Officers' Schafkopf () is a German
point-trick
A trick-taking game is a card game, card- or tile-based game in which play of a ''Hand (card games), hand'' centers on a series of finite rounds or units of play, called ''tricks'', which are each evaluated to determine a winner or ''taker'' of ...
card game
A card game is any game that uses playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, whether the cards are of a traditional design or specifically created for the game (proprietary). Countless card games exist, including famil ...
for two players which is based on the rules of
Schafkopf
Schafkopf (, lit. 'sheep's head'), also called Bavarian Schafkopf, is a popular German Trick-taking game, trick-taking card game of the ace–ten family for four players that evolved, towards the end of the 19th century, from German Schafkopf. ...
. The game is a good way to learn the trumps and suits for normal Schafkopf and to understand what cards one is allowed to play. It is similar in concept to
Officers' Skat
Officers' Skat (''Offiziersskat''), is a trick-taking card game for two players which is based on the rules of Skat. It may be played with a German or French pack of 32 cards which, from the outset of the game, are laid out in rows both face do ...
.
Names
The game goes under a variety of other names including Open Schafkopf (''Aufgelegter Schafkopf'' or ''Aafglegta Schafkopf''), Two-Hand Schafkopf (''Zweier Schafkopf''
[''Wendischer, Deutscher und Zweier Schafkopf – Kartenspiele für Erwachsene''](_blank)
at 123sportwetten.eu. Retrieved 11 Nov 2018 or ''Schafkopf zu zweit''
[Lembke (c. 1975), p. 216.]), Two-Hand Wendish Schafkopf (''Wendischer Schafkopf zu zweit''),
[Danyliuk (2017), pp. 44–45] Farmer's Schafkopf (''Bauernschafkopf''),
[''Mehrkopf: Spielregeln'']
at www.mehrkopf.de. Retrieved 11 Nov 2018[ Robbers' Schafkopf (''Räuber-Schafkopf''),][Merschbacher (2009), p. 86.] Officers' Regalia (''Offiziersschmuck'')[ or Ölkopf ("Oil Head").][
]
History
The first recorded mention of a two-handed Schafkopf is by Skat inventor, Johann Friedrich Ludwig Hempel (1773–1849), in 1835 in Pierer's ''Universal-Lexikon'' where it is called "Open Schafkopf". Each player received 8 cards in 2 packets and after each packet 4 cards were laid on the table, face up. It appears to be based on German Schafkopf
German Schafkopf () is an old German, ace–ten card game that is still played regionally in variant form today. It is the forerunner of the popular modern games of Skat, Doppelkopf and Bavarian Schafkopf. It originated in Leipzig in the Elect ...
in which Bells were usually permanent trumps and there could be 4, 6 or 8 ''Wenzels'' (Obers and Unters as permanent top trumps).[Hempel (1835), p. 403.]
Overview
Officers' Schafkopf tends to be preferred over Officers' Skat in areas where Schafkopf is more popular than Skat. Although there are similarities in concept, Officers' Schafkopf differs in the number of trumps, the bidding, the scoring and culturally in terms of the cards used and the region it is played in.
Cards
Officers' Schafkopf is usually played with 32 Bavarian-pattern cards from a Schafkopf pack, the Sixes being removed. In a Solo contract, there are eight ''Wenzels'' or top trumps – the 4 Obers and the 4 Unters – in addition to the named trump suit. In a Wenz, only the Unters are trumps.
The deuce is usually called the sow
Sow or SOW may refer to:
* Sowing, the process of planting
Female animals
* Badger
* Bear
* Guinea pig
* Hedgehog
* Suidae
** Wild boar
** Pig
Arts, entertainment and media
* Sow (band), a musical project of Anna Wildsmith
* "Sow", a poem by Sy ...
in Bavaria, but is often referred to as the ace
An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or a club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the ...
; its card symbol is either A, D or blank.
