To begin, each player is dealt seven cards, which they place face down in a Stack in front of them. The remaining cards are placed in a pile in the center of the table.
Gameplay:
On each Turn, the player with the Knife (the player who goes first) draws The Top card from the pile in the center of the table and places it face Up in front of them. The other players then take Turns drawing cards from the pile, and placing them face Up in front of them.
When a player has drawn a card that matches the suit or rank of the card in front of them, they may “knock” and take the card in front of them as well as the card they just drew. The player then places these two cards in their Stack, and the Turn passes to the next player.
If a player cannot knock, they must pass their Turn and the Turn passes to the next player.
If a player has no cards in their Stack, they may draw The Top card from the pile in the center of the table and place it face Up in front of them.
The game ends when all of the cards in the pile have been drawn. The player with the most cards in their Stack at the end of the game is the winner.
Variations:
THere are several variations of Knife vs Stack that can be played. For example, some versions of the game allow players to draw multiple cards from the pile in the center of the table if they cannot knock. Other versions of the game allow players to draw from the pile even if they have cards in their Stack.