Kaiserspiel is a card game and direct descendant of Karnoffel, one of the oldest card games known. Karnoffel was referred to as early as 1426 and was the subject of a many sermons and satirical writings in the following centuries. It may appear that most of its dreadfulness lies in the level of anarchy of the play - you can play any card you like to each trick, and can talk as much as you like about what cards you have and what you want your partner to do. In the 15th century what was apparently more shocking was the anarchic card order, taken as symbolising a disruption of the status quo, with the king being beaten by low cards, the Pope (6) beaten by the Under-knave, and special privileges given to the Devil (7).
The modern game of Kaiserspiel (often known as Kaiserjass, though it is not really has nothing to do with Jassgames) is played in a small area around Stans and in the Engelberg valley, in Canton Nidwalden, south of Luzern in Switzerland. Of the surviving members of the Karnoffel family, this is the closest to the original game. The cards used are similar to the standard Swiss Jasspack, but the suits contain 3, 4, and 5 and not 8 or 9 (all the 8's and 9's should be removed from the pack before playing). Research Kaiserspiel
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Abbreviations
Research Kaiserspiel
