Wendish Schafkopf

Wendish Schafkopf (German: Wendischer Schafkopf), Wendisch or Wendsch is an old German card game for four players that is still played today. It uses a Schafkopf pack of German-suited cards or a Skat pack of French playing cards.

Wendish Schafkopf is absent from the nine different versions of Schaafkopf published in 1811 in Hammer's compendium Die deutsche Kartenspiele and subsequent editions up to 1817, suggesting it is of later provenance. Its rules first appear in 1853, appended by von Alvensleben to a reprint of Hammer's text, where it is described as a "combination of Solo and Schaafkopf" It is a primarily a four-handed game, but a three-player version is also described. Von Alvensleben's account is unclear on the rules of play and aspects of the scoring.

In 1861, a more detailed description is given by Hirzel, who also mentions a six-hand version of the game in which two side suit 8s are removed and each player receives 5 cards. In this variant there are two teams with three players each.

In the mid-19th century the game was played by Wends in Lower Lusatia. Pohlens (1882) recalls that "the civil servant, landowner, teacher and clergyman are busy all day long, everyone on their feet and in his sphere of activity, but after work, the long pipe was lit and people gathered once or twice a week, once at councillor’s, at other times at the pastor's or cantor's, in the garden in the summer, in the living room in the winter with simple beer and bread and butter with a Wendish Schafkopf and a dozen counters worth three pfennigs each. Once a week the whole company came together in the Kretscham, the game tables were already set up in the separate room - the fat landlady had put on a clean bonnet and an extra happy face - and after a few comfortable hours of very simple pleasures, everyone left happy and satisfied and headed home."

In 1882 Georgens & Gagette-Georgens claim that the original form of Schafkopf (describing Hammer's Type A) is called Wendish Schafkopf, but this appears to be a misreading of von Alvensleben. The error is repeated by Alban von Hahn (1905 and 1909) and compounded by several modern sources claiming that Doppelkopf is derived from Wendish Schafkopf instead of German Schafkopf.

Two significant changes in the rules appears in 1899. First, any player could now announce a Solo regardless of whether the top two cards were held. Second, the Ten is high; promoted above the King and ranking immediately below the Ace. Otherwise the rules of the four-hand game, which are still regularly published, have changed little since, except that French-suited cards are now described instead of German-suited ones. Whether it is still played is not known.

The name "Wendish" was often used in 19th century Germany to refer to Slovenes, but also to Slavs in general.

The aim of the game is for each partnership of two to score at least 61 card points by taking tricks.