowest):
) > 10 > 9 > 8 > 7The hierarchy of the cards and their sequence within the
Trumps
As in Skat, the highest trumps are the 4
Partnerships
German Schafkopf is a partnership card game, but unlike Bavarian Schafkopf or Doppelkopf partners are not announced during the course of the game, but are permanent as in
Rules
Dealing
After the cards have been
Declarations
After the deal, starting clockwise each player announces the maximum possible number of trumps in their hand by adding the jacks and the longest suit ("I declare x trumps").
The player with the highest number of possible trumps takes the lead in the game and names the trump suit.
If two players announce the same number of possible trumps, then the one with the higher number of trump points wins ("I declare x trumps with y points"); if this number is also the same, the higher trump wins (usually the higher jack).
Forced game
If none of the players can declare at least five trumps, the player with the Jack of Clubs (Unter of Acorns) must take the lead; if he loses, it only counts as single (i.e. he doesn't lose double or quadruple) game points.
Solo games
As in Bavarian Schafkopf and Doppelkopf, solo games are also possible in German Schafkopf. Here, a solo player plays against the other three players.
Play
Players must follow suit. If a player cannot do so, any card may be played.
Scoring
There are three types of games won:
- Straight win (61 to 89 points scored): if the winner chose trumps he gets one game point, otherwise he gets two
- Schneider win (more than 90 points scored): if the winner chose trumps he gets two game points, otherwise four
- Schwarzwin (opponents have no tricks): the winner gets nine game points, regardless of who chose trumps (nine dashes correspond to a whole sheep's head).
In a forced game, however, a winner who did not choose trumps gets the same as one who did.
For each game point won, the winner draws a line on a sheet of paper. The game is won by the first player to complete draw nine dashes in the shape of a sheep's head, the Schafkopf: four dashes arranged in a rectangle form the shape of the head, two dashes form the eyes, two more the horns and a single dash in the middle represents the nose. Presumably the losers buy the beer.
Variants
The game described is the earliest form of German Schafkopf. Apart from Bavarian Schafkopf, Doppelkopf and the other early variants mentioned above, further variants have been developed, some in different regions. These include:
- Blattla, no Wenzels, Hearts as permanent trumps
- Bierkopf, a Franconian variant of Bavarian Schafkopf with fixed teams and no solos
- Mucken, another Franconian variant of Bavarian Schafkopf with different contracts
- Bauernstoß, which is played in the Palatine region of Erfweiler.[25]
- Alte Schoofkopp, played in Niederhochstadt, another village in the Palatinate.[26]
In an East German book of game rules[27] there are the following variations of German Schafkopf which appear to reflect, in part, Hammer's variants:
- Classic Schafkopf: as described, Jacks/Wenzel are always trumps, the player with the so-called 'old man', the Jack of Clubs or the Unter of Acorns, must choose trumps if all pass or cannot bid more than 5 trumps.
- Schafkopf with six (eight) Wenzeln and changing trumps: Queen of Clubs (Ober of Acorns) and Queen of Spades (Ober of Leaves) (and Queen of Hearts (Ober of Hearts) and Queen of Diamonds (Ober of Bells)) are declared as trumps and outrank the old man. The player with the old man calls trumps, if this has not been decided beforehand by the bidding process.
- Schafkopf with four (six, eight) Wenzels and remaining trumps: Jacks/Wenzel (plus the 2 highest Queens/Obers or all 4) and Diamonds/Bells are always trumps.
Related games
There are numerous European relatives of the family:
- Kop is a Polish game is played with just 16 cards, with four per player by excluding all but the Ace, 10s, Queens, and Jacks.[28]
- Sjavs is popular in the Faroe Islands where it is played with 32 cards.[29]
- Scharwenzel is an old German game, possibly ancestral to German Schafkopf. It is now only played on the island of Fehmarn and, as Skærvindsel, in Denmark.
See also
Footnotes
- ^ All the earliest references were published in Leipzig and there is very early evidence of it being played at the University there. See History section.
- ^ These alternative names are not known elsewhere in the literature.
- ^ Pronounced "Ventsels"
- ^ Urschafkopf i.e. "Ancient Schafkopf".
- ^ Schellen-Schafkopf i.e. "Bell Schafkopf".
References
- ^ Il nuovo Dizzionario delle due lingue italiana-tedesca et tedesca-italiana (1676), p. 329.
- ^ Adelung (1777), p. 1656.
- ^ McLeod (1978), pp. 38-47.
- ^ Hartmann (1780), p. 24.
- Cramer, Karl Gottlob(1783). Meppen Bocksbart oder wundersame Ebentheuer eines perigrinirenden Kandidaten, eine wahre Geschichte. Leipzig: Karl Friederich Schneidern. p. 275.
- ^ Journal von und für Deutschland. Frankfurt: Hermann. Footnote, p. 506, linked to an entry about beers sold in 1666.
- ^ Kramer (1702), p. 447.
