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Wikipedia

Cuccù

May 02, 2024

Cuccù or Cucù ("Cuckoo") is an Italian card game, over 300 years old, that is playable by two to twenty players and which uses a special pack of 40 cards. It is a comparing game in which there is only one winner, and is unusual in that each player only receives one card.

Cuccù
Cuccù cards
OriginItaly
Alternative namesCucù
Typesocial game, game of chance
FamilyCuckoo group
Players2 – 20
Cards40
DeckSpecial Cuccù pack
Rank (high→low)XV – I, 0, Pail, Mask, Lion, Fool
PlayAnticlockwise
Related games
Coucou

History edit

The origins of Cuccù lie in the French card game of Mécontent (Malcontent) whose first references date to the early 16th century.[1] The game, which is still played today, was also known as Hère but eventually the name Coucou ("Cuckoo") prevailed.

The game migrated to Italy, where the earliest mention of "Malcontento" dates to 1547,[a] but it was in the early 18th century that the first dedicated decks for what became known as Cuccù (Cuccù, Cucco, Cucu' or Stu) appeared; the pack consisting of 38 cards.[3] These special Cuccù packs are the earliest surviving examples of a family of non-suited packs, sometimes referred to as the Cambio family. They originally had 38 cards divided into two more-or-less identical sets of cards, each set comprising eleven numeral cards, with Roman numerals from 0 (low) to X (high), and eight picture cards, the lion of the modern pack being the missing card.[4]

The oldest known rules were published the Al Mondo company and date to 1717. These were included in the pack of cards produced in Bologna by Giulio Borzaghi. On the title card of another pack, the cards were described as a new game with the Fool.[5] As in the original card game, suits do not matter but rank is very important. Compared with a full 52-card pack, the new one reduced the number of cards but added more ranks to produce two identical sequences of 18 cards. The most unusual feature of the new pack was the inclusion of cards depicting a Fool which were not ranked within the sequence. perhaps inspired by the Fool in Italian Tarot card games. The game was also known to be played with wooden pieces in Venice during the late 18th-century, possibly as a way of avoiding the stamp tax.[6]

Cuccù was popular among sailors and mercenaries in the eighteenth century, allowing the game to spread to other parts of Europe and several local variants arose. As it migrated north, the number of cards and the name of the game changed.[7] In Germany, Bavaria, and Austria, for example, it became Hexenspiel ("Witch") or Vogelspiel ("Bird").[8] The game had reached Denmark-Norway as Gniao, later Gnav, by the 18th century and another ban on gambling card games led to it following the Italian example and being reinvented as a game with pieces.[9] The game also reached the Netherlands, as Slabberjan, and Sweden, as Cambio (Italian for "exchange") and, later, Kille.[10]

By 1824, a trick-taking game played with Cuccù cards had emerged in Lombardy, which regarded the pack as comprising two suits – numerals and 'figures' (picture cards) – there being a requirement to follow suit.[6] Today, the only cardmaker of Cuccù cards is Masenghini, whose pack comes with a set of instructions in Italian for the usual comparing game.[6]

In modern Italy, the game is played with original rules only in the small Abruzzi towns of Campli and Montorio al Vomano, both in the Teramo province. The same cards are also used in Brescia and Bergamo provinces but with different rules from the original.

Cards edit

There are 40 cards in a modern Cuccù pack which rank in descending order as follows:[11]

Card names and actions in Cuccù
Card name Italian Action on being challenged
Cuckoo Cucco (XV) Holder says "Cuckoo!" and no exchange takes place
Hunter (XIIII) [b] Bum, Tuff [c] Holder says "Bang!", no exchange takes place and the exchanger loses a counter
Horse (XIII) Salta, Cavallo [d] Holder neighs and exchanger must try and swap with the next in line
Cat (XII) Gnaf [e] Holder miaows; exchanger loses a counter. Earlier exchanges may be reversed
Tavern (XI) Taverna [f] Holder says "Will you stay a while?" Exchanger may try to encourage a swap
I – X I – X Cards exchanged
Nulla Nulla Cards exchanged
Pail [g] Secchio Cards exchanged
Mask [h] Maschera Cards exchanged
Lion [i] Leone Cards exchanged
The Fool [j] Matto Depends on situation

Rules edit

The following rules are based on pagat.com.[11]

