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 North American
 Basque Organizations
 

   Celebrate + Educate = Perpetuate

 

 

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MUS: The Basque Card Game

Combining aspects of poker with the strategy of chess, team play with multiple rounds using the signs to partners as well.  This Basque card game is a lot of fun for men and women of all ages.  You too can learn to play mus for your own club tournaments.

 NABO Mus Chairperson:  Pierre Etcharren   e-mail: Etcharren@msn.com

 Related links: 

 Mus NABO Finals                    Club Tournaments                 
 Mus cards                                 Junior Mus                
 Tournament Rules
(pdf)       World Mus Tournament  
 
     

Learning to Play Mus
Link to English instructions developed by John McLeod (L) & Lisa Corcostegui (R) with audio links for Basque words.  MIL ESKER!!

One-page Mus instructions (pdf courtesy of Seattle club)


Mus is for young and old, men and women. It's a great contest of wits and luck.  And yes, you can try this at home. Just deal the cards and counter-clockwise you go!


2011 Mus NABO Finals:  Fresno, CA

Final match (you can see the intensity!)


< < 1st Place:
Etienne Ybarra & Benat Inchauspe

2nd Place:
Josephine Curutchet & Etienne Jorajuria

Eskerrik asko
Fresno Basque Club for hosting!

 


 

Related link: Munduko Mus Txapelketa--Los Angeles 2010  

ANNUAL DUES TO PARTICIPATE IN NABO TOURNAMENT.  Each NABO member can send a team from its own qualifying tournament to the annual rotating tournament.  For the qualifying tournament, NABO Club members pay $10.00 for each person that participated in their tournament; e.g., if your club has twenty players (10 teams) who participate, then your club pays NABO $200.00.  A club who has more than 20 teams (21 teams and up) send two teams to the NABO final.  The NABO Mus finals tournament will follow NABO Tournament Rules

ORIGINS OF THE GAME. 

There are varied origin theories for the game of Mus, but what is certain is that Mus has been played for at least 200 years.  Historical documents make reference to it as a "noble game of cards."  Most investigators agree that it is of Spanish (although one source credited its origin to the former Austria-Hungarian Empire).  The main argument is where in Spain it originated. 

Some credit the Basque country as its birthplace, while other counter with the Spanish region of Castile.  Both these areas have a high number of players.  The argument in favor of the Basque Country are the words used in the game that are of Basque origin (e.g., Hordago, Hamarraco ...).  If the game would have originated in Castile, why would they have imported Basque words into the vocabulary if not because the game itself came from the Basque Country. 

From its origins to the present changes have continued, and the game is played differently depending on the community.  So in some places the game is planned with 4 kings and 4 aces, while elsewhere 8 and 8 respectively. The same applies to the signs used to signal your partner about your hand.  Mus in its purest form is played in pairs, with the classic two against two which forms the essence of the game, although there are variants that allow participation of greater or lesser number of players.

Source: www.elMus.org

 

OSPATU + HEZITU = BETIKOTU     Celebrate + Educate = Perpetuate

  

 

naBASQUE.org is the website of the North American Basque Organizations, Inc. (N.A.B.O.) a federation of organizations for the promotion of Basque culture. Helping to make this website possible is the Basque Government of Euskadi.  N.A.B.O. is a part of the global Basque Diaspora whose presence is online at www.euskaletxeak.net.  Please send inquiries to info@naBASQUE.org   For links to all our pages on this website click on SITEMAP