Spite and Malice, also called Cat and Mouse, is competitive solitaire where two players race to empty their payoff pile by building shared center piles.
Each player gets a 20-card payoff pile (top card up), a hand of 5, and four side piles.
Play cards onto shared center piles, building up from ace to queen, while trying to empty your payoff pile. Use your hand and side piles to keep the center moving, and block your opponent when you can.
The first player to play out their entire payoff pile wins.
The core tactic is deliberately blocking your opponent's progress — the "spite" is the fun.
Yes — Skip-Bo is a commercial version of Spite and Malice.