Knüffeln
Knüffeln, Knüffel, Knüfeln[1] or Karnüffeln is a trick-taking card game for four players, playing in pairs, that is still played in North Germany. Once considered the national game of Frisia, Knüffeln is a descendant of Karnöffel, the oldest identifiable European card game in the history of playing cards with a continuous tradition of play down to the present day.[2]
| The 'national game' of Frisia | |
 The 'five old ones' in the game of Knüffeln | |
| Origin | Germany |
|---|---|
| Alternative names | Knüffel, Knüfeln, Karnüffel, Karnüffeln |
| Type | Trick-taking |
| Family | Karnöffel group |
| Players | 4 |
| Skills required | bluffing, tactics |
| Cards | 48 |
| Deck | French (less Tens or Fives) |
| Play | Clockwise |
| Card rank (highest first) | Chosen: Olen, A J 6 8/9 2 3 4 Plain: A K Q J 9 – 2 |
| Related games | |
| Kaiserspiel, Karnöffel, Treikort, Styrivolt, Vorms | |
| Two chosen suits | |
Knüffeln, itself several centuries old, became popular in Frisia in North Germany and, despite being described in 1924 as in danger of extinction, is still taught and played in North Frisia. Like its parent, it uses a 48-card pack, has a highly unusual trump system and cards with special properties; in addition it has the "surprising feature" of having two trump suits.[3] Another oddity is that partners are allowed to openly communicate with one another and try to bluff the opposition about their hands and each side has a 'director' who instructs his partner on the cards to play.[4]
Background
Knüffeln is an ancient card game that was played in Martin Luther's day and was brought to the North Frisian region centuries ago.[5] It was described in detail by Bernhard in 1924 who noted that it was Frisia's "national game". He called it an "amusing and sociable game in which success depended on daring and careful thought, the creation of fact and fiction, aided by the luck of the cards." He went on to remark that it was on the verge of extinction as the younger generation were turning to 'modern' games such as Skat.[6]
Nevertheless, Knüffeln has survived to this day, being played almost exclusively in "parts of Frisia and on the geest",[7] especially around the district of Viöl in North Frisia. It has been described as "a very social game, which requires a lot of communication if one is to be successful." One of the reasons given for its popularity is that "it cannot be compared with any other card game and is therefore very interesting. Although it seems incomprehensible to outsiders" it can be picked up quite quickly. Courses and competitions are held regularly, for example, in Bohmstedt and Norstedt.[5][8] Other villages such as Klockries or Drelsdorf have regular Knüfeln evenings.[1][9]
The game goes under various other names in the literature, notably Knüffel, Karnüffel and Karnüffeln, the last two names also being used for its parent game of Karnöffel.
Cards
Knüffeln is played with 48 cards from a standard French-suited pack, the Tens or Fives and any Jokers being removed.[6][10]
Rules
The following rules are based on Bernhard (1924) supplemented, where stated, by other sources.[6]
Aim
The aim is to win five or more tricks in each deal.