Players pay a stake to the pool and receive 3 counters each. Having drawn cards, the player with the highest becomes the first dealer. The dealer shuffles and has the pack cut by the player to the left before dealing one card each in anticlockwise order. Cards are dealt from the bottom of the pack. As each card is dealt, the dealer pauses while the player decides whether to keep the card by saying "fine" (sto bene) or exchange it by saying "pass" (passo). If the player opts to exchange the card with the next player to the right (the 'holder' of the wanted card), the dealer deals the holder a card and, if it is a ten (X) or lower, the exchange goes ahead. If the holder gets a card ranking from XI to XV, the following actions occur:

  • XV - holder shows the Cuckoo and the exchange does not go ahead.
  • XIIII - holder shows the Hunter and mimes shooting at the exchanger. The exchange does not go ahead and the exchanger loses a counter.
  • XIII - holder shows the Horse and neighs or makes a galloping sound. The exchanger must now try to exchange with the next player in line. If the holder is the dealer, the exchanger takes the top card of the stock.
  • XII - holder shows the Cat and miaows. The exchanger loses a counter and, if the exchanger received a card as an exchange, all the exchanges to date are reversed.
  • XI - holder shows the Tavern and says "will you stay a while?". The exchanger may forgo the exchange or say "will you pay if I have nothing?" If the innkeeper refuses, the exchange goes ahead; if he agrees, both keep their cards and if the exchanger has the Zero and it loses, the innkeeper pays a counter instead of the guest.

Talking and bluffing are allowed.

Once all have had a chance to exchange, the players expose their cards and the lowest one loses a counter. If players tie, each loses a counter. If one player has the Fool it is equal to the lowest card other card in play (unless the lowest is a Cuckoo), so both the holder of the Fool and the player(s) with the lowest cards lose counters. If two players have Fools, they rank as the second highest cards. A player with no counters left drops out; if this happens during play, their card is not involved in deciding the loser of the hand.

The last player left in is the winner and sweeps the pool.

Footnotes edit

  1. ^ "Capriccio in laude del Malcontento" by Luigi Tansillo of Naples.[2]
  2. ^ Inscription: Hai pigliato bragon.
  3. ^ Bum and Tuff mean "bang", simulating the hunter's gun.
  4. ^ Inscription: Salta, a horse rampant.
  5. ^ Inscription: Gnao.
  6. ^ Inscription: Fermatevi alquanto.
  7. ^ Inscription: Secchia meno di nulla.
  8. ^ Inscription: Mascherone manco di secchia.
  9. ^ No inscription, a lion rampant added in the early 19th-century.
  10. ^ The Fool has no fixed place in the sequence.

References edit

  1. ^ Depaulis, Thierry (1981). "Quand le Cuccu est Mécontent". L'As de Trèfle. 11: 23–24.
  2. ^ Kuromiya, Kimihiko (2011). "A Note on the History of Cuccù". The Playing-Card. 39 (4): 232–233.
  3. ^ Smith, Anthony (1991). "The 'Cambio' Packs and the Games played with them: III Cuccu". The Playing-Card. 20 (1): 22.
  4. ^ Smith (1991), pp. 93–103.
  5. ^ Mann, Sylvia (1990). All Cards on the Table. Leinfelden: Deutsches Spielkarten-Museum. pp. 45–46.
  6. ^ a b c Pratesi (1990), pp. 68ff.
  7. ^ Muller, Alexandra (2008). "A Curious Reunion of Italian Collectors". The Playing-Card. 37 (1): 7.
  8. ^ Roger Tilley A history of playing cards pg. 192 C. N. Potter (1973) ISBN 0-517-50381-6
  9. ^ Marthe Glad Munch-Møller (2015). "Gnavspill: Hvordan det hele begynte" (PDF). Lokalhistorisk magasin Nr. 03, 2015. Landslaget for lokalhistorie (LLH), Norsk lokalhistorisk institutt (NLI). Institutt for historiske studier, NTNU Trondheim.
  10. ^ Hugo Kastner Die große Humboldt-enzyklopädie der Kartenspiele pg. 30 Humboldt (2205) ISBN 3-89994-058-X (in German)
  11. ^ a b Cucù at pagat.com. Retrieved 4 May 2023.

