Minchiate

 

 

This is a very old game, dating back to the 16th century. It was very popular, spreading through many parts of Italy and didn’t fade from play until the end of the 19th century, with the last records of its play dating to the early 1930s in Milan. The game also spread to Sicily and to France, and there is a mid 19th century source that refers to minchiate being played as far a field as New Orleans. The Sicilian and French players had their own local versions of the rules but these have sadly been lost to time. The cards themselves can be hard to find but every now and then a tarot publisher releases a reproduction pack. As I write this, a nice reproduction is still stocked by Alida Store - though it is a limited edition!

 

The original name of the game was Germini. Within a couple of decades, the name minchiate (which I’m informed is pronounced “minkiartay”) arose - Michael Dummett suggests it was derived from the Ottocento players’ term ‘sminchiare’ for playing the highest trump. However, in some regions, particularly Sicily, where minchiate was a little too close to the term for some male anatomy, people reverted to calling it Gemini.

 

Essentially, the pack was formed by adding a group of trumps into those existing to make a total of 40 and a pack of 97 cards in all. There are some other differences to the more familiar Italian packs, the Popess and Pope are gone, the Valets of the cups and coins are female, and the cavaliers are all half man half beast.

 

The only source that I have for this game is Michael Dummett who lists a great deal of history that I’m going to leave out. I am, unlike the other games, going to try to use the original terms. This is an extraordinary game and I hope that if it looks little daunting at first, you won’t be put off - a little effort will grant reward!

 

 

The Cards

 

There are four regular suites each of four court cards and ten pip cards with Latin suits and irrational ranking. There is then the fifth suit of trumps numbering forty, with the last five being unnumbered. Finally there is a Fool which is played as an excuse.

 

Card points do not win a game, as with the tarocchino games, it is the points won from sequences and combinations that tip the balance. However, points are scored from cards - though not by all the traditional ones. To begin with, the empty cards really are empty - they score for nothing. Most striking of all is that the court cards below the rank of King are relegated to being empty cards.

 

The Arie (the top 5 trumps) 10

Papa Uno (the 1 of trumps) 5

X    5

XIII    5

XX    5

XXVIII   5

XXXtoXXXV   5

Matto (The Fool)  5

Kings    5

Papa II-V (Trumps II-V) 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With 10 points scored for the last trick. The cards are counted individually making 91 points in the pack.

 

Noble Trumps: These are the trumps that carry points

Ignoble Trumps: These are the trumps that carry no points.

 

Papi: These are the five lowest trumps

Arie: These are the five highest trumps

Sopratrenti: XXXI-XXXV

Sopraventi: XXI-XXIX

Sottoventi: XI-XIX

Rossi: XXXIII-XXXX (all of these cards have a red background)

Salamandre: XVI-XIX

 

Versicole: These are the scoring combinations

La Fola: This is the stock

 

 

Versicole

 

Regular versicole:

 

These consist of three or more consecutive trumps

Versicole di papi: a sequence withn the first five trumps

Versicole di tarocchi: a sequence from XXXVIII or higher

Versicole d’arie: a sequence within the last five trumps

Versicole di trenti: a sequence including the XXX

Versicole di sopratrenti: a sequence beginning with XXXI or XXXII

Versicole di rossi: the XXXIII, XXXIV, and XXXV

 

Irregular versicole:

 

Versicole del Matto:   I, XXXX, and Matto

Versicole del Tredici:  I, XIII, and XXVIII

Versicole delle diecine: X, XX, and XXX or

                                 XX, XXX, and XXXX or

                                 X, XX, XXX,  and XXXX

Versicole dei Regi: any three or four Kings.

 

 

All versicole may have Matto added to them but it cannot act as a wild card in lieu of a missing card to make the sequence.

 

All versicole score for the card points within them with the XXIX scoring for 5.

 

If you look at the list of versicole, you will see that only the counting cards and the XXIX are used to make sequences. Furthermore, the cards usually have some visual clue on them to indicate that they score and in which sequences - in the pack that I own, the images have the card number pictured on a scroll which is colour coded to help.

 

 

Partnerships

 

Players form two partnerships, and sit with each partner opposite the other. After four rounds have been played, it was usual for players to switch partners for the next round.

 

 

Robbing the Pack

 

The first Dealer is chosen at random, deal then moves to the right with each hand. Dealer’s left cuts the cards and turns over the lifted part of the pack. If the exposed card is a counting card or a trump higher than XX, then Dealer's left takes the card, placing it face up. The same is repeated with the next card until either the card cannot be taken or 13 cards have been taken.

