Point-trick games Ace-ten games are a subset of
point-trick games which go back a long way and may have been invented along with
Tarot cards and
trumps. Apart from that, the earliest known record of a point-trick game dates to 1522 when Rümpffen was described alongside,
flussen, scherlentzen, karnyffeln and
Bockenmendeln. The game is also mentioned in 1539 in a
Fastnacht play. Other early examples include
Trappola, which we know from
Girolamo Cardano was current in Venice in 1524, and
Triumph, which is described in England in 1586.
Emergence of ace–ten games Although the origin of ace–ten games is uncertain, scholars have proposed a number of theories. In 1980,
Sir Michael Dummett argued that they were most likely to have been invented by users of French cards in the Netherlands area, a hypothesis supported by the Dutch origin of the Swiss national game of
Jass. In 2000,
John McLeod wrote that we can trace their development "from
Brisque and
Mariage in the 16th century along various paths to produce
66 and Tyziacha, Maria
Ulti,
Schafkopf,
Doppelkopf and
Skat, as well as the
Jass games." The earliest record of any ace–ten game, surprising, is for the old English game of
losing lodam, which dates to at least 1591, is the earliest known game with an ace–ten scoring system. However, its scoring and ranking system (A 11, K 3, Q 2, J 1, T 10, rest 0) are those of early Dutch
Jass, with the exception of the promotion of the Jack and 9 in trumps; thus it may be of Dutch origin. Despite unfounded claims for the invention of 66 at
Paderborn in 1652, it is not recorded until 1715 although Kozietulski stated in 1888 that it had been popular in Poland for two centuries which dates its appearance there to the late 17th century and he doubts it is of Polish origin on account of its French name and the marriage feature which appears in old French games. The earliest recorded rules for a game with a form of ace–ten scheme date to around 1672 when Willughby published the only known description of
losing lodam, a negative game in which the aim was
not to collect cards with penalty points. However, losing lodam is mentioned as early as 1586 and may be the same as the game of
coquinbert qui gagne perd (..."he who wins loses") listed by
Rabelais in 1534. Another early example is the French game of
Brusquembille whose rules appeared in 1718.
Promotion of the ten Probably around 1820, the Ten began to be promoted from its natural position between the Jack and the Nine to take its place between the Ace and King. In
Wendish Schafkopf and
Doppelkopf this change does not appear, however, until as late as 1899. So in most ace–ten games nowadays the Tens are high. A few games retain the natural ranking in which Tens are low, an indication that they are older: •
German Schafkopf •
Mariage •
Reunion •
Hindersche and
Viersche •
Loosing Loadum == Games with national or regional status ==