The pieces are designated by one capital letter only, as follows:-- K for König, or King. D for Dame, or Queen. T for Thurm, or Rook. L for Läufer, or Bishop. S for Springer, or Knight. The Pawn is called a Bauer, but when it is moved no initial is given, simply the square it comes from. In Diagram No. 12, for instance, the English notation for the first two moves made by white would be:--P-K 4, and K Kt-B 3, or, Kt-K B 3. The German notation would be:--e 2-e 4; and S g 1-f 3. The move of the Knight, it will be observed, gives the initial of the piece and the square upon which it stands, and then the square to which it is moved.
A wins 1800, less the 1200 scored by B, which leaves 600; to this must be added the 500 points for game, making the total value of A’s game 1100 points. If the scores are very nearly equal, being within one or two hundred points of each other, the tricks taken in by each player are turned over, and the brisques are counted, each player adding to his score ten points for every brisque he has won. Suppose that after the last trick had been played and scored, A’s total was 1260, and B’s 1140. This is close enough to justify B in demanding a count of the brisques. It is found that A has seven only, while B has twenty-five. This shows B to be the winner of the game, with a total score of 1390 to A’s 1330. If the difference between the final scores is less than 100 points, after adding the brisques and throwing off the fractions, the player with the higher score adds 100 points for bonus. In the case just given, B’s final score is equal to A’s, after dropping the fractions from both; so he would add 100 for bonus to the 500 for game, and win 600 points altogether. _=Rubicons.=_ If the lower score is less than 1000, no matter what the higher score may be, the loser is rubiconed, and all the points he has scored are _added_ to the score of the winner, instead of being deducted.
In all the text-books on Skat which we have examined, this fact has been entirely overlooked. SKAT. The etymology of the word Skat, sometimes spelt Scat, is a matter of doubt, but the most plausible explanation is that it is a corruption of one of the terms in the parent game of Taroc; “scart,” from “scarto,” what is left; or “scartare,” to discard or reject. “Matadore” is another word from the game of Taroc, still retained in Skat. Others attribute the word to “Skatt,” the Old-German or Anglo-Saxon for money; the modern German, “Schatz,” a treasure, referring to the forms of the game in which good counting cards are laid aside in the skat for the count at the end of the hand. This derivation would account for both spellings of the word, with a “k” and with a “c.” The student is advised to make himself familiar with the German terms in the following description, as they are in common use wherever skat is played. Many American players who use the English language in bidding by figures, still adhere to the German names for the suits and positions at the table. _=CARDS.=_ Skat is played with a pack of thirty-two cards, all below the Seven being deleted.