Brandle (card Game)

Brandeln is an historical card game for four players in which three play against a soloist. It is one of the earliest games to use the terms Bettel – a contract to lose every trick – and Mord - a contract to win every trick. One of several card games mastered by Mozart, Brandeln is still current in Austria and Germany today. It has been described as having a "civilized, refined and ingenious character" and "one of the most pleasant card games".

Parlett Anglicized the name to Brandle and agrees that it is "a delightful German Nap equivalent".Parlett (2008), p. 113

Name

Brandeln simply means "playing he game ofBrandel". Historically the game was also referred to as Brandl, Brändeln, Stichbrändeln, Stichbrandl, Brandelspiel, Brannten or even Betteln. According to Schmid, ''Brandeln'' was "a certain card game" and ''bräntelen'' or ''bräselen'' meant to smell of fire or to be suspicious. Schmeller confirms that ''brändeln'' means to smell of fire, but adds that it also means to make money or to "play a type of card game" and gives the alternative name of ''stichbrändeln''. ''Brand'' is, of course, German for "fire".

History

Rulemann tells us that Brandeln was played by troops during the Thirty Years' War (1618–48) and by soldiers under Frederick the Great during the Seven Years' War (1756–63).Rulemann (1909), p. 286 In 1722, Johann Nikolaus Weislinger makes an apparent reference to it in his work ''Friß Vogel oder stirb!'', published in Strasbourg._ (1831)
"Ueber das Alter eines deutschen Kartenspiels"
in ''Augsburger Magazin für Unterhaltung in Belehrung.'' 27 February 1831. p. 67.

It was certainly widespread enough to be banned as a gambling game in 1765Löwenwolde (1781), pp. 258/259 and 1851Koeppel (1851), p. 540 (as ''Brannten'') in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and to be listed in a 1795 Swabian dictionary. Its popularity is also suggested by an 1805 musical play, where it is the chief pastime of the princess, Antiope, who likens the game to love, but in another contemporary account it is scorned as a "game for tailors".Richter (1798), p. 25 Other sources confirm that it was played by farmers, peasants and coachmen.

Schmeller's 1827 Bavarian Dictionary tells us that ''Brändeln'' or ''Stichbrändeln'' is a "type of card game in which you announce the number of tricks you want to take". In 1829, the earliest known ruleset is recorded in the ''Neuestes Allgemeines Spielbuch'' which states that its origin is uncertain, but that it is a thoroughly German game whose features were adopted by some of the "newer French and English games" and even by Ombre. Despite this claim of German origin, all the earliest references to it are Austrian. The game is the earliest record of the contracts known as ''Brand'', ''Mord'' and ''Bettel'', which found their way into the three-hand games of Bolachen and Wallachen, which may be derivatives. The terms ''Mord'' and/or ''Bettel'' also appear in other Bavarian card games, such as Grasobern, Herzla and Schafkopf. At least one source refers to Préférence being played with Bettel and Mord.

In 1849, we hear that, at the ball, the ladies of Linz will "play Tarock or Brandel and drink punch," but by 1908 it was "very rarely played." Nevertheless it must have been still popular in Bohemia because from 1895 to around 1920 German-suited, Bohemian Brandl cards (''Böhmische Brandl Deutsche Karten Nr. 61'') were produced, the known manufacturers being Piatnik and Glanz. These double-headed cards came in 36-card packs, presumably to give them a more universal appeal.

Brandeln has been regularly published in German and Austrian games compendia from 1829 until the present. The game is still found in parts of Austria, for example, in Koglhof.

Rules

Cards

The game is played with 28 cards from a 32-card deck of French-suited playing cards with the 8s removed. The earliest rules mention that either French or German-suited cards may be used.

Ranking

In the trump suit the Jack and the Seven are the highest trumps; the ranking runs thus: Jack > Seven > Ace > King > Queen > Ten > Nine

In the other suits the ranking of card values for taking tricks is in their natural order: Ace > King > Queen > Jack > Ten > Nine > Seven

Preparation

Cards may be drawn to determine seating and then again to determine first dealer; the player drawing the lowest card dealing first. Dealing, bidding and playing are all in clockwise order. Each player is dealt seven cards in packets of two, three and two again.

Bidding

The early rules are imprecise about whether the bidding is with immediate or delayed hold. They also seem to imply that only forehand can hold, whereas later rules make clear that any earlier player may hold a higher bid by a later player. However, in general the following apply:

* The player to the left of the dealer is forehand and the first to bid. The options are:
::If forehand reckons on winning three tricks in one of the four suits, which then become trumps, he or she says "Brand!" (''Brand''), "Brandle!" (''"Ein Brandel"'') or "I'll brandle!" (''"Ich brandle"'').
::If forehand passes, bidding passes to the second, third and fourth players.
* A Brand (also Brandl or Brandel) can be outbid by 4, 5, 6 tricks announced e.g. as "Four!" or "Four Tricks!"
* Bettel ("Beg") is a bid not to take any tricks. It beats a bid of Six Tricks.
* Mord ("Murder") is a bid to take all 7 tricks. If played at no trump, it is a Herrenmord ("Lord's murder").
* By implication jump bidding is allowed.
* The trump suit is only announced once the declarer has won the auction. There are no trumps in a Bettel or a Herrenmord.

