Jass variants: Schieber, Coiffeur and Differenzler

What are the main Jass variants?

The main Jass variants use the same basic trick-taking ideas, but they organise the round differently. Schieber and Coiffeur use two teams, while Differenzler normally gives each player an individual target. A contract sets the way the cards are played for the round: a suit may be trump, or the round may use Obenabe (playing upwards) or Undenufe (playing downwards).

In Schieber, four players form two fixed partnerships. The contract is chosen within the partnership whose turn it is to make that decision. The teams then try to take valuable tricks and finish the match with more points than the opposing team. Partnership play gives the game its central tension: a useful card may help your team even when it does not win the current trick.

Coiffeur also uses two teams, but the game is planned across a score sheet rather than decided by one contract at a time. Each team plays each listed contract exactly once. The sheet therefore creates a sequence of different tasks, and the team with the most points after every box is filled wins. The contract list includes four suits, Obenabe and Undenufe, plus two joker columns in the standard form.

Differenzler normally removes fixed partnerships. Each player has an individual target for the round and tries to finish as close as possible to that target. The winning measure is therefore accuracy rather than simply taking more points than one opposing team. The procedure for choosing the contract can vary by region, so a table should agree that detail before play.

Two-player Jass exists as another branch of the family. It cannot use the same partnership structure as a four-player Schieber game, so the deal, available information and scoring procedure depend on the chosen local rules. Treat the name as a starting point, not as a single universal rule set.

Figure caption: The variant guide separates contract choice, team structure and the aim of the game.

These differences matter more than the names alone suggest. Schieber rewards communication through play and a shared reading of the hand. Coiffeur rewards planning across contracts, including contracts that suit different card distributions. Differenzler rewards judgement before the tricks begin, because a player must set a target and then control the distance from it.

The card values remain useful across the family. See the card values reference before comparing scores, especially when a variant uses a special contract or a separate declaration.

How does Schieber work?

Schieber is the standard team form of Jass for four players. Two partnerships sit opposite each other, and the partnership that has the choice selects the contract for the round. The objective is direct: take tricks that contain card points and finish the match ahead of the other team.

The name describes a choice that can pass from one player to another. In the usual arrangement, the player who receives the choice may select the contract or pass that choice to the partner. The partner then makes the selection. This creates a small tactical decision before anyone has seen how the tricks will develop: keep the decision with the first player, or give the partner the stronger say.

The selected contract may be a trump suit, Obenabe or Undenufe. In a trump contract, cards of the chosen suit have a special order and can win tricks against other suits. Obenabe and Undenufe use different orders without a trump suit. Their special scoring rules also affect declarations: Stöck, the king and Ober of the trump suit held by one player, does not exist in Obenabe or Undenufe.

A Schieber match is built from rounds. Four players receive nine cards each from a 36-card pack, and a round contains nine tricks. The pack provides 152 card points, and the last trick adds 5, making 157 points in a round. When all nine tricks have been played, the match total includes a further 100, making 257 before any Weis or Stöck is added.

Weis means a qualifying combination declared under the applicable rules. Stöck is worth 20 points when one player holds the king and Ober of the trump suit. The declaration belongs to the team regardless of the Weis comparison, but the timing matters: declare Stöck while playing the second of the two cards, not the first. If the next player has already covered that card before the declaration, the 20 points are lost. Partners may not remind each other.

A worked scoring example shows why the order matters. Suppose a team has declared a valid Weis and holds Stöck in a trump contract. The 20 Stöck points belong to that team regardless of the Weis comparison. If the team reaches the target during the round, count Weis first, then Stöck, then tricks. A team that crosses the target in an earlier block wins.

The round is not only about winning individual tricks. A team must judge which tricks contain useful points, protect cards that may win later and avoid giving the other partnership an easy route to the last trick. The contract choice sets the framework, but the play of the hand decides how much of that framework a team can exploit.