Bibliography edit

  • Pratesi, Franco (1990). "Italian Cards – New Discoveries: 13 – Cards and Men for Cucù" in The Playing-Card, Vol. 19, No. 2 (November 1990), pp. 68–76.
  • Smith, A. G. (1991). "The 'Cambio' Packs and the Games Played with Them. I. Hexenspiel and Quittli" in The Playing-Card, Vol. XIX, No. 3 (February 1991), pp. 93ff.
  • Smith, A. G. (1992). "The 'Cambio' Packs and the Games Played with Them. III. Cuccu" in The Playing-Card, Vol. XX, No. 1 (August 1991), pp. 22–28.

External links edit

  • Cucù at pagat.com.
  • The cuckoo family of playing cards at cards.old.no.

May 02, 2024
cuccù, cucù, cuckoo, italian, card, game, over, years, that, playable, twenty, players, which, uses, special, pack, cards, comparing, game, which, there, only, winner, unusual, that, each, player, only, receives, card, cardsoriginitalyalternative, namescucùtyp. Cuccu or Cucu Cuckoo is an Italian card game over 300 years old that is playable by two to twenty players and which uses a special pack of 40 cards It is a comparing game in which there is only one winner and is unusual in that each player only receives one card CuccuCuccu cardsOriginItalyAlternative namesCucuTypesocial game game of chanceFamilyCuckoo groupPlayers2 20Cards40DeckSpecial Cuccu packRank high low XV I 0 Pail Mask Lion FoolPlayAnticlockwiseRelated gamesCoucou Contents 1 History 2 Cards 3 Rules 4 Footnotes 5 References 6 Bibliography 7 External linksHistory editThe origins of Cuccu lie in the French card game of Mecontent Malcontent whose first references date to the early 16th century 1 The game which is still played today was also known as Here but eventually the name Coucou Cuckoo prevailed The game migrated to Italy where the earliest mention of Malcontento dates to 1547 a but it was in the early 18th century that the first dedicated decks for what became known as Cuccu Cuccu Cucco Cucu or Stu appeared the pack consisting of 38 cards 3 These special Cuccu packs are the earliest surviving examples of a family of non suited packs sometimes referred to as the Cambio family They originally had 38 cards divided into two more or less identical sets of cards each set comprising eleven numeral cards with Roman numerals from 0 low to X high and eight picture cards the lion of the modern pack being the missing card 4 The oldest known rules were published the Al Mondo company and date to 1717 These were included in the pack of cards produced in Bologna by Giulio Borzaghi On the title card of another pack the cards were described as a new game with the Fool 5 As in the original card game suits do not matter but rank is very important Compared with a full 52 card pack the new one reduced the number of cards but added more ranks to produce two identical sequences of 18 cards The most unusual feature of the new pack was the inclusion of cards depicting a Fool which were not ranked within the sequence perhaps inspired by the Fool in Italian Tarot card games The game was also known to be played with wooden pieces in Venice during the late 18th century possibly as a way of avoiding the stamp tax 6 Cuccu was popular among sailors and mercenaries in the eighteenth century allowing the game to spread to other parts of Europe and several local variants arose As it migrated north the number of cards and the name of the game changed 7 In Germany Bavaria and Austria for example it became Hexenspiel Witch or Vogelspiel Bird 8 The game had reached Denmark Norway as Gniao later Gnav by the 18th century and another ban on gambling card games led to it following the Italian example and being reinvented as a game with pieces 9 The game also reached the Netherlands as Slabberjan and Sweden as Cambio Italian for exchange and later Kille 10 By 1824 a trick taking game played with Cuccu cards had emerged in Lombardy which regarded the pack as comprising two suits numerals and figures picture cards there being a requirement to follow suit 6 Today the only cardmaker of Cuccu cards is Masenghini whose pack comes with a set of instructions in Italian for the usual comparing game 6 In modern Italy the game is played with original rules only in the small Abruzzi towns of Campli and Montorio al Vomano both in the Teramo province The same cards are also used in Brescia and Bergamo provinces but with different rules from the original Cards editThere are 40 cards in a modern Cuccu pack which rank in descending order as follows 11 Card names and actions in Cuccu Card name Italian Action on being challenged Cuckoo Cucco XV Holder says Cuckoo and no exchange takes place Hunter XIIII b Bum Tuff c Holder says Bang no exchange takes place and the exchanger loses a counter Horse XIII Salta Cavallo d Holder neighs and exchanger