Spite and Malice

Spite and Malice first appeared in the United States in the early 1900s under the name "Cat and Mouse." Albert H. Morehead and Geoffrey Mott-Smith documented it in their 1950 reference book "Hoyle's Rules of Games," cementing its place in American card game history. The game pits two players against each other in a race to empty a personal goal pile. You build shared center stacks from Ace through Queen. Kings act as wild cards. A 2020 study in Frontiers in Psychology showed that competitive card games improve executive function and strategic planning in adults. Our version lets you play against the CPU right in your browser. Pick your difficulty and start racing now.

1. Choose your CPU difficulty: Easy, Medium, or Hard. The game uses three standard 52-card decks (156 cards). Suits do not matter.
2. Each player receives a goal pile of 20 cards face down with the top card flipped face up. The remaining cards form a shared draw pile.
3. On your turn, the game automatically draws cards from the draw pile until your hand has 5 cards.
4. Play cards from your hand, the top of your goal pile, or the top of any of your 4 discard piles onto the shared center stacks. Each center stack builds upward from Ace to Queen (A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q).
5. Kings are wild. A King can represent any card except an Ace. When you play a King on a center stack, it fills the next position in the sequence automatically.
6. If you empty your hand during your turn, draw 5 more cards and keep playing.
7. To end your turn, select a card from your hand and click one of your 4 discard piles. That card becomes the top card of that pile.
8. The first player to empty their goal pile wins the game.

• Three standard 52-card decks are used (156 cards total). Suits are irrelevant. Only rank matters.
• Each player has a goal pile of 20 cards. Only the top card is visible and playable.
• Each player has a hand of up to 5 cards, drawn from the shared draw pile at the start of each turn.
• Four shared center stacks sit in the middle. Each starts empty. An Ace must be played first on any empty center stack.
• Center stacks build in sequence: Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen. When a stack reaches Queen, it is complete and removed from play.
• Kings are wild and can substitute for any card except an Ace. A King placed on a center stack takes the value of the next expected card in the sequence.
• You can play from your hand, the top card of your goal pile, or the top card of any of your 4 personal discard piles.
• If your hand empties during play, draw 5 new cards from the draw pile and continue your turn.
• To end your turn, discard one card from your hand onto one of your 4 discard piles. You choose which pile.
• When the draw pile runs out, completed center stacks are shuffled to form a new draw pile.
• The first player to play the last card from their goal pile wins immediately.

• Prioritize playing from your goal pile whenever possible. Every goal pile card you play brings you one step closer to winning. Save hand cards for when no goal pile play is available.
• Manage your discard piles carefully. Each pile holds cards you could not play this turn. Spread cards across different piles so you have flexible options next turn instead of burying useful cards under one pile.
• Hold Kings for gap-filling. A King can rescue a stalled center stack by filling any missing rank. Playing a King too early on an empty stack wastes its flexibility since any Ace could have started it.
• Watch what your opponent discards. If the CPU discards a 7 onto a pile, they likely have no use for it right now. That tells you which ranks are scarce in their hand.
• Empty center stacks quickly to cycle the deck. When a center stack completes (reaches Queen), those cards go to the completed pile. If the draw pile is low, completing stacks reshuffles fresh cards back into play.

• Cat and Mouse: The original American name for Spite and Malice. Rules are identical. Some older rule sets use only two decks instead of three.
• Kings in the Corner: A related solitaire-style card game where Kings start center stacks and players build downward. Different sequence direction but similar race mechanics.
• Spit (Speed): Another two-player competitive card game with shared center piles, but played in real time instead of turn-based.
• Canasta: A partnership card game involving melds and wild cards, for players who enjoy strategic card management with wild cards.

• It combines the satisfaction of solitaire with the tension of head-to-head competition. You race a real opponent, not just the deck.
• Kings as wild cards create surprising comebacks. A single well-timed King can unlock a stalled board and shift momentum.
• Games last 10 to 25 minutes. Long enough to feel meaningful, short enough for a lunch break.
• The discard pile management adds a layer of planning that rewards thoughtful players. Bad discards haunt you next turn.
• Three decks mean cards rarely run out. You almost always have a path forward if you look hard enough.

Play Spite and Malice directly in your browser. No download, no registration. Choose your difficulty, deal the cards, and race the CPU to empty your goal pile first. The game works on desktop, tablet, and phone. Start playing now.

Spite and Malice is a race where every card matters. Manage your goal pile, your hand, and your discards wisely. Use Kings at the right moment. Empty your goal pile before the CPU does. Pick your difficulty and start playing now.

• Spite and Malice - Wikipedia
• Spite and Malice Rules - pagat.com
• Competitive card games and executive function - Frontiers in Psychology (2020)