Damian’s Websurf on Jassen in Switzerland
When asked by fellow Australians what Switzerland’s national sport is, what do you answer? Many might say soccer (www.football.ch) or skiing (www.swiss-ski.ch), maybe Schwingen (www.esv.ch) or Ice Hockey (www.swiss-icehockey.ch), but my answer is Jassen. This card game, that can trace back its roots to the 14th century when it was most likely introduced by the Sarazene to Europe, is usually played by four players with 36 cards mainly in the German speaking areas of Switzerland as well as Austria and the southern part of Germany. Saying that though, there are French, German and Italian cards and the game is equally popular in the Romandie (French speaking) and the canton of Ticino (Italian speaking). It seems to me that our favourite past time activity can count as a national sport, seeing that barely any other country takes its card game as seriously as the Swiss do.
Proof to this statement is of course Swiss TV shows such as Donnstig Jass (www.sendungen.sf.tv/donnschtig-jass) or Samstig Jass (www.sendungen.sf.tv/samschtig-jass), which are screened in prime time slots on a weekly basis on our national TV network (www.sf.tv).
Most Australians would be familiar with Poker or Blackjack tournaments being shown on pay TV and the Swiss counterpart follows a similar concept, yet with its own unique twists.
For example a referee is present who accounts for all points and watches over the correct proceedings. While during poker the TV audience can see everyone’s cards, in TV Jassen we can only see the deck of the phone contestant. This player joins the game via phone and his cards are held up by the host and appear on screen.
To add appeal to a broader audience the game is usually joined by a Swiss celebrity whom comes from a varied background as nearly every Swiss citizen knows how to play the game. So whether it is the famous Swiss comedian Peach Weber (www.peachweber.ch) or a Motor Racing Bike star Tom Lüthi (www.tomluethi.ch) you are likely to learn more about a person of interest from their more social side while playing a game of cards.
To an outsider the rules can seem quite complicated and if you would like to learn how to Jass I highly recommend you join one of the classes that will be offered at the Swiss Club. Last year the second Australian Jass Championship were held at the Swiss Club (www.swissclubvic.com) during the Queens Birthday long weekend. But to give you a small introduction (which you can also find on Wikipedia) it should be mentioned that most variants of Jassen are played by deciding ahead of the game which colour should be trumps. Of this particular colour the “Under” (also known as “Bauer” or “Puur”, in English called Jack) counts for 20 points while the card with the number 9 (called “Nell” or “Näll”) is worth 14 points. All four players put down one card in term and the aim is to “stechen” (to win or better sticking it) those four cards. Once all cards are played the points are tallied (a total of 157 points are in each game) and a winner for the round is declared. For more information on rules visit www.jassregeln.ch.
There are a many different variants to Jassen and this is apparent in that the fact that there is no ruling put forward by any organisation that would count as “the common rule”. Only for the variant called “Differenzler” (the difference) is there a Federal-Differenzler-Jass-Council (www.edjv.ch). While most people are familiar with the variant “Schieber” (to shove) which can be played “undenufe” (from bottom to top) and “obenabe” (from top to bottom) as well as slalom (changing between the two versions ongoing) there are quite a few that carry unfamiliar names such as “Butzer” (the cleaner), “Coiffeur” (the hairdresser), “Königsjass” (the kings version), Molotow or Oh Shit (the last two don’t require and english translation I presume). www.jassonkel.ch has an extensive list of all the variants which I recommend you visit.
Seeing that the Swiss are among the few to play Jass, but more importantly insist on playing with their own particular set of cards, it is not surprising that Switzerland designs, manufactures and exports playing cards. AGM AGMüller (www.agm.ch) from Schaffhausen has to be the best known producer of Jass cards which has been in existence since 1828. Now belonging to the spanish Cartamundi corporation they still adhere to Swiss values and produce all their playing cards in an eco-friendly way using sustainable products and materials for the cards, the printing and packaging.
In the age of computers, smartphones and iPads Jassen has also found its way into many applications and software programs. You can play the TV version of Samstig-Jass online as a single player or in a multiplayer arena. Since 2001 Swiss Jass (www.swissjass.ch) offers you the possibility to take part in the game either online or offline against players in Switzerland and overseas.
For the iPhone and iPad you can download the Jass application by Yminds, get the app from Optobyte called Stoeck Wyys Stich mobile or get a virtual Jass Tafel, ,an essential tool usually made from slate to add up the scores.
Originally published at swissclubvictoria.com on February 24, 2013.