 

 

Deal

 

Dealer completes the cut and deals each player one packet of 10 cards and a second of 11 cards with the last card dealt face up. If the exposed card carries any points, the player dealt it scores for them. Dealer’s left then scores any card points in the robbed cards for his/her side.

 

 

Robbing the Fola

 

The remaining cards are called the Fola. Dealer places the pile face down and exposes the top card. If it is a counting card or a trump higher than XX, then Dealer takes the card, placing it face up. The same is repeated with the next card until the card cannot be taken or there are no cards left. Dealer’s side then sore for any card points in the robbed cards.

 

 

Pigliare

 

Dealer now examines the fola and removes any counting cards, placing them face up. These cards will go toward Dealer’s side’s tricks but they are not scored now. What remains of the fola is now passed to Dealer’s partner who sorts them into their suits. The trumps are placed in pile face down and the regular suit cards are placed face up.

 

 

Discards

 

Dealer and Dealer’s left now pick up any cards they have robbed into their hands and must then discard the same number of cards that they took. The discards may not include any counting cards but may contain any others, including trumps. With the discards completed, Eldest leads to the first trick - however, other players do not yet play to the trick.

 

 

Declarations

 

Players may now declare any versicole in their hands by placing the relevant cards face up for all to see. When each side has scored for their declarations, the exposed cards are gathered back up by their Declarers.

 

 

Completing the Fola

 

Dealer and Dealer's left now pass their discards Dealer’s partner who sorts them and places them with the other cards of the Fola. Again, the trumps are placed face down but the suit cards are face up. After everyone has seen them, all the fola cards are gathered up and passed to Dealer who placed them to one side. Dealer may examine the cards at any time and other players may as at any point to be reminded on the number of cards of each suit.

 

Dealer also collects up those cards of the Pigliare to form the start of his/her side’s trick pile.

 

 

Play

 

Play now continues to the first trick, each player in turn, moving to the right, must then play a card of the same suit (follow suit) as that led. If a player cannot follow suit, then they must play a trump, if they cannot play a trump, then they can play any card, though it will not win. If no trumps have been played, then the highest card of the suit led wins the trick and that player takes the cards and puts them into his/her trick pile. Otherwise, the highest trump played wins the trick.

 

The Matto may be played to any trick as an excuse for not playing a card you are otherwise obliged to play, but may be neither won nor lost. At the end of a trick to which the Matto has been played, the side who played it takes it into their own trick pile and gives the side who won the trick, an empty card from their trick pile in exchange. They may wait until the hand has been played to hand over the card but if they have only taken counting cards, then they must surrender one and the other side will score for it immediately.

 

When following suit to the first trick led to any of the regular suits, the player who holds the King must at their turn play it to the trick if a trump has been played.

 

When a trick is won, any counting cards in the trick played by the opposing side are scored by the team that wins it.

 

At the end of the hand, if the team that had the Matto won no tricks, they must hand over the Matto which immediately scores for the other side.

 

When a player has no more trumps, then they have the option of dropping their hand. To do so, they place their cards face up on the table and make no further play. The winner of each trick may take any suitable card from the exposed hand - ie they must take a card of the suit led if there is one or, if not, then any other. Obviously, it would be a mistake to take this option if any Kings are still held.

 

 

Final Scores

 

Players should already have made a number of scores during the game. In the original scheme these scores were tracked by a running total, whereby the points scored by the side with the fewer points were deducted from those of the team with the most points. A little long winded - and unnecessary. I recommend just tracking your team’s own total till the end.

 

The team that won more than 42 cards in their tricks, now wins as many points as they won in cards over 42.

 

Each team scores for all the card points in its tricks.

 

Each team scores for any versicole in its tricks.

 

The team with the most points wins and players pay in game points or in stakes according to the difference between the points taken by each side. If the difference is up to and including 60, then 1 game point is paid. If above 60 up and including 120, then 2 game points are paid. This scoring system then just continues in multiples of 60.

 

 

In Closing

 

Well, there you have one of the most sophisticated games that tarot has to offer. I hope that you will not just dismiss it as convoluted after only a cursory glance. There is a lot going on here, as players begin each hand armed with a lot of information and must pay close attention if they are to protect both their own and their partners noble trumps - along with trying to win those of their opponents.