Domino is a word that, like its eponymous game, brings to mind the power of a chain reaction. When the first domino falls, the rest follow, one by one, until all are knocked over. But while it takes a lot of nudges to get the whole thing going, each individual domino has the potential to make a difference on its own.
Whether played in bustling city squares or quiet village homes, the ancient game of domino transcends language and geographical boundaries to foster a sense of community and shared humanity. It’s also a perfect way to learn about the impact of words on their audience—an essential element in any writer’s toolbox.
The most popular domino games fall into four broad categories: bidding games, blocking games, scoring games, and round games. In a basic domino game for two players, a double-six set of 28 tiles are shuffled and placed face down to form the stock or boneyard, with each player drawing seven tiles from the stock at the beginning. The tiles are then arranged on-edge in front of each player so they can see their own, but not the pips of the opposing players’ remaining tiles. Each time a domino is laid, it creates a line of play that runs either left to right or right to left depending on the rules of the particular game being played.
A player may not play a tile unless it is a match for the last tile in the line of play, or if it can be paired with another domino of the same pips to create a pair. If a tile is not playable, it must be removed from the game; this is called a misplay.
Once a player has used all of his or her tiles, the game ends, and the winner is the partner with the lowest total number of pips. Some games, however, allow players to “buy” additional tiles from the stock, which are added to their own hand according to the rules of the game being played.
Dominoes are an excellent teaching tool in the classroom, as they allow students to practice reading numbers and counting. They can also help reinforce a variety of social skills, including turn taking, cooperation, and communication. In addition, dominoes are a great way to promote math and logic skills by helping children understand the concept of number sequencing. For example, children can use a domino to build a tower and then count the number of steps it took for each row. This helps them understand the importance of building up to an ultimate goal.