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User:Bermicourt/Card games/Kaisern

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Kaiserspiel
The card deck for Kaiserspiel
OriginSwitzerland
TypeTrick-taking
Players2, 4, 6
Cards40 or 48
DeckSwiss deck (Kaiserspiel variant)
PlayAnticlockwise
Related games
Karnöffel, Knüffeln, Watten

Kaiserspiel, also called Kaisern or Cheisärä, is a card game, usually for 4 or 6 players, that is played in parts of Switzerland using a variant of the standard Swiss playing cards with 40 or 48 cards. It is a descendent of Karnöffel, one of the oldest known card games.[1] It is sometimes misleadingly called Kaiserjass, although it has nothing to do with the Jass family of games that are popular in Switzerland.

Cards

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The Kaiserspiel pack comprises four suits: Shields, Roses, Bells and Acorns each of ten cards ranked as follows: King, Ober, Unter, Banner, (9), (8), 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 (Deuce). The four Banners are normally part of the trump suit and are known as Kaisers, hence the name of the game. In the 40-card variants, the 8s and 9s are removed. There are no Aces.[1]

Kaiserspiel – Silenen variant

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This variant is named after the village of Silenen in the Swiss canton of Uri.

Players

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The game is played by 8, 10 or 12 players, divided into two teams, players from each sitting alternately at the table.

Cards

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The 48 cards of a Kaiserspiel pack are used. If eight play, the 8s and 9s are removed.

Trick-taking powers

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# * Card Description Other names Translation
1 T Trump Bauer beats all the cards Trump Under Trump Under, Trump Bower
(2) T Trump 7 beats only, if it is led to a trick! The Trump 7 can then only be beaten by the Trump Bauer. Otherwise it is effectively worthless (see 16).
3 T Trump 6 beats all other cards apart from the two already mentioned. jocularly also called the Sense (Scythe), if it e. g. takes the decisive trick. Scythe
4 T Trump Ace beats all other cards apart from the three already mentioned.
5 K Blass beats the Kings and all cards below it (even trump cards) as well as all other Kaisers. Rosen-Kaiser (Rosen-Banner) Rose Emperor, Rose Banner
The cards above are called Mann-beaters (Mann-Stecher) , because they are the only ones that can beat the higher-ranking Mann (the King).
6 M Kings this Mann only has its trick-taking powers, if it is:
  • led to a trick
  • played to a card of its own suit, referred to as "playing in the Mann" (in den Mann spielen).

Exceptions:

  • the Kaisers cannot be beaten by any Mann (King or Ober). They do not "fall to the Mann" (nicht in den Mann gehen) as the phrase is.
  • likewise the Trump 3, 4 and 5 cannot be beaten by a Mann. They also do not fall to the Mann!
  • the Trump 8 and 9 fall to the Mann.
  • a led Trump Ober can be beaten or overtrumped by the Trump King.

(prerequisite is however that only the first led card.)

Mann, König Mann, King
7 T Trump 3 beats every Ober and all cards below them as well as the Ober-Kaiser, Grün and Mugg. A led Trump 3 does not fall to the Mann and cannot, therefore, be beaten by the Trump King. Oberstecher Ober-beater
8 K Ober-Kaiser beats the Ober and all cards below it as well as the Grün and Mugg. Ober-Kaiser, Schilten-Kaiser (Schilten-Banner) Ober Emperor, Shield Emperor, Shield Banner
9 M Obers this Mann beats all cards of lower rank in its suit with the same rules as for the King. Mann, Ober Mann, Ober
10 T Trump 4 beats the Unders that are not trumps and all cards below it as well as the Grün and the Mugg. The Trump 4 does not fall to the Mann and can therefore not be beaten by the Trump King nor the Trump Ober. Understecher Under-beater
11 K Grün beats the Unders that are not trumps and all cards below it. Grün, Eichel-Kaiser (Eichel-Banner) Green, Acorn Emperor, Acorn Banner
12 Under beats all cards of lower rank in its own suit (if this suit is not trumps), the Trump 5 and the Mugg. Bauer, Jos or Joos Bower, Jos or Joos
13 T Trump 5 beats the Trump 9 and 8 as well as all lower-ranking cards that are not trumps and the Mugg. The Trump 5 does not goes fall to the Mann and so can neither be beaten by the Trump King nor the Trump Ober. Farbstecher Suit-beater
14 K Mugg beats all empty cards as well as the Trump 9 and 8. Mugg, Schallen-Kaiser (Schallen-Banner) Mugg, Bell Emperor, Bell Banner
15 9 and 8 they have no greater trick-taking power as trumps. The Trump 9 and 8, however, fall to a Trump Mann if they are able to be led to a trick (see 6 and 9).
16 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and Ace (2) beat each other in this order from left to right, but only if the relevant suit is not trumps.
* card type: T = Trump, K = Kaiser, M = Mann


References

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  1. ^ a b Kaiserspiel at www.pagat.com. Retrieved 4 Jun 2018.
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  • Matthew Macfadyen and Kirsty Healey, rev. John McLeod. Kaiserspiel at www.pagat.com. Retrieved 4 Jun 2018.