Karnöffel

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Karnöffel
Detail from the Herrenberg Altarpiece: Landsknechts probably playing Karnöffel[1]
OriginGermany
TypePlain-trick
Players4
Cards48
DeckGerman
Rank (high→low)K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
PlayClockwise
Related games
Alkort • Kaiserspiel • Karniffel • Knüffeln • Styrivolt • Treikort

Karnöffel is a trick-taking card game which probably came from the upper-German language area in Europe in the first quarter of the 15th century. It first appeared listed in a municipal ordinance of Nördlingen, Bavaria, in 1426 among the games that could be lawfully played at the annual city fête.[2] This makes the game the oldest identifiable European card game in the history of playing cards with a continuous tradition of play down to the present day.[3]

History[edit]

The earliest substantial reference to Karnöffel is a poem by Meissner, written in or before 1450. Historically karnöffeln meant "to cudgel, thrash or flog",[4] but in medieval times, a Karnöffel was also the word for an inguinal hernia.[5]

Karnöffel had a suit, the 'chosen suit', in which some cards had a higher priority than cards in other suits, which indicates that it might be a possible precursor to the trump suit of Tarot. The earliest forms of Karnöffel utilized a deck of 48 cards, Aces having been removed from German and Swiss playing cards during the 14th or early 15th century.[6]

Descendants[edit]

Karnöffel has a number of descendants that are still played today including Swiss Kaisern or Kaiserjass,[7] Schleswigian Knüffeln and Bruus, Danish Brus, Icelandic Brús, Gotlandic Bräus and Greenlandic Voormsi.

Rules[edit]

There is no detailed record of the early rules for Karnöffel, although it is known that it was played with a 48-card, German-suited pack, that there was one chosen suit and that the cards of the chosen suit probably ranked as follows: U, 6, D, 3, 4 and 5. The chosen Six was known as the Pope, the Unter as the Karnöffel and the other beaters of the chosen suit were Emperors (Kaiser). The chosen 7 was the Devil and had no value except when led.[8] By the late 18th century, there was a 36-card variant of Karnöffel and other 36- and 48-card variants are still played today.

The rules here are taken from a reconstruction by von Leyden and Dummett, based on von Leyden's discovery of the little-known Swiss game of Kaisern or Kaiserspiel which appeared to have similar characteristics to the original Karnöffel.

Players[edit]

Karnöffel was played by four players in two teams of two; the partners sitting opposite one another.

Cards[edit]

There was one chosen suit. In the unchosen suits, the card ranking was as follows:

King, Ober, Unter, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 (Deuce)

Card powers[edit]

No. * Card Description Name Translation
1 T Trump Unter beats all cards Karnöffel
(2) T Trump 7 beats all cards apart from the Karnöffel, but only if led to a trick. In all other circumstances it is only a 7. It may not be played to the first trick. Teufel, Böse 7 Devil, Evil/Bad/Naughty 7
3 T Trump 6 beats all other cards apart from the aforementioned two. Papst Pope
4 T Trump Deuce beats all other cards apart from the aforementioned three. Kaiser, Hochkönig Emperor, High King
The Karnöffel, Papst and Kaiser are also known as King-beaters (Königstecher), because they are the only ones that can beat a King.
5 Kings König King
6 T Trump 3 beats all other cards apart from the aforementioned trumps and the Kings. Oberstecher, Barde Ober-beater
7 Obers
8 T Trump 4 beats all other cards apart from the aforementioned trumps and King and Ober. Understecher, Herzog Unter-beater, Duke
7 Unters
8 T Trump 5 beats all other cards apart from the aforementioned trumps and King, Ober and Unter. Farbstecher, Ritter Suit-beater, Knight
The King, Ober, 10, 9 and 8 of the trump suit have no trump powers.

Play[edit]

  • The first dealer deals 5 cards to each player, one at a time. The first card is placed face up in front of the respective player, the remaining four cards stay face down.
  • The lowest of the face up cards determines the trump suit for this deal. If 2 cards have the same rank, the first to be dealt decides the trump suit. Thereafter the players pick their cards up.
  • The player left of the dealer leads to the first trick; the other players play in clockwise order.
  • There is no requirement to follow suit. The player with the highest card of the led suit or the highest trump wins the trick and leads to the next.
  • This continues until one team has taken three tricks and so won the deal.
  • Players may talk to one another during the game; mutual support is actually encouraged.
  • The player who led to the first trick becomes the next dealer.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Parlett 2020.
  2. ^ Dummett (1980), p. 184
  3. ^ Dummett (1978), p. 130.
  4. ^ Wieland, Christoph Martin, ed. (1783). "Beytrag zur Geschichte der Kartenspiele" in Der Teutsche Merkur, Vol. 58, First quarter 1783, pp. 62-87, Weimar.
  5. ^ von Leyden, Rudolf. (1978). Karnöffel: Das Kartenspiel der Landsknechte. Vienna.
  6. ^ Dummett, Michael (1980). The Game of Tarot. London: Duckworth. p. 24. ISBN 0-7156-1014-7.
  7. ^ Kaiserspiel Card Game - Oxford Dictionary of Card Games, David Parlett, pg:139
  8. ^ von Leyden (1978), p. 18.

Literature[edit]

  • Dummett, Michael (1978). Reviews of "Der Nidwaldener Kaiserjass Und Seine Geschichte" and "Der Kaiserjass, Wie Er Heute in Nidwalden Gespielt Wird" in The Playing Card, Vol. 9, No. 4, May 1981.
  • Dummett, Michael (1980). The Game of Tarot. Duckworth, London. ISBN 0715610147
  • Parlett, David (2020). "Karnöffel". Historic Card Games. Retrieved 14 April 2020.

External links[edit]

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