Dive into the thrilling world of Spite & Malice, a competitive patience game designed for two players. This engaging card game pits you against an opponent in a strategic race to empty your pay-off pile first. Each player begins with a hand of 5 cards, a pay-off pile of 20 cards, and 4 empty side stacks at their disposal.

Centrally positioned on the table, you'll find 3 empty center stacks and the stock pile, which holds the remaining cards. The ultimate goal? Be the first to deplete your pay-off pile, showcasing your cunning and strategy.

The center stacks are built sequentially from ace upwards, regardless of suit. Imagine starting with the ace of diamonds, followed by the two of spades, then the three of hearts, and so on. Kings, however, are wild cards in this game. When you play a king on any center stack, it magically transforms into the next card needed on that stack. For example, if you place a king of spades on top of a ten of clubs, that king becomes a queen.

Once a center stack reaches completion (by capping it with a queen or king on a jack), the entire stack is shuffled back into the stock pile, keeping the game dynamic and unpredictable.

Side stacks offer a different strategy. You can place any card on these stacks, but only the top card is playable. This adds a layer of tactical depth, as you need to carefully manage which cards you place here.

At the beginning of your turn, you'll draw cards from the stock pile to ensure your hand contains 5 cards, ready for action. Your turn offers several possible moves:

• 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 directly onto one of the center stacks.
• Play a card from your hand onto one of your side stacks, which concludes your turn.

The game reaches its climax when one player successfully plays their last card from the pay-off pile onto a center stack. Victory is theirs, and they earn points equal to the number of cards remaining in their opponent's pay-off pile. However, if the stock pile runs dry before this happens, the game ends in a stalemate with no points awarded to either player.

The first player to accumulate 50 points wins the match, proving their mastery over Spite & Malice. Are you ready to outwit your opponent and claim victory?