Schieber Jass rules: how to play and score

How do you set up a Schieber Jass table?

Schieber Jass is played by four players in two fixed teams, with partners sitting opposite each other. Play runs counter-clockwise, and the dealer changes after every round. The player to the dealer's right is forehand.

Use a pack of 36 cards. Deal the cards three at a time, giving 9 cards to each player. Every player therefore holds a complete hand before anyone chooses the contract. Keep the cards concealed and arrange them by suit so that you can assess possible contracts, card strength and Weis combinations.

Forehand has two opening duties. Forehand chooses the contract and leads the first trick. The dealer does not choose the contract simply because they dealt the cards. The dealer's right-hand player always has the forehand role for that round.

The suits are Eicheln, Rosen, Schellen and Schilten. The contract may select one of those suits as trumps, or it may choose Obenabe or Undenufe. Swiss German names remain useful because they identify the recognised contracts, cards and procedures of Jass.

Check the table before the deal is complete:

• identify the dealer;
• identify the player to the dealer's right;
• confirm the two fixed partnerships;
• leave enough space for each team's captured tricks and the Jasstafel score.

A simple example shows why the seating matters. If the dealer sits opposite one partner, forehand is not the dealer's partner by default. Forehand is the player immediately to the dealer's right, and that player controls the contract decision and the opening lead. The dealer's partner may receive the choice only if forehand uses schieben.

The card values table explains how many points the cards carry under each contract. Card strength and card value are separate. The strongest card in a trick may carry no card points, while a lower card may carry a substantial value. Read the strength order and the value table together.

Once the deal is complete, forehand announces a contract or uses the single schieben option. The choice must be settled before the first trick begins. The dealer then remains responsible for the deal only; forehand remains responsible for the opening decision and lead.

Who chooses the contract, and how does schieben work?

Forehand chooses the contract and leads the first trick. Forehand may instead use schieben, which means passing the contract choice to the partner sitting opposite. Schieben may be used exactly once in a round.

If forehand chooses, the chosen contract applies immediately. If forehand schiebt, the partner must choose from the available contracts. That partner may not schieben back. The decision therefore moves from forehand to the partner in one direction only.

The available choices are a trump contract in Eicheln, Rosen, Schellen or Schilten, together with Obenabe and Undenufe. A trump contract gives one suit a special strength order. Obenabe has no trump suit and uses the ordinary descending order. Undenufe has no trump suit and reverses the complete strength ladder.

Schieben is not a second vote. The partner who receives the choice has the final decision. For example, forehand may hold a hand that supports a contract but pass the choice to the partner because the partner's hand may offer a stronger alternative. Once the partner chooses, forehand cannot reclaim the decision or ask for another transfer.

The procedure is:

• forehand chooses, or schiebt;
• if forehand schiebt, the partner chooses;
• the partner cannot schieben back;
• the selected contract governs every trick and the score for the round.

The Schieben rules page gives the procedure as a separate reference. The contract decision also determines the multiplier, but the multiplier tables are regional. The common table, and the one the app writes by default, is Eicheln ×1, Rosen ×1, Schellen ×2, Schilten ×2, Obenabe ×3 and Undenufe ×4.

A widely published variant gives both Obenabe and Undenufe ×3. An ascending variant uses Eicheln ×1, Rosen ×2, Schellen ×3, Schilten ×4, Obenabe ×5 and Undenufe ×6. Name the chosen table before dealing if your table uses a regional variant.

The factor multiplies the complete written round for both teams. It applies to tricks, Weis and Stöck, not only to the team whose player chose the contract. A contract choice therefore affects both the card order and the eventual score.

What are the contracts and strongest cards in Schieber Jass?

A trump contract makes the chosen suit stronger than every plain suit. The trump order, from strongest to weakest, is Under, nine, ace, king, Ober, ten, eight, seven, six. The trump Under is called the Puur, and the trump nine is called the Nell.

The three non-trump suits retain the plain-suit order: ace, king, Ober, Under, ten, nine, eight, seven, six. A plain-suit card cannot beat a trump card in the same trick. If no trump appears, the highest card in the suit led wins.

Obenabe is a no-trump contract that uses the plain-suit order in every suit: ace, king, Ober, Under, ten, nine, eight, seven, six. It does not create a Puur or Nell. Undenufe is also no-trump, but the ladder is inverted: six, seven, eight, nine, ten, Under, Ober, king, ace.

The contracts explained page provides a separate reference for the available choices and their regional scoring treatment. At the table, identify the contract before comparing cards. Do not use the trump order in Obenabe, and do not use the plain-suit order in Undenufe.

The inserted card-values table should be read alongside these orders. In a trump contract, the trump suit carries 62 card points, while each plain suit carries 30. Obenabe assigns 38 points to each suit, and Undenufe also assigns 38 points to each suit. Every contract places exactly 152 card points in the pack.

