Fischkopf 2021

The game Fischkopf ("fish head") can be played alone or with any number of players.

This entertaining dice game was probably derived from a dice game called ‘Shut the Box’ or ‘Klappenspiel’. The origins of Klappenspiel probably date back to the 19th century. Little else is known about it.

Rules of "Fischkopf": The playing field shows 12 numbered spaces. The even-numbered spaces are connected to form the ‘fishbone’, while the numbers 1, 2 and 3 form the ‘fish head’.

Players take turns to roll the dice. The player whose turn it is continues to roll the dice until they can no longer place a bet.

A playing piece can only be placed on empty spaces that correspond to the result of the dice roll or the sum thereof, with a maximum of two playing pieces per roll.

Meaning of "Fischkopf" (fish head): As soon as a player has occupied squares 1~2~3, they (and everyone else) call ‘fish head’ and may (and must) remove the game pieces from these squares. This is advantageous because it creates new placement opportunities.

Meaning of "Gräte" (fish bone): If a player manages to occupy only the numbers connected to the fish bone (2~4~6~8~10~12) with game pieces, they win, even if another player has filled all the spaces.

The player with the lowest total score wins the game.