Competitive Patience Game: Spite & Malice

Spite & Malice is an engaging competitive patience game designed for two players, perfect for those who love strategic card games. At the start, each player is dealt a hand of 5 cards, a pay-off pile with 20 cards, and has access to 4 empty side stacks. In the center of the playing area, you'll find 3 empty center stacks and the stock pile, which holds the rest of the deck.

The ultimate goal? Be the first to clear your pay-off pile to claim victory. The center stacks are built up sequentially from Ace to King, regardless of suit. So, you could start with the Ace of Diamonds, followed by the Two of Spades, then the Three of Hearts, and so on. Here's where it gets interesting: Kings are wild cards. When you play a King on a center stack, it magically transforms into whatever card is needed next in the sequence. For example, if you place the King of Spades on top of a Ten of Clubs, that King becomes a Queen.

Once a center stack reaches completion—either by playing a Queen or a King on a Jack—the entire stack is reshuffled back into the stock pile. As for the side stacks, you can place any card on them, but only the top card of each side stack is playable. This adds a strategic layer to the game, as you'll need to manage these stacks wisely.

At the beginning of your turn, you draw cards from the stock pile to ensure your hand always contains 5 cards. During your turn, you have several options:

• Play the top card from your pay-off pile onto one of the center stacks.
• Play the top card from one of your side stacks onto one of the center stacks.
• Play a card from your hand onto one of the center stacks.
• Play a card from your hand onto one of your side stacks, which will end your turn.

The game concludes when a player successfully plays their last card from their pay-off pile onto a center stack, winning the game. The winner scores points equal to the number of cards remaining in their opponent's pay-off pile. However, if the stock pile runs out before anyone clears their pay-off pile, the game ends in a tie with no points awarded.

The first player to accumulate 50 points across multiple games wins the match, making Spite & Malice not just a game of luck, but of skillful strategy and, yes, a bit of spiteful fun!