Domino – A Game That Requires Skill and Patience
Domino is a game that requires both skill and patience. It can be played alone, in pairs, or as a group activity. A domino is a rectangular wood or plastic block, with one face covered in black or white dots that resemble dice. There are many different kinds of domino games, each requiring different levels of skill and varying in difficulty. The most basic version of the game consists of one domino being placed on top of another, with matching ends touching. When the first domino is knocked over, it causes a chain reaction, and other pieces in the line are then moved.
There are also a number of games that involve the positioning of tiles in different ways, depending on the pattern required. For example, in one popular game each player has to place a tile perpendicular to the matching end of a neighboring tile, and adjacent to a double. The game also has rules for combining tiles, such as placing a single domino on top of two matching doubles, or creating a row that is all square.
Historically, domino sets were made of ivory or bone, dark hardwoods such as ebony, and inlaid metals such as brass or pewter. More recently, domino sets have been made of a variety of polymer materials such as resin or polyester. These sets can have a more modern appearance and can be cheaper than traditional wooden or metal sets.
The most common games are played with a standard domino set that contains 28 tiles. The two most common are blocking games, in which players take turns placing a domino edge to edge against an opponent’s tile so that the adjacent ends match (either identical or forming some specified total). Draw games involve putting down tiles in a line or other arrangement that will allow you to draw additional tiles as needed.
Some people use domino to create art, such as lines that form pictures when they fall, stacked walls, or 3D structures such as towers and pyramids. Some of these works are extremely elaborate, requiring hours to complete. To make this type of art, a person creates a design on paper or in some other way, and then builds the dominoes that fit the design. To be certain the dominoes will fall as intended, the designer tests the layout and makes adjustments before constructing the final version.
Most of the time, dominoes just sit right where they are, resisting motion until someone gives them a little nudge. This is what’s meant by the “domino effect”: when you tip the first domino just so, all the energy that was stored in it suddenly becomes available to push on the next domino. It’s a beautiful sight.