Doppelkopf, however, is not one of Skat's precursors but a 19th century development of the double-pack games in German Schafkopf.
The concept of bidding appears to be derived from L'Hombre through its simpler German version, Solo the idea of setting aside two cards (the skat) was taken from the Tarot game of Grosstarock. What is certain is that the game was developed between 18 in the Thuringian town of Altenburg from older card games. In particular, the once popular anecdote that Friedrich Ferdinand Hempel, a well known Altenburg lawyer, simply invented Skat himself one evening having become bored with a game of Solo has since been discredited by Oskar Stein (1887), although subsequent research has shown that Hempel (along with his namesake J.F.L. The early history of the game of Skat has been well researched, although some theories about its origins cannot be proven or have since been discredited. The game spread rapidly within German-speaking Europe and also in the US and is now one of the most popular card games in Germany as well as being considered Germany's national card game. The history of the game of Skat or Scat began in the early 19th century in Thuringia. Die Skatpartie ('The Skat Session') by Josef Wagner-Höhenberg
