Domino is a game in which players place domino tiles edge to edge against each other so that the exposed ends match. The number of dots (or pips) on each end is counted, and points are awarded to the player who completes the longest domino chain. The game dates back to the mid-18th century in Italy and France, and was reportedly introduced into England by French prisoners toward the end of that period. Today, several different types of domino games are played worldwide.
The most common games involve positional play. Each tile has a specific value that is recognized only when it is matched with another domino of the same type. For example, a domino with two dots on each end is known as a double-six, and its only matches are other tiles with six dots on each end. This is the most common type of domino and forms the basis for many of the most popular domino games.
In these games, the goal is to be the first player to reach a specified point total or to block the opponent from scoring. Points are scored by completing the chains of dominoes from a single starting piece, or by blocking the opponent from playing any more pieces. The earliest point totals were based on a fixed value per tile, but later rules allowed points to be scored by matching groups of tiles with identical values.
As more people learned of the game, a variety of strategies were developed for winning at dominoes, and the game quickly became a household favorite. In addition to the traditional positioning games, new games were adapted from other games, such as cards, and there were even domino versions of solitaire and trick-taking games. These games were often used to circumvent religious proscriptions against playing cards.
Dominoes are also a great way to develop motor skills by building lines of them on the floor and then knocking them over. They can be set up to form curved lines, grids that make pictures, or 3D structures like towers and pyramids. These structures can be very intricate, and it is fun to try to create the best designs possible with the available space and dominoes.
One of the most interesting aspects of the game is how it demonstrates the power of the “domino effect.” This concept explains that small, simple events can have large and dramatic consequences when they are combined together. For example, a car crash or a rocket launch may seem like catastrophic events at the time, but they are all just a series of dominoes that fall according to the laws of physics.
Hevesh, the domino artist who demonstrates these effects in her amazing creations, has a unique understanding of how dominoes work. She says that when you tip a domino, it releases energy from its top that is then transferred to other pieces until they too are tipped over. She also talks about the physical phenomenon of inertia, which causes a domino to resist motion unless it is pushed or pulled. But a tiny nudge is all it takes to overcome this resistance and start the domino effect.
