SKAT  , a

game of cards, much played in central and northern Germany . It is generally supposed to have been invented about 1817 by an advocate of the name of Hempel in Saxe-Altenburg . There is, however, some reason for believing that the game is of much earlier origin and was played by the Slav inhabitants of Saxe-Altenburg long before that date . In the home of the game of skat (Saxony and Thuringia) the old German single-ended cards are usually employed, while in north and south Germany French cards are ordinarily used . The German cards are thirty-two in number and of four suits, Schellen (bells), the equivalent of diamonds; Roth (red), hearts; Griin (green), spades; and Eichel (acorn), clubs . The eight cards of each suit are the seven, eight, nine, ten, Wenzel or knave, queen, king, ace . This arrangement denotes at once the value of the single cards, each following card being higher in value than the preceding; i.e. hearts are higher than diamonds, spades than hearts, and clubs (the highest colour) takes spades, hearts and diamonds . Again 8 takes 7, g takes 8 and 7; but the knave (called Wenzel or Unter) is an exception (see below) . The game is played by three persons; where four play, the dealer takes no part in the play though he shares in the winnings and losings of the opponents of the player . The cards are dealt from right to left—or (as skat players say) in the direction the coffee-mill is turned . After the cards have been shuffled and cut, the dealer first deals three cards to each player, then four and again three, laying aside two cards (the skat) . Each player has now ten cards in his hand, which he arranges in suits .

The Wenzel or knaves occupy a

peculiar position . They are not regarded as colour cards, but are essentially trumps and take all other trumps . The player sitting to the left of the dealer is "first hand," and if he himself intends to make a game, invites the others to declare theirs, or if he wishes to reserve all rights to himself, simply says " Ich bin vorn "— " I have the lead, " and then his next neighbour on the left has to offer a game . If this neighbour holds such cards as to give him no prospect of winning he passes, and his neighbour to the left has the right to offer a game . If he in his turn passes, then the first hand is at liberty to determine the game or declare "Ramsch " (see below) . But if the first neighbour thinks he can risk a game, he offers one . If the first hand reserves this game (see above " I have the lead"), either because he intends to play it himself or to play a higher game, the second hand must go higher or pass, i.e. renounce a game, and then his neighbour to the left has the right to offer, and if he again passes and does not offer a higher game than that which the first hand intends to play, the latter determines the game to be played . The usual games in skat are the following . First the simple colour game, which is, however, seldom played by skat enthusiasts . The player has here the right to take up the skat, and to determine the suit of the game; but here the rule is that the colour must not be lower in value than that of the game offered, though it may be higher . For instance, if spades are offered, the player cannot take hearts as trumps, though he may take clubs, because they are higher in value than spades . Next to the colour game comes " tourn6," the player turning up one of the skat cards, the suit of which becomes trumps .

If a knave be turned up the player may announce " grando." Then comes the game of "

solo," where the player declares which suit shall be trumps, and the skat remains intact . The highest " sob," still higher than clubs, is " grando." In this game only the four knaves are trumps . If the hand playing grando thinks he can make all the tricks, he declares open grando—i.e._ shows his hand . If in open grando a single trick be lost, the player loses the game . If one of the players holds such cards as to enable him to force his opponents to take all the tricks, he can declare nullo . But here the game is lost if even a single trick falls to the player . In nullo, the knaves are regarded as colour, i.e. are not trumps . Nullo can be played open, if there is no probability of the player taking a single trick . Simple nullo counts higher than diamond solo; open nullo comes after clubs solo . In Ramsch, which takes place when none of the players will risk a game, each player takes (as in whist) all the tricks he makes—but only knaves are trumps—and the loser is he who makes most points . The value of the individual cards given in figures is as follows . The seven, eight and nine count nothing, the knave counts 2, the queen 3, king 4, ten to and ace 11 points .

This gives the value of the whole game as 120 points . The game is won if the player gets one above the

half of this sum, i.e . 61 . The hand that does not make 3o is " Schneider," that is " cut," and " Schwarz " (black) if he does not make a single point . Skat is almost invariably played for money, and the calculation is made thus . Every game and every suit have a set value: These figures are increased by the number of " matadores." Suppose a player of club solo holds all four knaves and the ace and ten of clubs, he has a game with 6 matadores . By matadores is accordingly meant an uninterrupted sequence, e.g. from the knave of clubs down to the seven of trumps . If the player has then all four knaves and all the cards of the trump suit in his hand (or in the skat), he has a game with 11 matadores . But if a single card is missing in the series, only the matadores of higher value than the missing card count . If, for instance, the knave of hearts is missing, the game in question has only 3 matadores . To the number of matadores is added r if the game is simply won, 2 if won with Schneider (cut), and 4 if the opponents are Schwarz (black) . Thus, if a spade solo with 5 matadores is won with Schneider, the winner makes 5+2 X 11 = 77 points .