Elfern
The old German game of Eleven. No trumps, a stock to draw from, and twenty honours to fight over: capture eleven to win the hand. 2 players.
Also known as Eleven.
How to play Elfern
- 1An old German game for two, played with 32 cards: ace (high), king, queen, jack, 10, 9, 8 and 7 in each suit. Aces, kings, queens, jacks and tens are the honours, twenty in all.
- 2Each player gets six cards and the rest form a face-down stock. The non-dealer leads. There are no trumps: the higher card of the suit led wins the trick, and a card of another suit never wins.
- 3While the stock lasts, play any card you like: you don't have to follow suit. After each trick the winner draws the top card of the stock, then the other player draws, and the winner leads.
- 4Once the stock is gone, the last six tricks are played from your hand. Now you must follow suit, and if you can, you must play a higher card than the one led. If you have none of the suit led, play any card.
- 5Count the honours in the tricks you won. Whoever has more than ten scores one point for each honour over ten (13 honours score 3). Ten each scores nothing. The first to 10 points wins; if 12 hands go by first, the higher score wins.
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