ALIWAR

A card game for two players

Setup: Deal five stacks of five cards to each player in parallel rows, with enough space for another row between them. Deal the cards face down, except with the top cards face-up. Deal each player one of the remaining cards also face-up. The position where this card is placed is called the "protection" position. (see diagram below)

Order of play:

1. Each player chooses two of his or her six face-up cards to switch. The players simultaneously indicate their choice. (The easiest way to do so is to pull one's hands from behind one's back with the number fingers up corresponding to the number of the stack, (from left to right, with a closed fist designating the protection card,) at a predetermined signal, ("Ready?" "Sure," works.)) They then switch the cards.
2. Conflicts between opposing stacks are resolved according to the ranks of the face-up cards and their protection statuses as follows:
   A card is protected if it is of the same suit as the protection card.
   If neither card is protected (as in column 3 of the example), or if both are protected, the higher ranked card wins. (Aces are high.)
   If one card is protected, it wins if it is of greater or equal rank to the other, (column 4) otherwise both tie. (columns 2 and 5)
   Two cards of equal rank and protection status tie. (column 1)
   Note: protection cards do not engage directly in conflict.
3. Losing cards are shifted into the middle space and picked up by the winner. Each player may keep one of the cards that he or she wins, (if there are any,) and place it, face-down, at the bottom of any of his or her stacks. The other losing cards are discarded. Winning and tying cards are then returned, face down, to the bottom of the stacks from which they came.
4. The top cards of the stacks are then flipped up, and the process is repeated, until one player loses the last card in a stack and is not able to replace it with a card won from the other player. This player then loses.