Domino is a game of skill and strategy, in which players use a set of tiles to build a chain of “bricks.” Each domino has a number of spots on one face; each side of a tile may have a different pattern or blank. Dominoes are normally twice as long as they are wide, and a domino’s value is indicated by its arrangement of pips. This value is called the rank or weight. A larger-pipped domino is generally considered to have a higher rank and weigh more than a smaller-pipped domino.
Dominoes are usually played on a flat surface such as a table, and the pieces are placed in line across the table. Each player in turn plays a domino by placing it adjacent to other tiles, either on the left or right side of the row. Each time a tile is played, the player must match it with another piece of equal value in order to keep the chain growing.
In blocking and scoring games, such as bergen and muggins, the object is to empty your opponent’s hand by putting the tiles in their row into play. Blocking games also duplicate card games, and are sometimes used to circumvent religious proscriptions against playing cards. Other domino games are designed to be educational, such as the math-based Mexican train game, which can help children learn to count and understand the concept of number values.
Some of the earliest known dominoes were made from clay and wood, although most current dominoes are made of polymer plastic. Most modern plastic dominoes have been molded into a more or less rectangular shape, with a thickness that increases toward the center of the tile. This increased thickness makes the pieces easier to stack and more resistant to damage.
Hevesh is a domino artist who creates spectacular domino setups. She has a YouTube channel where she posts videos of her work. She has created setups for movies and events, including an album launch for Katy Perry. One of Hevesh’s most impressive projects involved creating a circular arrangement with 300,000 dominoes that took several nail-biting minutes to fall.
In writing, a domino effect occurs when the actions of one character directly influence those of other characters in the scene. This kind of domino effect is useful in establishing the logic of a story and can help readers understand why a character acts as they do. For example, if the hero does something immoral, such as shoot a stranger or have an affair, you’ll need to provide logical reasons for the reader to give the hero a pass or at least continue to like him as their hero.
The word domino is derived from the Latin word dominus, meaning master of the house or master of the household. This is a reference to the fact that in many families, dominoes were used to keep track of house chores and other tasks. During the 19th century, as the popularity of dominoes grew, the word began to be applied to other types of masters, including schoolmasters and businessmen.