German Schafkopf
German Schafkopf () is an old German, Ace-Ten card game that is still played regionally in variant form today. It is the forerunner of the popular modern games of Skat, Doppelkopf and Bavarian Schafkopf. It originated in Leipzig in the Electorate of Saxony. Today it is hardly ever played in its original form, but there are a number of important national and regional derivations. History The word, variously spelt Schafkopf, Schafskopf, Schaffskopf, Schafskopff, Schaafkopf and Schaafskopf, appears as early as the 16th century and meant "sheephead" or "sheep's head", but was also a pejorative term for a "fool". An early example is in the 1676 German-Italian dictionary, where "Schafskopff" is equated to "Dumshirn" i.e. "dumb head". In 1777, Adelung's dictionary records "Schafskopf" as the head of a sheep, but also as "Schafskopf or Schafkopf, an abusive term for a stupid, simple-minded person", but there is no reference to the game. The card game of Schafkopf dates to the 18th century or earlier and is the oldest member of its eponymous family. It emerged in Leipzig, virtually all early references being published in that city. It first appears in Hartmann's play Die dankbare Tochter (1780) where Platz says "I think we'll