Schafkopf


Schafkopf[], Schaffkopf or Schafkopfen, also called Bavarian Schafkopf to distinguish it from German Schafkopf, is a late 18th-century German trick-taking card game of the Ace-Ten family, still very popular in Bavaria, where it is their national card game, but also played in other parts of Germany as well as other German-speaking countries like Austria. It is an official cultural asset and important part of the Old Bavarian and Franconian way of life. Schafkopf is a mentally demanding game that is considered "the supreme discipline of Bavarian card games".
Its closest relatives are Doppelkopf and Skat. These three and the North American game of Sheepshead descend from an earlier variant, German Solo. Its earliest written reference dates to 1803, although it only came to notice through the polite society of Altenburg in 1811.
The rules of the Bavarian Schafkopf Club or the revised version by the Schafkopf School form guidelines for the detail of the game and the conduct of the players. However, unlike Skat, Schafkopf is not really seen as a sport, but purely as a leisure activity. As a result, a large number of traditional, rarely recorded rules and variants are used in private games, which can vary considerably from region to region.

History

Etymology

There are various theories about the origin of the name Schafkopf, most of which come from traditional folklore. One suggestion is that Schafkopf acquired its name at a time when it was played for up to nine or twelve points which were marked with a piece of chalk as lines on a board, gradually forming the stylized appearance of a sheep's head. However, evidence of such notation is not found in the Bavarian context where it was invariably played for money.
Until the late 1960s, the alternative spelling Schaffkopf was not uncommon in Bavaria; the ensuing discussion about the supposedly only correct form and its origin was the subject of extensive debate at that time - among other things in the columns of the Bavarian press - before the common variant Schafkopf became widely accepted from about 1970. The issue was largely forgotten when author Wolfgang Peschel argued in the early 1990s for the double 'f' spelling based on the popular traditional view that, in earlier times, the game was supposed to have been played on the lids of barrels. To this day, such casks are used as tables at beer stands and beer halls. Although this hypothesis is unanimously rejected by experts and there is no evidence for it in older sources, it is widespread on the Internet.
Another theory is that it comes from "Schaffen" and "Kopf", "to work one's brain."

Forerunner

The indirect precursors of the various games of the Schafkopf family, were the Spanish national game of L'Hombre, its four-hand variant, Quadrille, and its simplified German derivative, German [|Solo]. The distinction between variable and permanent trump cards as well as the selection of a contract by announcing and bidding, probably originate from these games.
The special feature of Bavarian Schafkopf, the selection of a playing partner by 'calling' a Sow, was also usual in German Solo; the determination of the winning team by counting card points, instead of tricks, however, has another origin, perhaps in Bavarian Tarock or related games.

Emergence and development

The origin and development of the game of Schafkopf - in comparison with Skat - are rather poorly documented. This may be due, on the one hand, to its relatively low social reputation - in the first half of the 19th century Schafkopf was regarded as a comparatively unfashionable and simple "farmer's game" when seen against the backdrop of ever more popular card games, especially at the universities - and, on the other hand, to changes in concept: originally the name referred to several forerunners, located more or less in the Saxon-Thuringian area such as Wendish or German Schafkopf. In these older variants, the declarer's team was generally determined by a combination of the two highest trump cards, in a not dissimilar manner to the way the Queens of Clubs are used in Doppelkopf today, for example. The variants played in the Palatinate and in the USA should be understood as further developments of this German Schafkopf. The assumption often heard in Bavaria that Skat and Doppelkopf developed from the Bavarian Schafkopf cannot be proven; a parallel development of all three games is more likely.
The game of Schafkopf is first recorded in the 1780s in the literature. In Hartmann's comedy, The Thankful Daughter published in 1780, Platz tells his brother that "I thought we'd play a Schaafkopf" and they go to look for a pack of cards.
It also appears in a 1782 Saxon schedule of penalties, Drinking and Gaming on Workdays and Sundays, typically with the remark that, unlike Hazard for example, it was not to be considered a game of chance in the legal sense and was thus permitted.
The specifically Bavarian variant of the game originated with the introduction of the or 'Call Ace' contract in the first half of the 19th century - apparently in Franconia. The first mention of a game of Schafkopf definitely played according to Bavarian rules dates to the year 1849; and while Schapfkopf playing in Franconia was already widespread in the 1840s, in the Bavarian Forest, Tarock was more popular. The question about the origin of the Bavarian Schafkopf cannot be answered conclusively, but available sources suggest a migration from north to south.
The oldest written rules for Bavarian Schafkopf are found in Schafkopf-Büchlein - Detailliche Anleitung zum Lernen und Verbessern des Schafkopfspiel mit deutschen Karten, Amberg 1895; where the author explicitly explains the differences from Schafkopf variants played in northern Germany, i.e. Skat and Doppelkopf. The rules of the game were officially established by the Bavarian Schafkopf Society at the 1st Bavarian Schafkopf Congress on 17 December 1989 in Munich's Hofbräuhaus The society known as the Schafkopf School publishes a revised version on its website. The Schafkopf School has established itself as a kind of unofficial appeal authority for questions of rule interpretation.