- ^ Rabiosus the Younger, Anselmus (1796). Wanderrungen und Kreuzzüge durch einen Theil Deutschlands. 2nd, fully improved, revised and expanded edition. Part 2. Alton: Verlagsgesellschaft. p. 74.
- ^ Bruckmann (1811), p. 22.
- ^ a b Von Alvensleben (1853), pp. 465-479.
- ^ Hammer (1811). pp. 215 ff.
- ^ Chemnitzer Adreßbuch Vol. 76 (1840), p. 55.
- ^ Kaltschmidt (1834), p. 794.
- ^ _ (1831). "Allerlei" in Der Bayerische Landbote, 7th year, No. 1 (Jan-Jun). p. 284.
- ^ Hempel (1835), p. 403.
- ^ Hoffmann (1836), p. 12.
- ^ Von Alvensleben (1853), pp. 479–481.
- ^ Georgens & Gagette-Georgens (1882), p. 574.
- ^ Medicus, Dr. Wilhelm (1891). Die Naturgeschichte. Nördlingen: C.H. Beck. p. 83.
- ^ Jecht (1888), p. 99.
- ^ Bauernstoss at pagat.com. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
- ^ Wo Bauern Trumpf sind at rheinpfalz.de. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
- ^ Grupp (1994), pp. 41–42.
- ISBN 3-8068-2015-5.
- ^ "Bauernstoss" - ein unterhaltsames Kartenspiel aus Erfweiler/ Pfalz
- ^ Bauernstoss at pagat.com. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ _ (1988), pp. 177-179
- ^ http://www.pagat.com/schafk/kop.html Kop
- ^ "Rules of Card Games: Sjavs". www.pagat.com. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
Literature
- _ (1676). Il nuovo Dizzionario delle due Lingue Italiana-Tedesca et Tedesca-Italiana. Nuremberg.
- _ (1988). Spielregelbüchlein mit Skatordnung. p. 177, 8th edn., Spielkartenfabrik Altenburg.
- Adelung, Johann Christoph(1777). Versuch eines vollständigen grammatisch-kritischen Wörterbuches Der Hochdeutschen Mundart, (L–Scha). Fulda: Friedrich Carl.
- Bruckmann, Karl (1811). Karl Bruckmann oder William Sterne, Findling des Harzgebirges und Bewohner einer einsamen Insel der Südsee. Vol. 2, Zittau & Leipzig: J.D. Schöps
- Danyliuk, Rita (2008). 1 × 1 der Kartenspiele - Bridge, Skat und Schafkopf. Glücks- und Familienspiele. Patiencen, Kartentricks u.v.m. Humboldt, Baden-Baden, ISBN 978-3-89994-188-3
- Danyliuk, Rita (2008). Das große Taschenbuch der Freizeitspiele: Spiele für unterwegs und Schönwettertage, Munich: Humboldt, pp. 149–151.
- Kramer, Matthias (1702). Das herrlich-große Teutsch-Italiänische Dictionarium, Vol. 2. Nuremberg: Johann Andrea Endters Seel.
- Georgens, Jan Daniels and Jeanne Marie von Gagette-Georgens (1882). Spiel und Sport. Leipzig & Berlin: Otto Spamer.
- Grupp, Claus D. (1997). Doppelkopf, Schafkopf, Tarock. Niedernhausen/Ts.: Falken. ISBN 3-635-60223-X
- Hammer, Paul (1817) Taschenbuch der Kartenspiele. Leipzig: Weygandschen Buchhandlung. 1st published 1811.
- Hartmann, Andreas-Gottlieb (1780). Die dankbare Tochter oder die Einquartirung; ein ländliches Lustspiel mit Gesang in einem Aufzuge. 1st edn. Leipzig & Budißin: Jacob Deinzer.
- Hempel, Johann Friedrich Ludwig (1835). "Schafkopf (Spielk.)" in Universal-Lexikon oder vollständiges encyclopädisches Wörterbuch, 18th volume, Altenberg (S-Schlüpfrig) ed. by H.A. Pierer. Altenburg: Literatur-Comptoir.
- Hoffmann, Karl Friedrich Vollrath (1836). Deutschland und seine Bewohner, Vol. 4. Stuttgart: J. Scherble.
- Jecht, Richard Dr. (1888). Wörterbuch der Mansfelder Mundart. Eisleben: Ed. Winkler. Görlitz: Görlitzer Nachrichten und Anzeiger.
- Kaltschmidt, Jacob Heinrich (1834). Vollständiges stamm- und sinnverwandtschaftliches Gesammt-Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache. Leipzig: Karl Tauchnitz.
- McLeod, John (1978). "Rules of Games: No. 8. Schafkopf" in The Journal of the Playing-Card Society, Vol. VII, No. 2. pp. 38–47. ISSN 0305-2133.
- Von Alvensleben, Ludwig (1853). Encyclopädie der Spiele. Leipzig: Otto Wigand.
External links
- Bauernstoss at www.pagat.com.