Schafkopf

Schafkopf
"The supreme discipline of Bavarian card games"
The Obers and Unters - permanent top trumps
OriginGermany
TypePoint-trick
Players4
SkillsTactics & Strategy
Cards32
DeckGerman
Rank (high→low)O O O O
U U U U
A 10 K 9 8 7 (Solo/Rufer Trump, is always trump in the latter)

A 10 K 9 8 7 (Rufer/Solo Side)
U U U U (Wenz Trump)

A 10 K O 9 8 7 (Wenz Side)
PlayClockwise
Playing time5 min/deal
20 min/round
ChanceMedium
Related games
Bierkopf • German Schafkopf • Mucken

Schafkopf (German: [ˈʃaːfkɔpf], lit. 'sheep's head'), also called Bavarian Schafkopf, is a popular German trick-taking card game of the ace–ten family for four players that evolved, towards the end of the 19th century, from German Schafkopf. It is still very popular in Bavaria, where it is their national card game played by around two million people, but it also played elsewhere in Germany and in Austria. It is an official cultural asset and important part of the Old Bavarian and Franconian way of life. Schafkopf is a mentally demanding pastime that is considered "the supreme discipline of Bavarian card games"[1] and "the mother of all trump games."[2]

Its closest relatives are Doppelkopf and Skat. These three and the North American game of Sheepshead descend from an earlier game, also called Schafkopf, with influences from Solo which, in turn, is the German version of Quadrille. The earliest written reference to the earlier form of Schafkopf – now known as German Schafkopf – dates to 1780, although it only came to notice through the polite society of Altenburg in 1811.[3] Some kind of Schafkopf was current in Franconia (northern Bavaria) in the first half of the 19th century, but the distinct Bavarian form of the game is only positively recorded from 1879, since when it has become the dominant form, whereas German Schafkopf is only played in a number of local variants, for example, in the Palatinate as Alte Schoofkopp or Bauernstoss.[4] Bierkopf and Mucken are simple variants which make a useful introduction to the more complex Schafkopf.

The first official rules were established by the Bavarian Schafkopf Club (Bayerischer Schafkopf-Verein) in 1989.[5] These were revised by the School of Schafkopf (Schafkopfschule)[6] and 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 rules and variants are used in private games, which can vary considerably from region to region. These common forms of the game are referred to as 'impure' Schafkopf (unreiner Schafkopf) in contrast with 'pure' or standard Schafkopf which is played in tournaments. The name is sometimes spelt Schaffkopf,(German: [ˈʃafkɔpf]) Schafkopfen or, historically, Schaafkopf, and in north Germany in the Low German dialect: Schaapskopp or Kopp.[7] To play Schafkopf is Schafkopfen and players may be called Schafkopfer.

  1. ^ Bayerische Kartenspiele: Vom Aussterben bedroht: Retten Sie das Karteln! at www.abendzeitung-muenchen.de. Retrieved 17 August 2018
  2. ^ Schafkopf Tarock Karten at viertreff.de. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  3. ^ Foster's Skat Manual, p. 3, R. F. Foster - Averill Press 2008 ISBN 1-4437-2151-4
  4. ^ Bauernstoss at pagat.com. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Bayerisch Schaffkopfen was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference schafkopfschule regeln was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Mensing (1933), p. 279.