Aim

The aim of the game is to score a set number of points by taking tricks. Normally a game is 'won' by the declaring team or soloist if they score 61 of the 120 card points available. There is a bonus for scoring 91 points, a win with Schneider; or for taking all eight tricks. At 31 card points the declarer's team or soloist are Schneider free.
For the defending team, by contrast, the game is 'won' with only 60 points, won with Schneider with 90 points and they are Schneider free with 30 points.
An exception are the [|Tout] contracts, which are won only if all eight tricks are taken.
In Schafkopf players must follow suit. If they are unable to do so, they can either play a trump or any other card, while Hearts are counted as trumps, not as a plain suit, as long as its trump status is not changed by a particular contract such as Solo or [|Wenz].
In Germany, Schafkopf is not deemed a gambling game and can therefore be legally played for money.
Especially in Bavaria it is normally played for small amounts of money to make it more interesting and the players more focused. Normal rates are 10 Euro cents for normal and 50 for solo games.

Cards

Schafkopf is a four-handed game played, in Bavaria, using a Bavarian pattern pack, a variant of the German suited deck, and, in Franconia, with the related Franconian pattern pack. It is played with 32 cards, known as 'long cards' or the 'long deck' - i.e. eight cards per player, including those cards with no points value.
In parts of eastern Bavarian the 'short cards' or 'short deck' of 24 cards or of 20 cards is preferred, which gives each player a hand of six or five cards respectively. This variant is sold in packs labelled Kurze Scharfe which is a pun on scharf and Schaf.

Suits

German packs have four suits: Eichel, Gras, Herz and Schellen.

Card values

There are eight cards in each suit with different values: Sau, König, Ober, Unter, 10, 9, 8 and 7. The cards of any one suit have a collective value of 30 points; thus there are 120 points to be played for in the pack.
Nines, eights and sevens have a value of 0 points and are variously known as Spatzen, Nichtser, Leere or Luschen. As mentioned above, eights and sevens are dropped from Schafkopf with short cards.

Standard game

The Normal, Suit Solo and Wenz contracts form the basic structure of Schafkopf. The rules are based on these variations of the game; they are universally known and are usually the only ones permitted at Schafkopf tournaments. It is often referred to as true Schafkopf. In addition, there is a whole range of additional contract options, often of only regional significance, the most important of which are described in the section [|Additional contracts].

