Spite & Malice is an engaging competitive patience game designed for two players, offering a thrilling challenge that tests strategic planning and patience. At the outset, each player is equipped with a hand of 5 cards, a pay-off pile consisting of 20 cards, and 4 empty side stacks. In the center of the playing area, you'll find 3 empty center stacks and a stock pile containing the rest of the deck.

The ultimate goal? Be the first to clear your pay-off pile. The center stacks build up sequentially from ace upwards, with no regard for suit. For example, you could start with the ace of diamonds, followed by the two of spades, and then the three of hearts. Kings, however, are wild cards. When you play a king on any center stack, it transforms into the card needed to continue the sequence. If you place the king of spades on top of a ten of clubs, the king becomes a queen.

When a center stack reaches completion (by capping it with a queen or king on a jack), the stack gets shuffled back into the stock pile. Side stacks, on the other hand, can hold any card, but only the top card is playable. At the beginning of your turn, you draw cards from the stock pile to replenish your hand to 5 cards.

During your turn, you have several move 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 the last card from their pay-off pile onto a center stack, securing victory and earning points equivalent to the number of cards left in the opponent's pay-off pile. Should the stock pile run out before this happens, the game ends in a draw with no points awarded to either player.

The first player to accumulate 50 points emerges as the winner of the match, making Spite & Malice not just a test of patience but also a strategic battle of wits.