Schieber is the best entry point for readers who already know team trick-taking games. The partnership structure is clear, the contract decision is visible, and the objective stays constant from round to round. Local tables may alter the choice procedure or scoring details, so use an agreed ruleset rather than combining isolated customs.

How is Coiffeur different from Schieber?

Coiffeur keeps the two-team structure but changes the scale of the contest. Instead of choosing a single contract for an open-ended sequence of rounds, each team completes a planned set of contracts. The team with the most points when every box on the sheet is filled wins.

The standard Coiffeur sheet has 8 columns. Each team plays every contract exactly once: Eicheln ×1, Rosen ×2, Schellen ×3, Schilten ×4, Obenabe ×5, Undenufe ×6, and two joker columns at ×7 and ×8. The joker columns allow a free choice. The multiplier belongs to the column, so the same kind of successful round has a different effect at different points on the sheet.

The sheet changes the way teams value a contract. A team cannot simply wait for the most comfortable choice every time. Each contract appears once, and the multipliers make later or more demanding columns significant. A weak hand may still need to be played under a fixed contract. The practical objective is therefore twofold: collect points in the current round and manage the full route through the sheet.

Coiffeur uses reduced score notation. Only the tens of a round are written into a box. A round worth 129 points is written as 12. A match worth 257 is written as 25. The box is not a complete transcription of the round; it is the reduced score used by the sheet.

A ten-column sheet adds Slalom and Guschti. Slalom alternates Obenabe and Undenufe trick by trick. Guschti uses five tricks one way and four the other, and is also called Mary. These additions make the schedule longer and introduce contracts that test a team’s ability to change direction within the round. They are variants of the sheet, not replacements for the standard 8-column form.

The round itself still has the familiar card structure. There are 36 cards, nine to each of four players, and nine tricks in a round. The pack contains 152 card points, the last trick adds 5, and all nine tricks add 100, for 257. Stöck is 20 in a trump contract and does not exist in Obenabe or Undenufe. The same declaration timing applies: announce it while playing the second card, or lose the points if the next player has already covered that card.

A simple example shows the difference between card points and the sheet entry. A team that completes a match worth 257 does not write 257 into the box. It writes 25, because only the tens are recorded. The column multiplier then determines how that result contributes to the Coiffeur sheet.

Coiffeur suits a group that wants a clear finish and a visible campaign through several contracts. Practice targets include 1000, 1500, 2500 and 3000; the app offers 1000 and 2500. If a round takes a team past the target, count Weis first, then Stöck, then tricks. A team crossing in an earlier block wins. The sheet therefore rewards careful scoring as well as card play.

Swiss

French

How does Differenzler set its target?

Differenzler changes the central objective from taking more points than an opposing team to finishing close to an individual target. Players normally compete as individuals rather than as fixed partnerships. Before the relevant play, each player states an expected result, then tries to finish as near to that prediction as possible.

That objective changes the value of a decision. In Schieber, a team can welcome extra points even after it has taken a comfortable lead. In Differenzler, too many points can be just as damaging as too few if the player has predicted a lower total. A player must read the hand, assess the contract and set a target that can be reached through controlled play.

The contract procedure is not identical at every table. Differenzler has regional forms, and the rules for selecting the contract or ordering the declarations should be agreed before the deal. The individual scoring principle remains the defining feature: each player is judged against a personal prediction, not against a partner’s combined total.

This makes the opening decision more exposed. A player who names an ambitious target accepts the need to win enough valuable tricks. A cautious target may be easier to approach, but the player must then avoid collecting points that carry the result beyond the prediction. The cards still determine what is possible, yet the player’s own announcement determines how success is measured.

Differenzler also changes table information. In a partnership game, players can infer what a partner’s card may mean from the play and from the team’s shared position. In an individual game, each player protects a separate objective. A card that helps one player approach a target may hurt another player by moving that player farther away. The same trick can therefore have different strategic meanings around the table.

