How to play War

War is the simplest card game there is, and that is its charm: a child who knows which number is bigger can play it, and the shout of "War!" never gets old. Play against the computer (Duke), or with a grandchild over a link, each on your own phone or tablet.

The deal

• One standard deck of 52 cards, split evenly: 26 face-down cards for each player. That is your deck.

A battle

• Both players turn over their top card at the same time. Tap your deck, or the Flip button.
• The higher card wins both cards. Aces are high, then king, queen, jack, 10 and down to 2. Suits do not matter.
• Won cards go to your winnings pile beside your deck. When your deck runs out, your winnings are shuffled and become your new deck.

War!

• When both cards are the same number, it is War. Each player puts three cards face down and a fourth face up. The higher of the new face-up cards takes everything on the table: ten cards.
• Another tie means another war on top of the first.
• If you run short of cards during a war, you put down what you have and the last one is face up. With no cards at all, you lose the war and the game.

Winning

In the classic game you play until one player has all 52 cards, which can take a few hundred battles. The quick game (the usual choice here) stops after 50 battles, and whoever holds more cards wins. Tap Auto to let the cards flip by themselves while you watch.

Questions

Is there any skill? None at all. Nobody chooses anything, so there are no levels for the computer, no hints and no daily deal. It is a game of luck and fun.

Can I play with my grandchild? Yes. Choose "Play with friends", send the link or read out the four-letter table code, and you each flip on your own screen. Every battle waits until both of you have flipped.

Do I need an account? No. Your game is saved in this browser, so you can close the page and come back.