Mariage (card game)

Mariage (German: [maʁiˈaːʒə]) or Mariagespiel is a German 6-card trick-and-draw game for two players in which players score bonus points for the "marriage" of King and Queen of the same suit. The game, first documented in 1715 in Leipzig, spawned numerous offshoots throughout continental Europe. Many of these are still the national card games of their respective countries.

The King–Queen card games, also known as the marriage group, are a family of point-trick games of which the Mariagenspiel is the earliest and most typical representative. Games in this family are typically played by 2–4 players using a pack of 20–40 cards, with aces and tens scoring 11 and 10 points in tricks, respectively, and marriages scoring 40 points in trumps and 20 points in a plain suit. An elaborated form of Mariagenspiel known under various names including Klaberjass and Bela is especially popular among Jewish communities and spread worldwide. Its offshoots form the Jass group Jack–Nine card games, characterized by the fact that the Jack and Nine of the trump suit are the highest trumps.

According to David Parlett, the modern German/Austrian Mariagenspiel variant 66 or Schnapsen, which remains close to the original, is "one of the best two-handers ever devised". The "marriage" theme seems to have originated in France in the context of unrelated card games. Two-handed Schnapsen and three-handed Mariáš and Ulti are the most popular card game in the area of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire.Klaberjass, first documented in the Low Countries as a Jewish game, developed into Dutch Klaverjas, Swiss Jass and French Belote. Bezique and its variants Binokel and Pinochle are further examples of popular games in the King–Queen or marriage family. This card game should not be confused with Nepalese card game marriage.

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