Normal contract: Rufspiel, Sauspiel or Partnerspiel

In the Normal contract, the four Obers are the highest trumps - in the order Acorns, Leaves , Hearts and Bells. Next are the four Unters in the same suit order; then follow the remaining Hearts cards - in the order Sow, Ten, King, Nine, Eight, Seven - as lower trumps, making a total of 14 trump cards. All other cards are simply suit cards.
Two players play against the other two. The bidder announces a Rufspiel; if no other players bid a higher-value Solo contract, the declarer chooses his playing partner by "calling" any of the three suit Sows which he does not have in his hand. He must have at least one card in the same suit as the called Sow. The declarer and the owner of the called Sow then play together and form the declarer's team, the other two are the defenders team. The tricks won by the partners in each team are added together at the end of the hand.
Usually it only becomes clear during the game who has the called Sow, known as the Rufsau; initially only the player who has it knows. But the Sow can be 'searched for' by one of the other 3 players leading a card of the called suit to a trick; if this happens, the Sow must be played, even if the player holds another card of that suit. The Rufsau may not be discarded either. If a suit is played in which the called player is void, he may not discard the Rufsau. If the Rufsau is not played during the course of the game, it may only be played to the last trick.
Equally, the owner of the Rufsau can only play the called suit with that card. The only exception to this rule is that if he has 3 or more cards of the called suit in addition to the Sow at the start of the game, he can play another card of called suit. Once the called suit has been played in this way, the Rufsau may be discarded This is known as 'running away.'

The solos: Suit Solo and Wenz

In all solo games, the soloist plays against the three other players. Solo games always rank above over Normal games. Among the solo games, [|Sie] has the highest value, followed by Tout games, then Suit Solo and Wenz which rank equally. The less common variations listed under #Special Forms of the Solo are usually the same rank as Wenz games.

Suit Solo

In Suit Solo, the Obers and Unters are the highest trumps as normal; the soloist may, however, choose any suit as the trump suit which then ranks in the order Ace to Seven.
In the past, a Heart Solo was sometimes ranked higher that the other Suit Solos, but that is no longer common today.

Wenz

In Wenz there are only four trumps, the four Unters, which are also known as Wenzen, hence the name of the contract. They rank in the usual order from highest to lowest: Acorns, Leaves, Hearts and Bells. The Obers are ranked in their suits between the King and the Nine. Hearts is just a normal suit.

Tout and Sie

Tout is a higher-value form of Solo game. By Tout, the bidder is declaring that the defenders will not take a single trick; if that happens, the declarer wins the game, otherwise the defenders take it. A Tout is normally valued at twice the normal game value.
The highest value Solo game in Schafkopf is Sie, which occurs if a player is dealt all 4 Obers and all 4 Unters. The probability of this is 1 in 10,518,300. The origin of the name is not clear, but it may a folk etymological analogy with Tout/Du. It is the only game which that does not have to be played out; the hand is simply placed on the table. It normally scores four times the basic game value.
In many Bavarian pubs, a Sie is honoured by the custom of no longer using the cards, but framing them on the wall together with the date and name of the player.

Playing

Shuffling, cutting and dealing

The four players sit crosswise as the table. Before the game begins, the first dealer is determined, usually by drawing the highest card from the deck.
The dealer shuffles the cards, then lets the player to his right cut the pack before dealing a packet of 4 cards clockwise twice, starting with the player to his left, the forehand or elder hand, who will also leads to the first trick. The role of dealer rotates clockwise; four games make a 'round'.
When cutting, at least three cards must be lifted or left lying; taking this rule into account, the pack may be cut up to 3 times. In this case, the cutter may instruct the dealer to deal the cards differently - for example, "all eight" instead of 2 packets of 4, or "anti-clockwise", etc.

Auction

Before the actual start of the game, there is an auction or bidding phase which determines who will be the declarer and which game variant will be played.
The first thing the player can do is either to announce a game by saying "I'll play" or to pass by saying "I'll pass". After that, the right to bid passes to the next player in a clockwise direction, until finally the dealer gets a chance to bid.

If a game is announced, the other players still have the option of announcing a higher-value contract by saying "I'll play too" thus taking over the game; the first player can rebid with a higher-value game, if he does he leads the bidding. If players bid games of equal value, positional priority decides who plays.
The ranking of individual games is shown in the adjacent table, games recognised in 'true' Schafskopf are in bold.