Features
Knüffeln has the following features that are unusual in card games:[6]
- Five permanent top trumps known as the 'old ones' or 'old men' (Olen or Alten)
- Two trump suits, known as the 'chosen suits'
- Trumps with different powers e.g. some only when led
- No requirement to follow suit or trump
- Open communication between players, including bluffing to mislead one's opponents, is allowed
Card powers
There are five permanent top trumps, the 'Old Ones' or Olen, which rank in the order shown in the table below (highest on left). They are followed by the twelve 'beaters' (Stecher[11]) of the chosen suits which have the normal trumping powers but rank in an unusual order. Then come the 'leaders' whose rank depends on whether they are led to a trick or not. Essentially they rank higher when led; the trump Sevens becoming unbeatable. Finally there are the trump 5s whose main value is that they may be exchanged before the game starts for one of the trump upcards of the same suit. The following table shows the ranking and powers of the trumps taking, by way of example, Clubs and Hearts as the two chosen suits.[6]
The Old Ones also have the following names: ♥2 - the Twe, ♣4 - the Waag, ♠8 - the Dulle, ♥9 - the Hartenool, ♦9 - the Rutenool.[10]
| Card powers in chosen suits (trumps) (when, e.g., Hearts and Clubs are chosen) | |||
| Category | Ranks | Names | Powers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent trumps | ♥2 ♣4 ♠8 ♥9[lower-alpha 1] ♦9 | Old Ones (Olen) | Top 5 cards (in order) |
| Beaters (Stecher) | |||
| ♥A ♣A | Ace (As) | Beat all ♠ ♦ and lower ranking ♥ ♣, except chosen 7s (♥7 ♣7) when led | |
| ♥J ♣J | Bower (Bauer) | Beat all ♠ ♦ and lower ranking ♥ ♣, except chosen 7s (♥7 ♣7) when led | |
| ♥6 ♣6 | Pope (Pape) | Beat all ♠ ♦ and lower ranking ♥ ♣, except chosen 7s (♥7 ♣7) and free cards (♥9 ♣8 ♣9) when led | |
| ♣2 | Twist (Twist) | Beat ♠K ♦K and lower unchosen cards. Beat lower ranking ♥ ♣, except chosen 7s (♥7 ♣7) and free cards (♥9 ♣8 ♣9) when led | |
| ♥3 ♣3 | Drist (Drist) | Beat ♠Q ♦Q and lower unchosen cards. Beat lower ranking ♥ ♣, except chosen 7s (♥7 ♣7), Kings (♥K ♣K) and free cards (♥9 ♣8 ♣9) when led | |
| ♥4 | Wagon (Wagen) or Square (Viereck) | Beat ♠J ♦J and lower unchosen cards.[10] If chosen card is led, can can only beat ♥5 ♣5. | |
| Leaders (win only when led) | |||
| ♥7 ♣7 | Seven (Sieben) | Unbeatable when led, otherwise worthless | |
| ♥9 ♣8 ♣9 | Free card (Freikarte) | When led, beaten only by ♥A ♣A ♥J ♣J and Olen; otherwise worthless | |
| ♥K ♣K | King (König) | When led, must be beaten by ♣2 or higher; otherwise worthless | |
| ♥Q ♣Q | Queen (Dame) | When led, must be beaten by ♥3 ♣3 or higher; otherwise worthless | |
| Exchangers | ♥5 ♣5 | Dog (Hund) | May be exchanged for trump upcard, otherwise worthless |
The cards of the plain or 'unchosen suits' rank in their natural order as shown in the table below. If one of these is led to a trick, the trick is taken by the highest card of that suit unless beaten by an Old One or by a high enough beater i.e. an Ace may be taken by a trump 6 or higher, a King by a trump 2 or higher, a Queen by a trump 3 or higher and the rest by any beater.[6]
| Ranking in unchosen suits (when e.g. Spades and Diamonds are unchosen) | |
| Spades | Diamonds |
 |
 |
Preliminaries
The game is played by four players in two teams of two; the partners sitting opposite one another. The dealer shuffles the cards and offers them to rearhand (the player to his left) for cutting. The cutter may look at the three lowest cards; any Old Ones are placed face up on the table. Next the dealer deals nine cards to each player[lower-alpha 2] and turns the next two over to determine the chosen suits. If the second card is of the same suit, he turns another card and, if necessary, more until a different suit appears. If, in the process, two or more of the same suit are faced, the higher (or highest) is retained face up and the rest returned to the stock.[6]
Exchanging
Any player with a 'dog' (trump 5) may now exchange it for the trump upcard of the same suit. Anyone with a trump Queen may exchange it for an Old One of the same suit on the table. If a trump Queen is 'sleeping' (i.e. in the stock), the King may be used instead; otherwise the Old Ones remain on the table.[6]
Playing
Forehand leads to the first trick.[lower-alpha 3] There are no constraints on play to a trick.[13] The trick is won, in order, by:[6]
- Trump 7 if led
- highest Ole
- free cards if led, unless beaten by Ole, trump A or J
- other leaders if led, unless beaten by Ole or high enough beater
- highest beater in order: A J 6 2 3 4
- highest card of led suit [lower-alpha 4]
The deal is won by the team with the most tricks i.e. five or more.
