G4A: Spite & Malice

Competitive patience game for two players!

Spite & Malice is a competitive patience game designed for two participants. Each participant begins with five cards in hand, twenty cards allocated to their pay-off pile, and four empty side stacks available.

Three vacant center stacks are positioned at the middle of the table, alongside the stock pile which holds all remaining cards. The objective is to be the first player to completely clear your pay-off pile. Cards on the center stacks must be built up in ascending order from Ace to King, regardless of suit. Therefore, an Ace of Diamonds can be followed by a Two of Spades, then a Three of Hearts, and so forth. Kings act as wild cards; when placed on any card within a center stack, they transform into whatever rank is required next (for example, playing the King of Spades onto a Ten of Clubs causes it to become a Queen). Once a center stack reaches completion by placing either a Queen or a King atop a Jack, that entire stack is shuffled back into the stock pile. You may place any card from your hand onto an empty side stack in any order; only the topmost card on each side stack can be accessed during play. At the beginning of every turn, you draw cards from the stock to replenish your hand until it contains exactly five cards. During a turn, you have several options: move the top card from your pay-off pile onto one of the center stacks; transfer the top card from any side stack onto a center stack; play a card directly from your hand onto a center stack; or place a card from your hand onto an empty side stack (which immediately ends your turn). The game concludes when a player successfully moves their final card from the pay-off pile to a center stack, earning points equal to the number of cards remaining in the opponent's pay-off pile. If the stock runs out before anyone clears their pay-off pile, the match ends in a tie with zero points awarded for that round. The first participant to accumulate 50 points wins the overall match!