All pass

If all players "pass", there are several options, which should be agreed upon before the start of play:
Once the game has been announced, forehand leads to the first trick and then the other players play a card in clockwise order. Once there are four cards on the table, the player who has won the trick picks it up and places it face down in a pile on the table. The winner of the trick leads to the next trick and so on, until all 32 cards - 8 tricks - have been played.
Depending on the type of card played, a distinction is made between 'suit tricks' and 'trump tricks'.
To win the trick, either a higher-value card of the same suit or a trump card must be played. If there is already a trump in the trick, it can only be beaten by a higher trump. If a trump card is not mandated, but a suit card is played, all players must follow suit; if a trump is played, it must be followed by a trump if the player has one. If a player does not have the led suit, he can either trump or discard a suit card of his choice.
Failure to follow suit, criticising or verbally trying to influence the game generally results in the loss of the game.
If a trick is not yet completed, each player has the right to view the previous trick on request.

Scoring

After the game is over and the card points are counted, the game is scored. In partner games, the two losers pay the same amount to the two winners, in solos the soloist receives his payment from all three players. Winners must request the correct amount for the game before the cards are dealt for the next game. If the winner overclaims, then twice the difference can be recouped by the losing team if the rules are applied strictly.
When all tricks are taken, the card points in each team's trick pile are totalled. The declarer's team must score more than half the total points to win, i.e. at least 61 points. This means that the defenders only need 60 points to win.
A hand where the declarer's team or soloist takes over 90 points is called "Schneider", and attracts a bonus. If a team fails to take any tricks it loses "Schwarz", attracting a further bonus for the winner.

Basic tariff

Schafkopf is not counted as a game of chance in the legal sense by the relevant section of the act, § 284 StGB, and may therefore be played in Germany for money. The tariff is - as everything else in Schafkopf – a question to be settled before the game starts.
Normally a basic rate is agreed, which forms the basis for all further calculations. A special rate applies to Solo, which does not necessarily have to be based on the basic rate, but rather on the most convenient calculation and coin size.
For example, if 5 cents is the basic tariff and the Solo tariff is 20 cents, the latter is called the 5/20. In games played purely for fun, the most common rates are 5/20, 10/20 and 10/50, with no upper limits. In addition, a rate is often agreed between the basic rate and the Solo rate.

''Schneider'' and ''Schwarz''

If a team is schneider at the end of the game, the value of the game is increased by the basic tariff. If they are schwarz it is increased by a further notch.
The payment of schneider is viewed as a matter of honour and paid voluntarily; by contrast, schwarz must be claimed by the winner.
In Wenz and Suit Solo schneider and schwarz are not always scored in long Schafkopf, but they always are in short Schafkopf.

Matadors

If a player holds a certain number of the highest trump cards in uninterrupted sequence, they are called matadors. Each matador raises the base tariff of the game, usually by an additional base rate. The number of matadors is determined as follows:
For Bettel, the basic rate is often used as the basis for calculation, sometimes a separate rate is determined.
There are no fixed rules for Ramsch: either the loser pays the basic rate or a specially agreed rate to all players or the two players with the most points pay to the other two.

Double and multiple tariffs

A whole series of card combinations may be rewarded with a doubling or multiplication of the basic tariff in Schafkopf; this is then calculated including schneider/schwarz and matadors.
A basic doubling of the rate is often found in the Wedding contract and is obligatory in Tout; a Sie win attracts four times the basic rate.
After the players receive the first hand of cards and before they take the second hand they can double the value of the game either by knocking on the table or calling "doppeln". Normally a specific token is then placed on the table to indicate this. Depending on the exact local rules only the first, only one or all players can double the game. If more than one player doubles the game the factors get multiplied, i.e. one player 2x, two players 2*2=4x, three players 8x and four players 16x. These factors take effect after all other bonuses are added. In the case of Tout the game cost double but no Schneider or Schwarz bonus is paid. The value of the game can be doubled further by Contra.

