Donald Rumsfeld, who served as secretary of defense under President George W. Bush, decided at age 83 to try his hand at developing a Solitaire game app.
He apparently became obsessed with a version of solitaire created by Winston Churchill. In between assessing the “known knowns” and the “known unknowns,” Rumsfeld would challenge himself to a game. He wrote in a post on Medium:
On long flights across the world, or when I found a quiet moment at the end of a busy day, I would clear my mind and refocus by playing a few hands of the game. I’ve found it helps improve concentration and sharpens instincts. To succeed in Churchill Solitaire, you have to envision a variety of scenarios and think a good many moves ahead.
Rumsfeld applied those sharpened “instincts” in pushing for and overseeing the disastrous invasion of Iraq.
Rumsfeld explained in his Medium post that he worked with a team of developers to transform this challenging version of the Solitaire card game created by Churchill into an app.
Rumsfeld learned about Churchill’s version of Solitaire from André de Staercke, who was exiled from Belgium in 1940. De Staercke befriended Churchill, and learned the former British prime minister’s version of the card game. He then later relayed the rules to Rumsfeld. Rumsfeld wrote:
“Churchill’s Solitaire” requires two decks of cards, placed in 10 rows rather than 7, and includes an extra row of cards called “the Devil’s Six.”
“It’s a card game that can frustrate even the most skilled player because a single move can make or break an entire game,” Rumsfeld wrote. “A number of hands are simply unwinnable. But the most steadfast players will gamely soldier on to find their way to victory.”
The app is currently available for download on Apple devices and will soon be available on other platforms, according to Rumsfeld.
It requires 10 rows of cards, plus some a bit north and east and somewhat south and west of there. But you play with the cards you have, not those you wish you had.
I’ve always found a game of “Twister” with Miss Vickie was a nice way to end the day.
I like my Churchill app better. Involves drinking copious amounts of champagne or scotch, depending on the time of day.
“As mentally sharp”? No thanks.
It sounds like you jump in with both feet with no thought given to an end game until you are left with nothing but unwinnable options.
How interesting.