Playing

The player who has announced the highest bid wins the auction and leads to the first trick.

The sources give three different rules of play:
* The earliest sources state that players must follow suit or, if unable, trump and overtrump i.e. they must always head the trick if possible.
* By the 1850s, the rules of play had eased. Players must follow suit and head the trick ''in the same suit'' if able; but if unable to follow suit, they may now play any card and there is no requirement to head the trick. This is the most prevalent rule.
* Some modern sources follow Whist rules i.e. that players must follow suit if able; otherwise may play any card.

Anton says the requirement to head the trick means that the game loses its refinement. In a Bettel contract, in which there are no trumps, players must play a higher card if they can.

Scoring

There have been two common scoring schemes. In the original one, points or stakes for winning started at 3 for a Brandle and there was no Herrenmord option. In 1830, Tendler added a Herrenmord which scored 18–24 points, with a Mord scoring 12, by pre-agreement. Otherwise he retained the original scoring. From at least 1882,Georgens & Gayette-Georgens (1882), pp. 584/585 a revised scoring scheme appeared alongside the old one; the new scheme starting with just 1 point for a Brandle. The old scheme is not recorded after 1909.

If the game is won, the declarer is paid its game value by each defender; if it is lost, the declarer pays each defender the same amount. Over- and under-tricking does not count. Examples:

* Michael wins the auction with a bid of "Four tricks" and the earlier scoring scheme is being used with hard score (money). If he loses, he pays 4 pfennigs to each defender, paying out a total of 12 pfennigs.
* Sophie wins the auction with a bid of "Mord" and the later scoring scheme is used with soft score (points). If she wins, she scores +18 and each defender scores -6.

Footnotes

References

Literature

* _ (1793). ''Die aufgedeckten und verrathenen Geheimnisse der falschen Spieler.'' Achen und Spaa.
* _ (1829)
''Neustes Allgemeines Spielbuch''
AS Vienna: C. Haas.
* _ (1983). "Brandeln" in ''Erweitertes Spielregelbüchlein aus Altenburg'', Verlag Altenburger Spielkartenfabrik, Leipzig, pp. 54ff
* Georgens, Dr. Jan Daniel and Jeanne Marie Gayette-Georgens (1882)
''Spiel und Sport''
or ''Illustrirtes Allgemeines Familien-Spielbuch'', Leipzig and Berlin: Otto Spamer.
* Grupp, Claus D. (1996/97) ''Kartenspiele im Familien und Freundeskreis.'' Revised and redesigned edition. Original edition. Niedernhausen/ Ts.: Falken. , pp. 57ff.
* Kastner, Hugo and Gerald Kador Folkvord (2005). ''Die große Humboldtenzyklopädie der Kartenspiele.'' Baden-Baden: Humboldt. , pp. 124ff


* Löwenwolde, Christian Graf von (1781)
''Versuch eines Handbuches der Gesetze''
1740-1781. Graz: Franz Xav. Mueller.
* Mayer, Joseph (1863). ''Glaube, Hoffnung, Liebe; Volksdichtungen für den 18. August 1863''. Vienna: Leopold Sommer.
* Müller J. F. (1830)
''Neuestes Spiel-Taschenbuch''.
ST2nd revised edn. Ulm: J. Ebuerschen.
*Parlett, David (1992/96) ''Oxford Dictionary of Card Games.'' Oxford/New York: OUP.
* Parlett, David (2008). ''The Penguin Book of Card Games'', Penguin, London.
* Perinet, Joachim (1805). ''Die travestirte Telemach; eine Karrikatur mit Gesang in zwey Aufzügen''. Vienna: Wallishausser.
* Pieper, Sven and Bärbel Schmidt (1994) ''Kartenspiele.'' Reclams Universalbibliothek, Vol. 4216, Stuttgart.

Pierer, Heinrich August and Julius Löbe (eds.) (1857). "Brandeln"
in ''Universal-Lexikon der Gegenwart und Vergangenheit''. 4th edition, Vol. 3. Altenburg, p. 179 (zeno.org).
* Richter, Joseph (1798). ''“Die” Wahrheit in Maske'', Volumes 1-12.
* Rossi, J. A. (1849). ''Linzer Wochen-Bulletin für Theater Kunst und Belletristik''. Linz: J. Schmid.
* Rulemann, Theodor (1909). ''Das große illustrierte Spielbuch''. Berlin: Merkur.
*
*
* Sedivy, Vladislav (2016). "Double Bohemian Cards - a nearly unknown standard" in ''The Playing-Card'', Vol. 45, No. 2, Oct-Dec 2016.
* Tendler, F. (1830). ''Verstand und Glück im Bunde.'' GBVienna: F. J. P. Sollinger.
* Von Alvensleben, L. (1853). ''Encyclopädie der Spiele''
pp.143f

{{Trick-taking card games
German card games
French deck card games
Exact bidding group
17th-century card games
German deck card games