must try and swap with the next in line Cat XII Gnaf e Holder miaows exchanger loses a counter Earlier exchanges may be reversed Tavern XI Taverna f Holder says Will you stay a while Exchanger may try to encourage a swap I X I X Cards exchanged Nulla Nulla Cards exchanged Pail g Secchio Cards exchanged Mask h Maschera Cards exchanged Lion i Leone Cards exchanged The Fool j Matto Depends on situationRules editThe following rules are based on pagat com 11 Players pay a stake to the pool and receive 3 counters each Having drawn cards the player with the highest becomes the first dealer The dealer shuffles and has the pack cut by the player to the left before dealing one card each in anticlockwise order Cards are dealt from the bottom of the pack As each card is dealt the dealer pauses while the player decides whether to keep the card by saying fine sto bene or exchange it by saying pass passo If the player opts to exchange the card with the next player to the right the holder of the wanted card the dealer deals the holder a card and if it is a ten X or lower the exchange goes ahead If the holder gets a card ranking from XI to XV the following actions occur XV holder shows the Cuckoo and the exchange does not go ahead XIIII holder shows the Hunter and mimes shooting at the exchanger The exchange does not go ahead and the exchanger loses a counter XIII holder shows the Horse and neighs or makes a galloping sound The exchanger must now try to exchange with the next player in line If the holder is the dealer the exchanger takes the top card of the stock XII holder shows the Cat and miaows The exchanger loses a counter and if the exchanger received a card as an exchange all the exchanges to date are reversed XI holder shows the Tavern and says will you stay a while The exchanger may forgo the exchange or say will you pay if I have nothing If the innkeeper refuses the exchange goes ahead if he agrees both keep their cards and if the exchanger has the Zero and it loses the innkeeper pays a counter instead of the guest Talking and bluffing are allowed Once all have had a chance to exchange the players expose their cards and the lowest one loses a counter If players tie each loses a counter If one player has the Fool it is equal to the lowest card other card in play unless the lowest is a Cuckoo so both the holder of the Fool and the player s with the lowest cards lose counters If two players have Fools they rank as the second highest cards A player with no counters left drops out if this happens during play their card is not involved in deciding the loser of the hand The last player left in is the winner and sweeps the pool Footnotes edit Capriccio in laude del Malcontento by Luigi Tansillo of Naples 2 Inscription Hai pigliato bragon Bum and Tuff mean bang simulating the hunter s gun Inscription Salta a horse rampant Inscription Gnao Inscription Fermatevi alquanto Inscription Secchia meno di nulla Inscription Mascherone manco di secchia No inscription a lion rampant added in the early 19th century The Fool has no fixed place in the sequence References edit Depaulis Thierry 1981 Quand le Cuccu est Mecontent L As de Trefle 11 23 24 Kuromiya Kimihiko 2011 A Note on the History of Cuccu The Playing Card 39 4 232 233 Smith Anthony 1991 The Cambio Packs and the Games played with them III Cuccu The Playing Card 20 1 22 Smith 1991 pp 93 103 Mann Sylvia 1990 All Cards on the Table Leinfelden Deutsches Spielkarten Museum pp 45 46 a b c Pratesi 1990 pp 68ff Muller Alexandra 2008 A Curious Reunion of Italian Collectors The Playing Card 37 1 7 Roger Tilley A history of playing cards pg 192 C N Potter 1973 ISBN 0 517 50381 6 Marthe Glad Munch Moller 2015 Gnavspill Hvordan det hele begynte PDF Lokalhistorisk magasin Nr 03 2015 Landslaget for lokalhistorie LLH Norsk lokalhistorisk institutt NLI Institutt for historiske studier NTNU Trondheim Hugo Kastner Die grosse Humboldt enzyklopadie der Kartenspiele pg 30 Humboldt 2205 ISBN 3 89994 058 X in German a b Cucu at pagat com Retrieved 4 May 2023 Bibliography editPratesi Franco 1990 Italian Cards New Discoveries 13 Cards and Men for Cucu in The Playing Card Vol 19 No 2 November 1990 pp 68 76 Smith A G 1991 The Cambio Packs and the Games Played with Them I Hexenspiel and Quittli in The Playing Card Vol XIX No 3 February 1991 pp 93ff Smith A G 1992 The Cambio Packs and the Games Played with Them III Cuccu in The Playing Card Vol XX No 1 August 1991 pp 22 28 External links editCucu at pagat com The cuckoo family of playing cards at cards old no Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Cuccu amp oldid 1192630338, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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