Contra and Re

If agreed beforehand, before or when the first card is played, a defending player, normally one with very good cards, can challenge the declarer with Contra which doubles the stakes. In return either of the declarer's team can reply with "Re" or Gegenstoß which indicates that the player still thinks that his team will win. This re-doubles the value of the game. Depending on the local rules, further challenges - "Sub", "Re-Sub" and others - may be allowed, each one further doubling the value of the game. This is called "Contra on the First ".
Another variant allows defenders to say "Contra" before they play their own first card - known as "Contra with Eight Cards" - or that Re etc. can be given up to one card after Contra.
A common practice is for the defending team to 'take over' the game, thus requiring them to score 61 points to win, but this is not in the rules.

Laying

After taking up the first four cards , players can 'lay' i.e. double, raise or 'knock in clockwise order; this doubles the value of the game. The term 'lay' comes from the usual practice of laying down a coin or other object, called the 'layer' to indicate that the value of the game is doubled.
A slightly stricter form of this rule is that only the player leading may lay, or a second player may only lay if the player before him has done so - "one after the other" as opposed to "all over the place".

''Bock'' games or ''Bock'' rounds

Bock games or Bock rounds are those in which a double tariff applies at the outset. They can take place for various reasons, for example after the cards are thrown in, after lost Solos or double games as well as generally after schwarz or Re games.
This results in the following scheme for calculating the game price :

Stock

A sweetener is paid following games where the cards are thrown in. With prior agreement, the declarer's team may claim the Stock if they win the game; if they lose it however, they must double the contents of the Stock.
In Schafkopf tournaments there is usually a special variant of the Stock called the Reuegeld.

Additional contracts

These contracts are an extension of the basic structure of classic Schafkopf; they are rarely found at tournaments but have a permanent place in many places where Schafkopf is played for fun.

Special forms of partner game

Wedding (''Hochzeit'')

A player, known as the Hochzeiter, who has only one trump, may place it face down on the table and offer a Wedding. The player who picks up the card first passes another card face down in exchange to the Hochzeiter and is now his partner. In the variant Bauernhochzeit, two cards are exchanged.
The rules for Wedding vary slightly from region to region. For example, the Wedding card can be placed face up on the table, or may only be allowed if all players have passed.
In the case that two players hold only one trump each, a Double Wedding is also possible. The declaring team is the pair that announced the first Wedding.

''Kreuzbock''

The Kreuzbock or Goaß is a variant of the partner game played on certain occasions ; usually four games are played. The players facing one another across the table automatically form teams.
A peculiarity of this variant is the fact that there is no declarer's team in the true sense; as a result, the following agreement usually applies, which varies from region to region: the declarer's team is:
A mandatory game, the Muss is the most common variant in tournaments in the event that all four players pass. In this case, the owner of a particular card must play the game as declarer.
Muss has some special features: the game is won if the declarer's team score 60 card points and is schneider free with 30 points. In addition, no Contra may be given.
If the Muss player is 'blocked' i.e. has no suit without the corresponding Sow, a so-called Renonce is also possible, i.e. he may exceptionally call a Sow without having a card of that suit.
If the Muss player holds all three suit Sows himself, he may also call a Suit Ten of his choice.

Special forms of Solo

These games, too, are generally only of regional significance, as a result only the most common are described here.

Geier

Geier is a derivative of Wenz, in which only the Obers act as trumps. Similarly there are variants in which another card is given the function of the Unters in Wenz. In König it is the Kings in Eisenbahner, the Tens.

Suit Wenz

Suit Wenz is a cross between Wenz and Suit Solo in which, in addition to the Unters as the highest trumps, a trump suit is also chosen. The Obers are part of their suits which gives eleven trumps. Here too, there are variations in which another card takes on the function of the Unters in Suit Wenz; in Suit Geier, for example, it is the Obers.

Bettel (Null)

is a classic negative contract, i. e. where the soloist undertakes not to take a single trick. Therer are no trumps; the card ranking is – unlike other contracts – Ace/Sow, King, Ober, Unter, Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven. In many regions it can be played 'ouvert'.
Related to Bettel is Ramsch Tout or Pfd; where the soloist aims to take no tricks again, but this time there are trumps.
Sometimes hybrids are also played, where the Obers and Unters are trumps, but there is no trump suit.

