Emperors (card game)
The Kaiserspiel or Kaisern (called Cheisärä ) is a card game that is played with 48 cards. Often the term Kaiserjass is wrongly mentioned , although Kaiserjass has nothing to do with Jassen .
history
The Kaiserspiel is a derivative of the Karnöffel ( Karniffel ), one of the oldest known card games, if not the oldest at all. Carnuffles are mentioned for the first time in 1426. This suggests that it must have been known a few years earlier. The carnival game was allowed in Nördlingen (1426) and was later mentioned in Würzburg and Zurich (1443). In Augsburg , the carnival game was expressly prohibited (1446), while other games were allowed. A statement by Johann Geiler von Kaysersberg (1496) is supposed to prove that the Kaiserspiel is identical to the Karnöffelspiel.
- Carnival game
- The carnation spoon is the name for a rough mercenary. The (the) Karnöffel was a vulgar expression for a testicle hernia or testicular ulcer.
- Towards the end of the 15th and 16th centuries, it was one of the most famous and popular card games. The Landsknechte ensured widespread use. The Karnöffel , the Trumpf- Untermann , is the highest card in the game. He stabs Pope and Emperor , King and Obermann . Thus, it could become a symbol of a revolutionary time, since the low cards ( rank and file ) are the high engravers. This is why preachers and pamphleteers liked to choose it as their theme because of its “wrong” world order.
- Imperial game
- Today the Kaiserspiel is only played in certain regions in the Swiss cantons of Uri , Lucerne and Nidwalden and Obwalden . The standard interpretation differs a little in each location.
Card sheet
The Kaiserspiel is played with the extended German-Swiss hand with 48 cards. The colors are called roses, bells, acorns and schilten. Each suit includes 12 cards: 3 through 9, Banner, Under, Over, King and Ace.
Designations
- The emperors
- The banners play a central role with the emperor. They are called emperors and thus give the game its name. Ranking of the emperors (banners):
- Rosen Kaiser, called Blass
- Schilten Kaiser, called Ober-Kaiser
- Acorn Kaiser, called Grün or Widli
- Bells Kaiser, called Mugg
- The men
- The king and waiter are referred to as men . The king is the stronger of the two men .
- The 3, 4 and 5
- In addition to the German-Swiss sheet with 36 cards, cards 3, 4 and 5 are added to the Kaiserspiel. The 8 and 9 are removed from the game. The 3 in particular often plays the decisive role in the Kaiserspiel (more on this later).
The carnival game
The game is played with a 48-card hand with the order and ranking as follows:
- King, Upper (Queen), Under (Jack), 10 (Banner), 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 (As)
player
It is played in groups of four, with the two sitting opposite each other as partners.
Target value of the cards
| # | * | map | description | Designations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | T | Trump pawn | stabs all cards | Karnöffel |
| (2.) | T | Trump 7 | tricks all other cards except the carnation spoon. But only if it is the first card of the trick. In all other cases it is only a 7. It cannot be led in the first trick. | Devil, "evil 7" |
| 3. | T | Trump 6 | beats all other cards except the two already mentioned. | Pope |
| 4th | T | Ace of trumps | beats all other cards except the three already mentioned. | Kaiser, Hochkönig |
| Carnoons, Pope and Emperor are also called Königstecher , since they are the only ones to beat the king. | ||||
| 5. | king | |||
| 6th | T | Trump 3 | beats all other cards except for the aforementioned trumps and kings. | Colonel, bard |
| 7th | Upper | lady | ||
| 8th. | T | Trump 4 | beats all other cards except the trump cards and king and upper card already mentioned. | Understecher, Duke |
| 7th | Under | Jack | ||
| 8th. | T | Trump 5 | beats all other cards except for the aforementioned trumps and king, over and under. | Color engraver, knight |
| King, Ober, 10 (banner), 9 and 8 of the trump suit are not trumps | ||||
Game flow
- The first dealer deals 5 cards per player, one at a time. The first card is placed face up in front of the respective player, the other four cards remain face down.
- The lowest value of the open cards determines the trump suit of this round. If two cards have identical values, the first dealt determines the trumps. Then all players pick up their cards.
- The player to the left of the dealer plays, the other players play clockwise.
- There is no need to use color. The player with the highest card of the suit led or with the highest trump wins the trick and plays the next card.
- This continues until one team has taken three tricks and thus wins the round.
- Conversations during the game are allowed, mutual support is even encouraged.
- The player who played first becomes the new dealer.
The Silen Imperial Game
This variant is named after the village of Silener .
player
There are 8, 10 or 12 people, divided into two teams, alternating at the table.
cards
The 8 and 9 are removed from play if eight are played.
Target value of the cards
| # | * | map | description | Other names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | T | Trump pawn | stabs all cards | Trump-Under |
| (2.) | T | Trump 7 | only wins if it is played as the 1st card! The trump 7 can then only be captured by the trump pawn. Otherwise it is practically worthless (see 16.). | |
| 3. | T | Trump 6 | beats all other cards except the two already mentioned. | also called teasingly scythe when she z. B. makes the decisive stitch. |
| 4th | T | Ace of trumps | beats all other cards except the three already mentioned. | |
| 5. | K | Pale | tricks the kings and all cards downwards (including trump cards) as well as all other emperors. | Rosen-Kaiser (Rosen-Banner) |
| The cards above are called Mann-Stecher (Mann-Stechkarte) because they are the only ones to stab the stronger man (the king). | ||||
| 6th | M. | king | this man only gets his mark if he
Exceptions:
(However, only the first card played is decisive.) |
man |
| 7th | T | Trump 3 | tricks every Ober and all cards downwards as well as the Ober-Kaiser, Grün and Mugg. A played trump 3 does not go into the man and therefore cannot be won by the trump king. | Oberstecher |
| 8th. | K | Ober-Kaiser | tricks the upper and all cards downwards as well as the green and Mugg. | Schilten-Kaiser (Schilten-Banner) |
| 9. | M. | Upper | this man tricks all cards below his suit using the same rules as described for the king. | man |
| 10. | T | Trump 4 | Trumps the Under who are not trump and all cards down as well as the green and Mugg. The trump 4 does not go into the man and therefore cannot be won by either the trump king or the trump superior. | Understicker |
| 11. | K | green | trumps the under who are not trump and all cards down. | Acorn Emperor (Acorn Banner) |
| 12. | Under | Trumps all cards below his suit (if this suit is not a trump), the trump 5 and the Mugg. | Farmer, also called Jos or Joos | |
| 13. | T | Trump 5 | Trumps 9 and 8 as well as all cards downwards that are not trumps and the Mugg. The trump 5 does not go into the man and therefore cannot be won by either the trump king or the trump superior. | Color engraver |
| 14th | K | Mugg | Trumps all empty cards as well as the trump 9 and 8. | Schallen-Kaiser (Schallen-Banner) |
| 15th | 9 and 8 | they have no better cue value than trump card. The trumps 9 and 8 go into the trump men if they can be played (see 6 and 9). | ||
| 16. | 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and As (2) | trump in this order from left to right, but only if the suit in question is not trump. | ||
| * Card type: T = trump, K = emperor, M = man | ||||
literature
- Peter F. Kopp: The three oldest card games in Central Switzerland and their rules . In: Der Geschichtsfreund 139 (1986), pp. 23-46 (on the emperor : pp. 28-33). ( Digitized on retro.seals )