Domino is a classic game that has stood the test of time. It is a game that requires skill and strategy to play. In addition, players must know when to block their opponents. This is a vital strategy for winning the game.
The first domino to fall starts the chain reaction. The same principle applies to a nerve impulse that travels down the axon of a neuron.
Origin
Domino is a game that originated in China and spread to Europe in the early eighteenth century. It is one of the world’s most popular games and has many variations. It is played by people of all ages and backgrounds. It can be used to teach young children basic math and social skills or it can be a fun way to spend time with friends and family.
A domino is a flat, thumbsized rectangular block that is either blank or bears from one to six dots or pips. A standard set has twenty-eight tiles. The word “domino” is also used as a verb to describe the placing of dominoes edge to edge, in a chain or line. The game’s popularity has been growing rapidly since its introduction to the West.
Rules
There are many different types of domino games. Some are simple while others are complex and require skill. Some are adaptations of other card games, and some are solitaire or trick-taking games. Other games use novel mechanisms to make the game more interesting.
Draw is one of the two basic forms of domino, and most characteristic domino games are elaborations of it. In this game players place a tile on the table to start a line of play, and then extend it with adjacent tiles. All played dominoes must be placed so that their ends match, except for doubles which must be placed cross-ways across the line of play.
During the course of the game, each player builds a train – either a private train or a public train – from their own dominoes or those of other players. Each round of the game ends when a player runs out of dominoes, or when the entire board becomes blocked and no one can make a move.
Variations
The domino is usually made from a material such as wood, paper or plastic. It is usually twice as long as wide, and each side features a number of dots (known as pips). The domino is normally marked with a line in the middle to divide it visually into two matching ends. The value of a domino is indicated by the number of pips on each end.
The most common domino games in the West are Block and Draw. A standard double-six set of 28 dominoes are shuffled to form a stock or boneyard. Players then draw tiles from the stock and place them on-edge, so that opponents cannot see their values.
Traditionally, dominoes were carved from Tagua Nut or vegetable ivory. This was a close-grained hardwood with a similar color, structure and appearance to mammal ivory. Craftsmen also used Bois Durci, a 19th-century version of plastic made from sawdust mixed with albumen from eggs or blood. Bakelite, invented in 1907, replaced this material as the dominant material for dominoes.
Materials
Over the centuries, dominoes have been made from a wide variety of materials. Some of the more common are wood, paper, and plastic.
Modern commercial domino sets are mostly produced from synthetic materials like melamine and acrylics which are colored to approximate ivory or other natural materials. They feature a line or ridge running through the center to visually divide the piece into two square halves, each bearing an arrangement of dots (known as pips) from one to six that represent values from zero to six.
High-end wood dominoes are often layered in multiple woods and finely finished with layers of lacquer. These are considered works of art and have hefty price tags to match. Work with resin in a clean, dust-free and temperature controlled environment and prepare according to package directions.
Scoring
The scoring system for domino varies according to the rules of the game being played. Most commonly, one player wins the game by being the first to play all of his tiles or reaching a certain point total. In some games, there are also additional bonuses for playing certain tiles or matching two ends of a double.
To score points, players make a line of dominoes touching end to end except for doubles which are placed at right angles to the line. The pips on each exposed end are counted. A score of any multiple of five is awarded. In the event of a tie, the losing players’ points in unplaced dominoes are added to the winner’s score. This is sometimes known as blocking or accumulative scoring.