History of Skat History of Skat The history of the game of Skat began in the early 19th century in Thuringia. The game spread rapidly within German-speaking Europe and is now one of the most popular card games in Germany as well as being considered Germany's national card game. The early history of the game of Skat has not been fully researched. Many anecdotes about its origins cannot be proven and should be considered as legends. What is certain is that the game was developed between 1810 and 1817 in the Thuringian town of Altenburg from older card games. It was based on
International Skat Players Association International Skat Players Association The International Skat Players Association (ISPA) is the worldwide umbrella organisation for all competition Skat players. The ISPA was founded in 1976 by Peter Brand and Martha Prickartz in Aachen, Germany. It initially crossed swords with the world's largest national Skat association, the German Skat Association ("Deutscher Skatverband", DSkV), and promulgated different rules for the game. Towards the end of the 1990s, talks between the top officials of each organisation led to rapprochement and agreement between the two large associations. The ban on double membership was lifted and a uniform International Skat Order ("Internationale Skatordnung ",