Gnav

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gnav is a traditional game that is played with either cards or wooden pieces. Related games are Cuccu, Hexenspiel, Gnaio, Vogelspiel, Cambio (also Campio, Camphio, Camfio, or Kamfio), and Kille.

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[edit] History of the game

The game originated in 17th century Italy as Cuccu ("cuckoo"), with a deck of 38 cards, but as the game migrated north through Europe in the 18th century the number of cards and the name of the game changed. In Germany, Bavaria, and Austria, for example, it became Hexenspiel ("the Witch game") and Vogelspiel ("The Bird game"). By the time that it reached Denmark as Gniao (the miaowing of a cat — "gnao" in Italian), it had 42 cards. This then became Gnav when the game was brought to Norway during the union with Denmark.

The game is first mentioned in Sweden in 1741, as Cambio (Italian for "exchange"). In 1833 this became Kille (probably a distortion of "Harlequin", given the special rules for the Harlequin card in the Swedish version of the game), which became the common form of the game around 1850.

[edit] Rules

Each player receives just one card, and play proceeds by turns. At each turn, a player can try to swap a card with a neighbour, the aim being to avoid having the lowest card. Whoever has the lowest card loses 1 life, dropping out of the game when they have no more lives left. The last person in the game wins.

[edit] Pieces

[edit] Gnav

The wooden pieces, in the piece version of the game, resemble the pawns in chess, with the identity of the piece being written on the base of the piece and thus invisible during play. The deck, in the card version of the game, comprises 42 cards of a single suit, comprising two copies of 21 distinct cards, in the ranking (highest to lowest):

[edit] Kille

The deck comprises 42 cards of a single suit, comprising two copies of 21 distinct cards, in the ranking (highest to lowest):

  • Kuku (cuckoo)
  • Husar
  • Husu (sow/pig)
  • Kavall (horse/knight)
  • Värdshus (inn)
  • 12
  • 11
  • 10
  • 9
  • 8
  • 7
  • 6
  • 5
  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
  • Kransen (wreath)
  • Blompottan (flowerpot)
  • Blaren (mask/face)
  • Harlekin (harlequin) — this does not have a fixed place in the sequence, and its ranking depends from whether it has been dealt or exchanged

[edit] Cuccu

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[edit] Hexenspiel

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[edit] References

[edit] External links