Here is a practical example. In a trump contract, the Puur is the strongest card and carries 20 points. The Nell is the next strongest and carries 14. A plain ace carries 11 points, but it loses to any trump in a trick. In Undenufe, the six is the strongest card and carries 11 points, while the ace is the weakest card and carries 0.

That difference between strength and value affects both play and counting. A card may be worth many points but fail to win. Another card may win a trick while contributing no card points. Sort the hand by suit, mark the contract's exceptional cards, and keep the card-values table available when estimating the likely score.

What must you do when following suit in a trick?

Forehand leads the first trick, and the winner of each trick leads the next. All 9 tricks are played counter-clockwise, with one card from each player in every trick. The team that wins a trick keeps its cards for the final count.

You must follow the suit led whenever you hold a card of that suit. If you hold none, you may play another permitted card. In a trump contract, that other card may be a trump, and a trump beats every plain-suit card in the trick. If the lead itself is trump, trump is the suit that must be followed.

Obenabe and Undenufe have no trump suit. In either contract, a player who can follow the led suit must do so. If no card of the led suit is held, the player may play another suit, and the winner is decided using the relevant no-trump order.

Apply the rule in this sequence:

• identify the suit led;
• check whether you hold that suit;
• play that suit if you do;
• if you do not, play another card allowed by the contract;
• compare cards using the contract's strength order;
• give the trick to the winning team.

Consider a trick led in Rosen during a Schilten contract. A player holding Rosen must play Rosen, even if that player's Eicheln ace looks stronger in isolation. A player holding no Rosen may play Schilten, and the strongest Schilten card in the trick then wins because Schilten is trump. In Obenabe, the same off-suit card does not become trump because no trump suit exists.

If a trick contains one or more trumps, compare the trump cards to decide the winner. Plain cards do not defeat a trump. If no trump appears, compare only cards in the led suit. The highest relevant card leads the next trick.

Keep each trick visible until the winner has been identified and the cards have been collected. This allows the table to confirm the led suit and check that every player followed it when possible. Keep the two teams' captured tricks separate, because card values belong to the team that won those tricks.

The following-suit rules page gives the permitted plays in more detail. After all 36 cards have been played, count the card values in each team's tricks, then add the special last-trick points before completing the round score.

When should you declare Weis and Stöck?

Weis is a qualifying card combination, while Stöck is the king and Ober of the trump suit held in one hand. Stöck exists only in a trump-suit contract. Obenabe and Undenufe do not have Stöck.

Declare Weis during the first trick under the comparison and declaration procedure in the Weis guide. The combination belongs to the hand that contains it. The teams compare qualifying Weis according to the applicable rules, and the score later treats Weis before Stöck and tricks when a team crosses the target in the same round.

Stöck has a separate timing rule. Declare Stöck while playing the second of the two relevant cards, not while playing the first. If the next player has already covered that second card before the declaration is made, the 20 Stöck points are lost.

The player holding the pair must make the declaration. Partners may not remind each other. A partner who notices the second card being played must remain silent. The declaration is the responsibility of the player who holds the king and Ober in one hand.

For example, a player may hold the trump king and Ober but must not declare Stöck when placing the first of them on the table. The player waits until the second card is played and declares at that point. If the next player has already placed a covering card before the declaration, the pair no longer earns the 20 points.

Stöck is credited to the team that holds the pair, regardless of the Weis comparison. It is not transferred to the team with the stronger Weis, and it is not dependent on either card winning a trick. Card points, Weis and Stöck are separate scoring items.

Use this opening-play sequence:

• forehand leads after the contract is fixed;
• players follow suit as required;
• players declare qualifying Weis under the Weis rules;
• a player declares Stöck only while playing the second card of the trump king-and-Ober pair;
• the trick is completed and awarded normally.

The Stöck rules page gives the declaration detail as a dedicated reference. The essential timing remains fixed: the first card does not trigger Stöck, and a declaration made after the next player has covered the second card is too late.

How many points can a Schieber Jass round score?

A Schieber Jass round contains 152 card points. The team that wins the last trick receives an additional 5 points, so tricks and the last-trick award provide 157 points before Weis and Stöck.

If one team wins all 9 tricks, add 100 points. The resulting total is 257 before adding Weis and Stöck. The all-tricks addition belongs to the team that captured every trick in the round.

Count the values of the cards in each team's captured tricks using the inserted card-values table. Then award the last-trick points to the team that won the final trick. If one team took every trick, add the all-tricks points as well. Add Weis according to its combination and comparison rules, and add 20 for correctly declared Stöck.

The Stöck rules page explains the timing and the Jasstafel writing guide explains how to record the result. Keep the items separate while counting. One team may win the last trick, another may hold Stöck, and the two teams may receive different Weis results.

