| Karniffel | |
| Subtitle: | Thuringian descendant of Europe's oldest card game |
| Alt Names: | Karniffeln |
| Type: | Plain-trick |
| Players: | 4 |
| Num Cards: | 36 |
| Deck: | German-suited |
| Card Rank: | Chosen: Beasts O U 6 8 9 D K 10 7 Plain: O U 6 8 9 D K 10 7 |
| Origin: | Germany |
| Related: | Kaiserspiel, Karnöffel, Knüffeln, Alkort, Treikort, Bräus, Stýrivolt, Watten, Vorms |
| Skills: | bluffing, tactics |
| Footnotes: | Two chosen suits |
Karniffel or Thuringian Karnöffel was a trick-taking card game for four players, playing in pairs, the rules of which were recorded in some detail in a German periodical of the late 18th century where it was described as being played by the Thuringian peasantry. Karniffel was a descendant of the original Karnöffel.
Karniffel was a descendant of the original Karnöffel, which itself originated in Bavaria in the first quarter of the 15th century and is thus the oldest identifiable European card game in the history of playing cards with a continuous tradition of play down to the present day.[1] Research in recent decades has identified a number of other card games played in Switzerland, with Swiss-suited cards, and in north Germany and the Baltic region, with French-suited cards, but the rules of Karniffel are recorded earlier than any of the other members of the family and it is one of only two variants known to use German-suited cards, the other being the Austro-Bavarian game of Watten. (The extinct Polish game of Drużbart also used German-suited cards; of the Polish pattern.)
Although games variously known as Karniffel, Karniffeln, Karnöffel or Karnöffeln, were played in much of German-speaking central Europe from around 1425, the earliest detailed description of a set of rules comes from an article in the periodical, Teutsche Merkur, dated 1783.[2] This version, "Karniffel", was a derivative of 15th-century Karnöffel that became popular in Thuringia. Like its parent, it featured a highly unusual hierarchy and cards with special properties. However, it also differed significantly in that it used a 36-card pack and had the "surprising feature" of two chosen suits.[3] Another oddity is that each side had a 'director' who instructs his partner on the cards to play.[4]
Relatives of Karniffel that are still played today include Swedish Bräus, German Knüffeln and Faroese Stýrivolt.[5]
Karniffel had the following features that are unusual in card games:[2]
Although the chosen suits are often referred to as trump suits, this is not strictly correct as not all the cards of these suits have normal trump powers: some only have powers when led and others have no powers at all.
Karniffel was played with the 36 cards of a standard German-suited pack i.e. King, Ober, Unter, Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, Six and Deuce in the suits of Acorns, Leaves, Hearts and Bells. However, the card ranking was highly unusual.[2]
There were three permanent top cards or matadors, known as the 'beasts':[2] [4] [6]
Next came the cards of the two chosen suits. For example, if Leaves and Bells are selected, the cards rank as follows:[2]
The cards with trump-like powers are often referred to as 'beaters'. They are the 3 beasts plus the O, U, and 6 of the chosen suits.
Although Wieland states that cards of the unselected suits rank in the same order: O > U > 6 > 8 > 9 > D > K > 10 > 7, he suggests earlier that this ranking only applies to the selected suits and that accords with all other descriptions of the rules of Karnöffel and its descendants, where unselected suits rank in their natural order: D > K > O > U > 10 > 9 > 8 > 7. An Ober was known as Fauler Schlingel ("Lazy Rascal"), originally Fauler Fritz ("Lazy Freddy"), because it was unable to win anything until all the beaters had been exhausted.
The following rules are based Wieland (1783) except where stated.[2]
The aim is to win three or more tricks in each deal.[2]
The game is played by four or six players in two teams of two or three respectively. One player in each team is nominated as the 'director' or captain who may view the cards of his team and concede the game if it looks as if they will lose.[2]
The dealer shuffles the cards, offers them to rearhand for cutting and deals five cards to each player and turns the next two over to determine the selected suits. If the second card is of the same suit, another card is turned and, if necessary, more until a different suit appears. Any player with a 'Banner' (trump 10) may now exchange it for the trump upcard of the same suit.[2]
Forehand leads to the first trick. There are no constraints on play to a trick.[3] The trick is won, in order, by:[2]
Wiegand does not make clear what rule applies if two cards of equal value (both trumps or both non-trumps) are played. In other variants of Karnöffel, the trick is won either by the first of the two cards played (e.g. Watten) or suit priority applies in the order: Acorns, Leaves, Hearts and Bells or their French-suited equivalent (e.g. most of the Bruus family)
The team that wins three or more tricks wins the stake for the game.[6]