Bonuses
A jann is achieved when a team wins the first five tricks in a row; it scores double.[6]
In modern Knüffeln, a Durchmarsch is achieved if all nine tricks are won and scores triple points.[14]
Raising the stakes
If a team has won two tricks, they may lead a card face-down, effectively doubling the points. If their opponents take up the challenge and win five tricks, they score two points. If not, the challengers score two. If they 'strike the flag' i.e. fold, they concede a point to the challengers.[6]
Scoring
At the start of the game, 4 horizontal lines are chalked up on a slate and divided by a vertical one to form 2 'ladders' side by side, one for each team. Scoring is recorded as follows:[6]
- Single win - erase one 'rung' of the ladder
- Double win (Jann) - erase two rungs
- Triple win (Durchmarsch) - erase three rungs
When the fourth rung is erased, the slate is wiped clean and the losers are given a large blob or Knüppel (●) on their side of the slate. If the winning team erases its fourth rung while their opponents have yet to score, the loses get 2 dots, known as a 'pair of spectacles' or Brille.[6]
Footnotes
- Bernard has this as the ♥8 and he is copied by Mensing, but this is probably a typo as it is out of step with all other evidence. See, for example, Grünberg or mone[12]
- Invariably in three packets of three cards each.
- Today play is clockwise, but may once have been anti-clockwise although his is not explicitly stated by Bernhard or other early sources. Moreover, his description of play suggests that a director may choose which order he and his partner play in.
- Dummett states that the lowest cards of the chosen suit have no trumping power and that the intermediate ones are only partial trumps that can beat cards of the unchosen suits below a certain rank, but not those above it. He goes on to say that "presumably" the trump K Q 9 8 5 have no trumping power although "this is not made plain."
References
- Knüfeln at andersen-hues.de. Retrieved 21 Feb 2020.
- Dummett 1978, p. 130.
- Dummett 1980, pp. 185–187.
- Dummett 1980, p. 186.
- "1. Bohmstedter Knüffel-Event" in Wir im Mittleren Nordfriesland: Dit un Dat ut de Region, Issue 6, 2018 (22 Sep – 8 November 2018). Retrieved 24 February 2019.
- Bernhard 1924, pp. 70–72.
- Ahnenforscher - Stammtisch Flensburg at ahnenforscher-stammtisch-flensburg.de. Retrieved 24 Feb 2020.
- Amt Viöl aktuell – Issue 1, 2017 (1 Feb – 15 March 2017). Retrieved 24 February 2019.
- Spielabende at kirche-drelsdorf.de. Retrieved 24 Feb 2020.
- Grünberg 1938, pp. 27/28.
- Von Leyden 1978, p. 162.
- Ortskulturring verleiht Knüffeldiplom by "mone", at www.shz.de. Retrieved 19 Aug 2019.
- Dummett 1980, pp. 185/186.
- "Knüffel-Diplom in Haaks" in Wir im Mittleren Nordfriesland: Dit un Dat ut de Region, Issue 8, 2014 (19 Dec 2014 – 8 February 2015). Retrieved 29 March 2019.
Literature
- Bernhard, J. F. (1924). "Das Karnüffeln (Knüffeln): Ein friesisches Kartenspiel" in Die Heimat. Monatsschrift d. Vereins zur Pflege der Natur- und Landeskunde in Schleswig-Holstein und Hamburg, Kiel, Vol. 34, pp. 70–72.
- Dummett, Michael (1978). Reviews of "Der Nidwaldener Kaiserjass Und Seine Geschichte" and "Der Kaiserjass, Wie Er Heute in Nidwalden Gespielt Wird" in The Playing Card, Vol. 9, No. 4, May 1981.
- Dummett, Michael (1980). The game of Tarot: from Ferrara to Salt Lake City, Duckworth, London. ISBN 978-0-7156-1014-5
- Grünberg, Peter (1938). "Knüffeln" in Die Heimat, Vol. 48, No. 1. Heimat und Erbe, Flensburg, pp. 27/28.
- Mensing, Otto (1931). Schleswig-Holsteinisches Wörterbuch, 3rd volume, K - P, Wachholtz, Neumünster.
- Von Leyden, Dr. Rudolf (1978). "Der Nidwaldner Kaiserjass und seine Geschichte" in Beiträge zur Geschichte Nidwaldens, Vol 37, pp. 151-163.
