Palindrome
Two player game using standard set of playing cards. (Game created by Sugapablo)
Any comments or questions about this game may be e-mailed.

Object of the game: To form and collect more Palindromes than your opponent.

How to Play:

  1. Deal 26 cards to both players.  Both players take the top three cards of their pile and may view them.
  2. The player not dealing goes first.
  3. To play a card, a player places one card, face up, onto the board.
  4. After the first card is played, these are the conditions for placing the remaining cards onto the board:
    1. If the value of the card to be played is one value up or down from a card on the board, (i.e. if a card on the board was an 8 of spades, then the value of this card would be either a 9 or a 7) and is the opposite color (i.e. since the card on the board is an 8 of spades, or black, then this card would have to be red) then the card is played above or below the card on the board as in Example I.  If a card can be played in this manner, it must be played in this manner unless the card is used to complete a Palindrome somewhere else.
    2. Cards that do not fall into the category of 4a must be placed to the side of any card on the board.  See Example II.
    3. If a card can be played to the side of one card in accordance with 4b but conflicts with a card above or below the intened "square" on the board, then the move is illegal and cannot be played.  Even if by placing a card there the move would have formed a Palindrome and therefore a score.  See Example III.
  5. Once a player forms a Palindrome anywhere on the board, the player picks up the Palindrome set from the board and adds it to his score.  This holds true even if the removal of the Palindrome results in cards or chains of cards that are not connected to the rest of the cards on the board. 
  6. If the placement of a card on the board results in a Palindrome but the additional placement of one card adjacent (above or to the side) to that card would result in a bigger Palindrome:
    1. The Palindrome in question remains on the board for the next player to move.  If that player can place a card adjacent to the last card played (and only the last card played) and created a larger Palindrome or series of Palindromes, he takes the new Palindromes.  (However, if after placing his card down, his move leaves open the possibility for an even larger Palindrome to be created with one more move, the next player gets his turn to do the same; and so on.)
    2. If the player moves with a card that cannot extend the Palindrome in question, he simply places his card on the board where he can and then the player who created the Palindrome may take it off the board for his score.  (However, if the player who was trying to enlarge the Palindrome failed to do so, but in placing his card elsewhere on the board created a new Palindrome, even one that when taken will take one or more of the cards in the other player's Palindrome that's still on the board, he will take his Palindrome leaving the other player without one.)
  7. If the placement of a card results in two seperate Palindromes being created (i.e. one vertical and one horizontal) the player may remove both and add them to his score.
  8. The game ends when there are no more cards to be played.

Scoring:

 

Board:
Any large flat area between the two players such as a table or floor.  This area will be imagined to have a grid on it, similar to that of a chess board, but with spaces large enough to hold one single playing card.  Empty spaces may exist between cards.   Each card must be placed in an unoccupied space in accordance with the rules.
 
Back to top of document.
 
Palindrome:
A series of 3 or more cards (counted horizontally or vertically) whose numerical values are consistant forwards or backwards.  See Example A. 
 
Back to top of document.