Ombre

Ombre, also spelled omber and called l'Hombre, from the Spanish hombre meaning man, is a fast-moving seventeenth-century trick-taking card game for three players. It has been described as the most successful card game ever invented. Its history began in Spain around the end of the 16th century as a four-person game, and it is one of the earliest card games known in Europe, directly ancestral to Euchre, Boston and Solo Whist. It swept Europe in the last quarter of the 17th century and held a position of prestige similar to contract bridge today. It developed into a whole family of related games, including the four-hand Quadrille, three-hand Tritrille, five-hand Quintille and six-hand Sextille, as well as German Solo, Austrian Preference and Swedish Vira.