Ramsch

is a variation of the game played if no-one has bid. In contrast with the other contracts, everyone plays against everyone else, i.e. each for himself.
The same trump cards apply as for Rufspiel, but the aim is to score as few card points as possible. The player with the most points loses and pays all the other players.
If two or more players score the same number of points, the one with the most tricks loses. If the number of tricks is also equal, the player with the most trumps in the tricks loses; if that number is also equal, the player with the higher trump loses. Special rules adapted from Skat are the Durchmarsch or Mord, which correspond to a "sweep" or "slam", i.e. one player takes all the tricks to wins the game, and Jungfrau .
A variation of Ramsch is Schieberamsch, a special local variant, where the tricks are passed on clockwise at the end of the game, and where the player who has the fewest points at the end also wins.

Special rounds

Sometimes special rounds with different rules are played after certain events.

''Schieber'' round

The Ober of Acorns and Ober of Leaves are removed from play before dealing; the dealer deals as usual, but receives only 6 cards himself. Forehand picks up the 2 cards but may only allowed play a Suit Solo. He passes on any two cards face down to middlehand. Middlehand, in turn, picks up the cards and passes any two cards to rearhand; finally rearhand passes two cards of his choice to the dealer, who now has 8 cards; the game is then announced.
Schieber is also possible with 3 cards or with 4 cards.
Related to Schieber is the Munich 'Devil's Round'. Forehand is given the Ober of Acorns, the Ober of Leaves, the Ober of Bells and the Unter of Acorns and must announce the Solo before cards are dealt.

Other special rounds

From the multitude of these often just regionally interesting special contracts only a more or less arbitrary selection is described here:
A Schafkopf session traditionally ends with the words "the old man deals the last round".
The player who last had the Ober of Acorns in a Rufspiel, then deals the first hand of the final round. For the last round, special rules sometimes apply.

Variants for different numbers of players

If there are more or fewer than four players, the following variants may be played:
A popular variant in some parts of Bavaria is the "short" Schafkopf which is played with only 24 cards where the '7' and '8' cards of all suits are removed. Every player only receives six cards. This makes the game faster and changes some playing tactics because of the changed probabilities.
Also a variant for only three players exists where also the short card deck with 24 cards is used but all players still receive eight cards. Only solo games are allowed in this variant. This variant is normally only played when lacking a fourth player.
In Poland, "Kop" is played with just 16 cards, with four per player by excluding all but the Ace, 10s, Queens, and Jacks.
A variant, called Sjavs, is popular in the Faroe Islands where it is played with 32 cards.

Tournament Schafkopf

Schafkopf, as a genuine leisure pursuit, is, by definition, not organized; nevertheless, many clubs in public life, such as sports or shooting clubs, but also breweries and restaurants, regularly organize Schafkopf tournaments in Bavaria, where they are also called Schafkopfrennen. Despite the comparatively uniform rules of these tournaments, there are still considerable regional differences.

Schafkopf in culture

Recently, the declining importance of the Schafkopf game as a leisure activity, especially among young people, has been discussed in Bavarian media. This has also been viewed at the municipal level as an imminent loss of part of Bavarian identity; countermeasures are therefore receiving increasingly wide support. More and more adult education centres in Bavaria offer Schafkopf courses.
Schafkopf has its own language, known as Schafkopf-Sprache which is not always intelligible to outsiders. The game has also entered Bavarian culture in other ways:
Until 2006, the Guinness Book of Records recognized card game records only if they were based on a French deck of 52 cards. Only after the intervention of Bavarian broadcasters, Bayerischer Rundfunk, was this rule relaxed and Schafkopf was recognized in this category; since then the record for continuous playing is held exclusively by Schafkopf groups. The officially recognized record playing time is currently 260 hours, placed in November 2013 by one Munich group.