Card values follow the normal ace–ten game
An ace–ten game is a type of card game, highly popular in Europe, in which the aces and tens are of particularly high value.
Description
Many of Europe's most popular card games feature the ace–ten scoring system, where the cards count as ...
system:
Rules
The following rules are based on Merschbacher:[
]
Deal
Dealer deals a row of 4 cards, face down, to each player, then a row of 4 cards, face up, to forehand
The forehand is a shot used in most racket sports, such as tennis, table tennis and pickleball, where the palm of the hand precedes the back of the hand when swinging the racket. In tennis, except in the context of the phrase ''forehand volley ...
, (i.e. the non-dealer). Forehand now announces a game - which must be either a Suit Solo or Wenz. Next the dealer deals 4 upcards to himself and may double the game value by saying e.g. ''Stoß'' or ''Spritze''.
Merschbacher then gives two options for completing the deal:
# The remaining sixteen cards are dealt to form another row of four cards, face down, for each player, and the remaining cards face up again on top of them. So each player now has eight cards, face down, in two rows of four, and eight cards, face up, on top of them.
# The players are dealt eight cards each which they pick up as a hand.
Play
Forehand leads to the first trick by playing one of his upcards. Players must follow suit if they can; otherwise they are free to trump or discard. As an upcard is played, the one beneath it is turned and becomes available. This is done after the trick has been played.[ The winner of a trick leads to the next.
]
Contracts
There are Wenz and Suit Solo contracts. The Suit Solo contracts are as per Schafkopf: Acorn Solo, Leaf Solo, Heart Solo and Bell Solo. (See the Schafkopf article for explanation.) In a Wenz contract, only the Unters are trumps; the Obers revert to the original suit, and are instead ranked in the A-10-K-O-9-8-7 order.
Scoring
Merschbacher does not cover scoring in his rules. Danyliuk uses the following system: before the game, an agreed sum (e.g. 10pf) is paid by each player into the pot
Pot may refer to:
Containers
* Flowerpot, a container in which plants are cultivated
* Pottery, ceramic containers made from clay
* Cooking pot, a type of cookware
* Pot, a beer glass
Places
* Ken Jones Aerodrome, IATA airport code POT
* ...
. At the end of the deal, card points are totted up. If the declarer (the one who announced the game contract) scores 61 or more, he has won. His opponent only needs 60 to win. A simple win earns 1pf, a ''Schneider'' (loser scores less than 30 points but more than nothing) earns double and a ''Schwarz'' (loser takes no tricks) earns treble.[
]
Variants
Lembke describes Two-Hand Schafkopf in which each player receives two rows each of four downcards and four upcards, with the same trumps as the normal game (''Rufspiel'' or ''Sauspiel'') in Schafkopf i.e., all Obers, Unters and Hearts, but also suggests variants with different trumps as follows:[
# Unters and Bells (= Bell Wenz)
# Announced trumps - after the first 4 upcards are dealt to forehand, he announces the trump suit (= Suit Solo)
# Unters only (= Wenz)
]
Footnotes
References
Literature
* Danyliuk, Rita (2017). ''1 x 1 der Kartenspiele''. Hanover: Humboldt.
* 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.
* Lembke, Robert 975
Year 975 ( CMLXXV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
* Arab–Byzantine War: Emperor John I raids Mesopotamia and invades Syria, using the Byzantine base at Antioch to pres ...
"Schafkopf zu zweit" in ''Das große Haus- und Familienbuch der Spiele''. Cologne: Lingen. p. 219.
* Merschbacher, Adam (2009). ''Schafkopf: Das anspruchsvolle Kartenspiel'', 2nd edn. PLIZ, Munich.
*Wiesegger, Joseph (2007-2021)
''Schafkopf: Ein Versuch, Wissen zu sammeln''.
{{Trick-taking card games
Schafkopf group
Two-player card games
Bavarian card games
German deck card games
Point-trick games