Königrufen
Encyclopedia
Königrufen or Königsrufen ("The Calling of a King" Tarock) is a trick-taking card game
four-player variant played in Austria
and nearby areas in Central Europe
, especially in Slovenia
. Also five players may play the game with the dealer sitting out.
Austrian Königrufen has a common core set of rules with considerable variation in the types of announcements and bonuses permitted, along with scoring, with most groups of players creating their own house rules. Although widely accepted tournament rules have been developed, such rules vary depending on the region where the game is played.
, an Hombre
variant, to determine who played with whom. The earliest reference of the game appears in Wien, in a book written in 1840. Its closest cousin is Tapp Tarock, extensively played in Austria.
The 32 suit cards consist of four courts: king, queen, knight and jack, along with four lower ranked cards, the pips of eight cards each in the four suits: hearts, diamonds, spades and clubs -. The cards rank as follows:
The 22 Tarocks are ranked according to the Roman numbers displayed on the corner of these cards.
Six Tarocks are specially named as they play important roles in the game:
The 22nd Tarock is unnumbered and depicts a harlequin
is often called the Sküs, Gstieß, or a number of other phonetic derivations of the French "Excuse"
The Sküs, Mond and Pagat are called the Trull (derived from the French "tous les trois" or "all the three"). Tarocks II ,III , and IIII are called Vogel ("Birds").
The Pagat is a special "Bird" as it also belongs to the Trull
The birds count as bonuses, if they win the appropriate trick. The Pagat must be won in the last trick, the Uhu in the penultimate, the Kakadu in the third to the last, and the Marabu in the fourth to the last. In the variant of the rules played in Cheltenham
, the Marabu bonus trick is not played.
They must win the trick if they are to count as bonuses. Even if the taker's partner captures a bird Tarock, the bonus is lost and counts as negative. They are also lost if they are announced and not successfully achieved.
Card game
A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games...
four-player variant played in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and nearby areas in Central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
, especially in Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. Also five players may play the game with the dealer sitting out.
Austrian Königrufen has a common core set of rules with considerable variation in the types of announcements and bonuses permitted, along with scoring, with most groups of players creating their own house rules. Although widely accepted tournament rules have been developed, such rules vary depending on the region where the game is played.
History
Königrufen evolved from the older 18th century tarock games which borrowed their concepts of bidding from the card game QuadrilleQuadrille (card game)
Quadrille is a Spanish trick-taking card game directly ancestral to Boston and chief progenitor of Solo whist. It was perfected in early 18th century France as a four-handed version of the Spanish card game Ombre, which was superseded as a fashionable game in about 1726, although it still remained...
, an Hombre
Ombre
Ombre, English corruption of the Spanish word Hombre, arising from the muting of the H in Spanish, is a fast-moving seventeenth-century trick-taking card game with an illustrious history which began in Spain around the end of the 16th Century as a four person game...
variant, to determine who played with whom. The earliest reference of the game appears in Wien, in a book written in 1840. Its closest cousin is Tapp Tarock, extensively played in Austria.
Description
The 54-card Tarock deck with combined value of 70 points is used. Each player receives 12 cards and 6 cards called the Talon are placed in the center. Players take turn in a counter-clockwise direction. After the exchange with the Talon, the player to the right of the dealer leads to the first trick. Like most trick-taking games, the winner of the last trick leads to the next until either all 12 tricks have been played, or a player has failed to achieve an announced goal.The cards
The 54 cards are divided into two groups: 32 suit cards and 22 Tarocks (trumps).The 32 suit cards consist of four courts: king, queen, knight and jack, along with four lower ranked cards, the pips of eight cards each in the four suits: hearts, diamonds, spades and clubs -. The cards rank as follows:
- In black suits: king, queen, knight and jack 10, 9, 8 and 7
- In red suits: king, queen, knight and jack, Ace, 2, 3 and 4.
The 22 Tarocks are ranked according to the Roman numbers displayed on the corner of these cards.
Six Tarocks are specially named as they play important roles in the game:
- I - Pagat
- II - Uhu
- III - Kakadu
- IIII - Marabu
- XXI - Mond (The Moon). It is derived from the French Monde (The World).
The 22nd Tarock is unnumbered and depicts a harlequin
Harlequin
Harlequin or Arlecchino in Italian, Arlequin in French, and Arlequín in Spanish is the most popularly known of the zanni or comic servant characters from the Italian Commedia dell'arte and its descendant, the Harlequinade.-Origins:...
is often called the Sküs, Gstieß, or a number of other phonetic derivations of the French "Excuse"
Tarot (game)
The French game of tarot, also jeu de tarot, is a trick-taking card game for four players using the traditional 78-card tarot deck. The game is enjoyed throughout France and also known in French-speaking Canada. French tarot is one of the older forms of tarot and has remained popular for centuries...
The Sküs, Mond and Pagat are called the Trull (derived from the French "tous les trois" or "all the three"). Tarocks II ,III , and IIII are called Vogel ("Birds").
Vogel (The Birds)
The birds are the lowest Tarocks:- I - Pagat (The Acrobat). Also: Spatz (Sparrow)
- II - Uhu ( Eagle Owl).
- III - Kakadu (Cockatoo). Also: Pelikan (Pelican), Kanari (Canary), Cohn (?), etc.
- IIII - Marabu (Marabu Stork). Also: Quapil (?), Lämmergeier (Bearded Vulture), Wildsau (Boar), etc.
The Pagat is a special "Bird" as it also belongs to the Trull
The birds count as bonuses, if they win the appropriate trick. The Pagat must be won in the last trick, the Uhu in the penultimate, the Kakadu in the third to the last, and the Marabu in the fourth to the last. In the variant of the rules played in Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
, the Marabu bonus trick is not played.
They must win the trick if they are to count as bonuses. Even if the taker's partner captures a bird Tarock, the bonus is lost and counts as negative. They are also lost if they are announced and not successfully achieved.
King Ultimo
The King Ultimo bonus is scored, if the called king wins the last trick. The bonus is also scored if the taker's partner takes the called king in the last trick.Mondfang (capture of the XXI)
Mondfang is scored if the second highest Tarock (the Mond or XXI) is taken by the highest (the Sküs).External links
- http://www.ebepe.com/html/tarock_e.html introductory rules
- http://www.pagat.com/tarot/koenig.html pagat.com rules and strategy
- http://dwbee.net/koenigsrufen Cheltenham rules