The Penguin Book of Card Games: Everything You Need to Know to Play Over 250 Games (28 page)

exchange for any unwanted card.

4. Casco (Respect). The holder of both black Aces makes an

al iance by cal ing a King and let ing his partner name trumps.

5. Solo

6. Grandissimo. A solo with no trump suit, apart from the two

black Aces, which Hombre does not necessarily hold.

7. Devole (Nemo). Hombre undertakes to lose every trick,

playing at no trump except for the black Aces.

Related games

German Solo

The simplest and most straightforward derivative of Quadril e is

stil recorded in German anthologies. Four players use 32 cards

ranking AKQJT987 in each suit, except that the top three trumps

are always Q (Spadil e), then ✝7 (Manil e), then Q (Baste),

fol owed by Ace, etc. The target is always five of the eight tricks

played. The trump suit chosen freely in the first deal remains the

suit of preference thereafter, and any of the fol owing bids can then

be overcal ed by the same in the preferred suit:

1. Frage (Beg). The soloist announces trumps and names an Ace.

Its holder becomes his partner but may not reveal himself

Its holder becomes his partner but may not reveal himself

except in the play. Worth 2.

2. Groβfrage (Big-beg). The same, except that the cal ed partner

reveals himself and chooses trumps. The Spadil e holder is

obliged to ‘beg big’ if al four players initial y pass. Worth 4,

or 2 if enforced upon the Spadil e holder.

3. Solo. The soloist declares trumps and plays alone. The bid is

compulsory to anyone holding both black Queens and al four

Aces, otherwise is optional. Worth 4.

4. Al stich (Slam). The soloist declares trumps, plays alone, and

guarantees to win al eight tricks. Worth 16.

If the soloist (or al y) in an al iance or solo wins the first five

straight of , he may cease play and claim his winnings; but leading

to the sixth automatical y raises the bid to a Slam, worth 8. Al

payments are doubled if the preferred suit is entrumped.

Al iance

A 52-card modification of Quadril e from nineteenth-century

Germany – despite its French name, from which I derive the term

‘al iance’ for floating as opposed to fixed partnerships. Cards rank

KQJT98765432A in black suits, KQJAT98765432 in red, but in

trumps AKQJT98765432 regardless of colour. The black trump

Three, or the red trump Nine, is cal ed the Banner. Deal twelve

cards each and four as a stock face down, turning the topmost for

preference (preferred trump suit). The aim is to win seven tricks. A

6-6 tie favours whoever captures the Banner or, if it is in the stock,

a majority of honours (trump KQJ). The bids are:

1. Al iance. Bidder names a trump suit and a specific King

lacking from his hand – or a Queen, if he holds four Kings, or

if the named King is in the stock. Whoever holds the named

if the named King is in the stock. Whoever holds the named

card declares that fact and becomes his partner.

2. Colour. The same, but with the preferred suit as trump.

3. Turn-up (levée). The same, but after turning the next card

from stock, accepting its suit as trump, adding the stock to his

hand, and making four discards.

4. Solo. Bidder undertakes to win seven tricks alone in a suit of

his choice.

5. Preference. The same, but in the preferred suit.

6. Resistance. Cal ed by a second player who also wishes to bid

solo or preference in the same suit as a previous cal er. Al

then play alone, and he wins who takes most tricks or, if tied,

captures the Banner.

An al iance wins or loses 2, turn-up or solo 4, resistance 8.

Winning the first seven tricks adds 2, al twelve 4. Side payments:

for winning in tricks the trump King 1, Queen 2, Jack 3, Banner 4

(regardless of who played them).

Ligeud

The Danish equivalentof Solo, of which the only published accounts

are, unfortunately, total y unintel igible (even in Danish). More

promising is…

Skærvindsel

A Danish hybrid of Solo and German Schafkopf. From a 36-card

pack consisting of AKQJT9876 in each suit deal nine each in three

rounds of three. The trumps are always, from highest to lowest,