The contract factor multiplies the whole written round for both teams. Under the common table, the app's default, the factors are Eicheln ×1, Rosen ×1, Schellen ×2, Schilten ×2, Obenabe ×3 and Undenufe ×4. The factor applies to tricks, Weis and Stöck, rather than only to the team that selected the contract.

Regional multiplier tables must be named rather than treated as universal. A widely published variant gives Obenabe and Undenufe ×3. An ascending variant uses Eicheln ×1, Rosen ×2, Schellen ×3, Schilten ×4, Obenabe ×5 and Undenufe ×6. Agree the table before dealing, because the same round can produce a different written result under each table.

Suppose a team earns card points, the last-trick award, Weis and Stöck in one round. The contract factor applies to that team's complete written round. The opposing team's complete written round receives the same factor, even if the opposing team chose no contract.

The practice targets are 1000, 1500, 2500 and 3000. The app offers 1000 and 2500. If a round takes a team past the target, count the scoring blocks in this order: Weis first, Stöck second, and tricks third. A team crossing in an earlier block wins.

How do you write the final score on a Jasstafel?

Write each team's round result separately on a Jasstafel, the traditional Jass score sheet. Complete the count only after the contract, captured tricks, declarations and multiplier have been checked.

Use this scoring sequence:

• count the card points in each team's tricks;
• award 5 points for the last trick;
• award 100 points if one team won all 9 tricks;
• add Weis;
• add 20 points for valid Stöck;
• apply the contract factor to the complete written round;
• enter both team totals on the Jasstafel.

The Jasstafel writing rules page explains the traditional notation. The written score must show which team earned each item. Do not move the last-trick award to the team that won the most tricks overall. Do not give Stöck to the team with the stronger Weis. Each item follows its own result.

The multiplier is part of the round calculation, not a bonus reserved for the declaring team. If the contract is Schellen under the common table, the factor is ×2 for both teams' written totals. If the contract is Undenufe under that table, the factor is ×4, but Stöck cannot be added because Undenufe has no trump suit.

Choose the target before the game begins. Practice targets include 1000, 1500, 2500 and 3000, while the app offers 1000 and 2500. The target determines when the game ends, but it does not alter the deal, the card order, the following-suit rule or the declaration timing.

When a team reaches or passes the target, use the crossing order rather than comparing a single combined total. Count Weis first, then Stöck, then tricks. If one team crosses in the Weis block and the other crosses only in the tricks block, the first team wins, even if the later block appears larger when all figures are viewed together.

Keep the captured tricks available until the count is complete. Check the last trick, confirm whether one team took all 9 tricks, verify Weis, confirm Stöck timing and then apply the multiplier. This audit is particularly useful in Obenabe and Undenufe, where Stöck is not available.

After both totals have been written and the target checked, the round is complete. Rotate the dealer before beginning the next round. Partnerships remain fixed, and partners continue to sit opposite each other.

What is the complete order of a Schieber Jass round?

A complete Schieber Jass round runs from the deal through the target check in a fixed order. Deal the cards, identify forehand, settle the contract, play the tricks, make valid declarations, count the score and rotate the dealer.

Use this table-side checklist:

• Deal 36 cards, three at a time, giving 9 cards to each player.
• Identify the player to the dealer's right as forehand.
• Confirm the fixed partnerships and opposite seating.
• Have forehand choose the contract or schieben exactly once.
• If forehand schieben, have the partner choose without schieben back.
• Confirm the contract's strength order and regional multiplier.
• Let forehand lead the first trick.
• Require each player to follow the led suit when possible.
• Allow another card only when the player holds none of the led suit.
• Handle Weis during the first trick under its declaration rules.
• Declare Stöck only while playing the second card of the trump king-and-Ober pair.
• Let the trick winner lead the next trick.
• Continue until all 9 tricks are complete.
• Count card points, the last-trick 5, any all-tricks 100, Weis and Stöck.
• Multiply the whole written round by the contract factor.
• Write both team totals and check the target in Weis, Stöck, tricks order.

Forehand's position determines both the contract decision and the opening lead. The dealer's role rotates after the round, so the next deal creates a new forehand. The partnerships do not change.

If a dispute arises, return to the stage at which it occurred. Check the hand size and seating first. Check the contract for card order and multiplier. Check the following-suit rules for the played card, the Weis rules for a declaration and the Stöck rules for timing. Then complete the score in the correct order.

A worked sequence might begin with forehand choosing Schilten. The players then use the Schilten trump order, follow the led suit whenever possible, and treat Schilten as trump when a player has no card of the led suit. A player holding the trump king and Ober declares Stöck while playing the second card, provided the next player has not already covered it. After the ninth trick, the teams count their cards, declarations and multiplier.

The contract changes both play and scoring. A Puur can win a trump trick under one contract but has no special status in Obenabe. A six can be weak in a trump or Obenabe hand but strongest in Undenufe. The score also depends on declarations and the target-crossing order, not just on the number of tricks.

Once both teams have checked the written result, rotate the dealer and begin the next round.