Diplomat

A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or international organizations. The main functions of diplomats are representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, initiation and facilitation of strategic agreements, treaties and conventions, as well as the promotion of information, trade and commerce, technology and friendly relations. Seasoned diplomats of international repute are used in international organisations (e.g. United Nations) as well as multinational companies for their experience in management and negotiating skills. Diplomats are members of foreign services and diplomatic corps of various nations of the world.

Diplomats are the oldest form of any of the foreign policy institutions of the state, predating by centuries foreign ministers and ministerial offices. They usually have diplomatic immunity.

Etymology

Diplomat is derived from the Greek διπλωμάτης (diplōmátēs), the holder of a diploma (a folded paper, literally a "folding"), referring in this case not to an educational certificate but to a diplomat's letters of accreditation, which enable him or her to carry out duties on behalf of one country or institution within the jurisdiction of another country or institution.

Diplomat (solitaire)

Diplomat is a solitaire card game which is played using two decks of playing cards shuffled together. Its layout is similar to that of Beleaguered Castle.

Rules

First, thirty-two cards each are dealt and arranged so that they form two columns of four rows (eight rows in total) of four cards each just like in Beleaguered Castle, making a point to leave a space in between the two columns for the eight aces that form the bases of the foundations.

The top cards of each row of cards for play to the foundations on the center of the columns or around the tableau (the eight rows). The foundations are built up by suit up to kings, while the cards in the tableau are built down regardless of suit. When a gap occurs in the tableau, it can be filled by any available card. Only one card can be moved at a time.

When there are no available moves—or if the players has done all plays one can make—the stock is dealt one at a time. Any card that cannot be played to the foundations or the tableau can be placed on the wastepile, the top card of which is available for play. The stock can only be dealt once.

Diplomat (card game)

Diplomat is a simple yet very difficult card game that requires large amounts of memorization, recall, and logical thinking. Games usually last anywhere from 15 to 90 minutes, depending on the number and skill of players. Diplomat requires enough strategy that people who have played before are far more likely to do well than players who have not.

Gameplay

Overview

At the beginning of the game, the deck is dealt out equally to each player. At any point in a player's turn, if he can find all four cards of the same rank in his hand and the cards on the table combined, he may show all four cards to all players and play them face-down in front of him (face-up in some variations). The game ends when all cards have been collected in four-of-a-kinds, and the winner is the player with the most sets. Play begins left of the dealer and continues clockwise.

Questioning

On a player's turn, he asks a series of yes-or-no questions, each to a specific player, inquiring about the contents of the player's hand. A player may ask questions to any number of players on his turn, but each question must be directed at a single player. Some examples of questions used in the game are "Do you have any Jacks or 9s?", "Do you have any even spades lower than 10?", "Do you have any Red 5s, Black 10s, or Black Queens?" or "If you add up the number cards in your hand, is the total more than 50?", though questions as complicated as the latter are unlikely to give much information about a player's hand. A player may ask any number of questions on one turn, but his round ends when he receives an answer of "no".