German Solo

German Solo, known locally just as Solo and historically as German Ombre, is a German 8-card plain-trick game for 4 individual players using a 32-card, German- or French-suited Skat pack. It is essentially a simplification of Quadrille, itself a 4-player adaptation of Ombre.[1] As in Quadrille, players bid for the privilege of declaring trumps and deciding whether to play alone or with a partner. Along with Ombre, Tarock and Schafkopf, German Solo influenced the development of Skat.[2]

German Solo
OriginGermany
Alternative namesDeutsches Solo
TypePlain-trick
Players4
Cards32 cards
DeckPiquet or German pack
PlayCounter-clockwise
Related games
Quadrille, Ombre

History

Different nations have card games called "Solo" which, although not identical, have a "common base".[3] The German game, Solo, descends from the French Quadrille and has been described as "a pleasant introduction to games of the stock of Hombre."[4] Von Abenstein said in 1820 that it may be regarded as a German card game because it is frequently played by Germans (especially the middle classes) and with German-suited cards.[5] It goes back a long way: recorded, for example, in the Bavarian Courier as early as 1826 being played at home around the table by the "master craftsmen, journeymen and apprentices", along with Schafkopf, Kreuzmariage, Matzlfangen, Grünober and others.[6]

Cards

Historically the game was played with a pack of 32 German-suited cards. More recent sources vary, some using German- and others using French-suited cards.

Rules
Hierarchy
TrumpO7OAK(O)U1098
OtherAK(O)U10987

Each player receives 8 cards in batches of 3–2–3. The declarer is determined by a bidding process described below. Declarer decides which suit will be trumps, and plays either with a partner or as a soloist.

Aces rank high and Tens rank low. The Ober of Acorns (Alte) or Queen of Clubs (Spadille) is always the highest trump, and the Ober of Leaves (Bass) or Queen of Spades (Baste) is always the third-highest trump. Neither counts as member of their natural suit. The trump seven (Manille or Spitz) is elevated to the rank of second-highest trump. Below that the cards rank normally, except for omitting the Obers or Queens that are permanent trumps. Thus, depending on which suit is chosen, trumps will contain either 9 or 10 cards.

Trick play is as in Whist. Forehand leads to the first trick. Players must follow suit if possible; if not, they can play anything. Whoever plays the highest trump or, if no trumps are played, the highest card of the suit led, wins the trick and leads to the next trick.

Declarer's party, i.e. declarer as a soloist or together with his or her partner, must win 5 of the 8 tricks. If declarer's party wins the first 5 tricks they can stop the game to get a bonus for prime. Or they can continue playing: they cannot score prime but may be able to score slam by winning all tricks.[1][7][8]

Bidding

The following bids can be made in ascending order.

Beg (Frage)

Declarer chooses the trump suit and names a specific plain-suit ace. (If the player holds that ace himself or herself, the game is automatically lost.) Whoever holds that ace will be declarer's partner. The identity of declarer's partner will be revealed during trick play.

Big beg (Großfrage)

Declarer names a plain-suit ace. Whoever holds that ace will be declarer's partner. The partner must reveal themselves and choose the trump suit.

Solo

Declarer chooses the trump suit and plays alone.

A player who has spadille and baste (the two black Queens) is not allowed to play beg, but can play big beg.

The bidding procedure is as follows. First, eldest hand bids "beg" or passes. If eldest hand did not pass, the next player can either pass or bid a higher game. Eldest hand will then either pass, confirm can also play this, or name an even higher game. The other player can pass, confirm or bid even higher, etc. Once one of the two players passes, the third player will either pass or make an even higher bid. Finally, the fourth player bids, and after another player has passed the remaining player declares at least the mode of play which he or she bid.

In the event that all four players pass, the player who holds the Alte (Ober of Acorns) or Spadille (Queen of Clubs) must play small beg. Small beg is played like big beg but scores less than beg.

Scoring

Scoring rules were relatively complicated and not uniform. The following simpler rules are from an anthology that appeared in the late 20th century, when the game had already largely fallen out of use. In this version, only declarer's party scores (positively or negatively).

The base value of a declaration is 1 point for small beg, 2 for beg or solo, 3 for big beg and 6 for solo. There is a bonus of 2 points for prime, 4 points for slam, and 6 points for slam if it was announced along with the declaration. There is also a bonus of 2 points in case the 3 highest trumps were all dealt to the same party.

The bonus for slam accrues if declarer's party continues playing after winning the first 5 tricks, whether they make it or not, and the bonus for slam also accrues whenever it is declared. The bonus for prime only applies if declarer's party stops after the 5th trick. The base value plus any scores is added or subtracted to the scores of declarer and declarer's partner (if any), provided they achieve their objective, which is winning 5 or all tricks. If they do not meet their goal, it is subtracted from their scores.[8]

Variations
  • There is a preferred suit (couleur favorite), e.g. clubs or the suit of the first contract that was satisfied. A contract in the preferred suit ranks higher than the same contract in a different suit but lower than the next higher contract in a different suit. A declarer who at some point during the auction bid the preferred suit, must in every case play in the preferred suit. Games in the preferred suit score double.[1][8]
  • Mediateur is a contract that ranks between big beg and solo. Declarer demands the ace of a specific suit and receives it from the opponent who holds it. Declarer returns any other card face down.[1]
  • There are numerous relatively complicated scoring variants that involve a pot and side-payments.
  • The three matadors (spadille, manille and baste) may be reneged under when a lower trump is led. More precisely, if a player holds no other trumps than matadors and the card led to the current trick is a trump which is not a matador or lower than the matadors held by the player, then the player may discard a non-trump instead of following suit.[7]

References
  1. Neuestes Spielbuch (in German), Wien: Haas, 1834, pp. 116–128.
  2. Hoffmann, Detlef; Dietrich, Margot (1982), Das Skatspiel: Geschichte – Bilder – Regeln, Luzern: Bucher, ISBN 978-3-7658-0392-5.
  3. Parlett, David (1991). A History of Card Games. Oxford: OUP. p. 196. ISBN 0-19-282905-X.
  4. Parlett, David (1991). A History of Card Games. Oxford: OUP. p. 204. ISBN 0-19-282905-X.
  5. von Abenstein, G.W. (1820). Neuester Spielalmanach für Karten-, Schach-, Brett-, Billard-, Kegel- und Ball-Spieler (in German). Berlin: Hann. p. 219.
  6. Der Bayerische Landbote, 1826, p. 606.
  7. "Solo" Pierer's Universal-Lexikon, Vol. 16. Altenburg 1863, pp. 263–264.
  8. Erweitertes Spielregelbüchlein aus Altenburg (in German) (8th ed.), Altenburg: Altenburger Spielkartenfabrik, 1988.

Literature
  • Hammer, Paul (1811). Die deutschen Kartenspiele. Weygand, Leipzig, pp. 25-192.
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