The familiar Jass contracts can still shape the round. Trump, Obenabe and Undenufe do not offer the same distribution of card points or winning power, so a target must relate to the selected contract. Stöck belongs to a trump contract and is 20 points; it does not exist in Obenabe or Undenufe. Its declaration also has a strict moment: say it while playing the second of the two cards. A covered card leaves no valid declaration, and partners cannot remind each other because Differenzler has no ordinary partnership to carry that responsibility.

A practical target should reflect the contract and the hand rather than a wish to take every valuable card. For example, a player with a hand that can win several high-value tricks may announce a higher result, then avoid unnecessary tricks once the target is within reach. A player with fewer reliable winners should choose a target that leaves room for the cards to fall differently.

Differenzler is a strong choice for players who enjoy estimation and controlled scoring. It can feel less forgiving than Schieber because the target is set before the complete result is known. The best approach is not to chase every trick. It is to keep the announced result in view and let the contract, hand and play guide the route towards it.

Can you play Jass with two players or choose another form?

Yes. Two-player Jass exists, but the name covers more than one local arrangement. With no opposing partnership at the table, a two-player form must alter the deal, the visible information or the way tricks are assigned. Agree the exact rules before play, then use one complete description from beginning to end.

Two-player Jass belongs beside, not inside, the four-player comparison. Schieber depends on two partnerships and a partner’s role in the contract choice. Coiffeur depends on two teams completing the columns together. Differenzler normally gives each player an individual target. A two-player game needs its own answer to each of those questions.

The same test helps you identify a form. First, ask who chooses the contract: one player, the dealer, the player with the choice, or a procedure agreed by the table. Next, ask who owns the score: a partnership, an individual player or another arrangement. Finally, ask what counts as success: taking more card points, completing the full Coiffeur sheet with the higher total, or finishing closest to a declared target.

Regional rules deserve a clear label. A name may be familiar while the contract order, declarations, score notation or end condition differs from one group to another. Do not merge the Coiffeur columns with a Schieber target, or use Differenzler’s individual objective with a team score. Each variant is a complete system, even when it borrows the same cards and trick structure.

The most useful way to choose a form is to match the objective to the group. Choose Schieber for a direct partnership contest in which the contract decision and trick play drive the round. Choose Coiffeur for a longer team challenge with a fixed sheet, changing multipliers and a defined finish. Choose Differenzler for individual prediction and precision. Choose a two-player form when the table has two players and everyone accepts its local deal and scoring rules.

Handjass is another useful reference point for readers comparing local forms. Read the Handjass guide alongside the pages on Schieber, Coiffeur and Differenzler, then agree which complete ruleset the table will follow.

The common card framework still gives players a bridge between forms. A 36-card pack deals nine cards to each of four players in the four-player games, and a round has nine tricks. The pack contains 152 card points, the last trick adds 5, and all nine tricks add 100, for 257. These values explain the standard full round, but they do not by themselves define every variant.

Keep declarations separate from the contract choice. Weis is a declared combination, while Stöck is the king and Ober of the trump suit in one hand. Stöck is worth 20, is credited to that team regardless of the Weis comparison and is absent from Obenabe and Undenufe. Say it while playing the second card. If the next player has already covered that card, the points are lost; a partner may not give a reminder.

For a fuller introduction to the classic partnership game, read the Schieber guide. The Coiffeur rules cover the sheet and its columns, while the Differenzler guide explains the individual-target approach. Together, these references show why Jass is a family of games rather than one fixed table.

• Coiffeur Coiffeur fixes the contracts in advance, records only the tens of each round and uses regional factors to value the complete score.
• Differenzler Differenzler Jass is a four-player game in which each player predicts a points total, scores the difference, and aims for the lowest running score.
• Jass for two Two-player Jass follows regional handjass methods, while the app supports four-handed Schieber with fixed teams, defined card orders and team Weis.
• Slalom, Guschti, Molotow Slalom changes direction trick by trick, while Guschti changes after five tricks; Molotow and Bock require a stated local rule.