Domino is a game that involves playing tiles bearing different arrangements of dots or pips. These pips distinguish the identity of one end of the domino from the other. A domino also has a line in the middle to divide it visually into two squares.
After the dominoes are shuffled, each player draws a hand of tiles and then makes his first play, as determined by the rules of the particular domino game being played. The player who draws the heaviest tile begins play.
Origin
Domino games have a long history and are played worldwide. They require skill and calculation. There are many different types of domino sets and several different games that can be played with them. There are also variations in the rules for each game.
The word “domino” is believed to be derived from the Latin dominus, meaning master of the house. The dark markings on the domino pieces may have reminded people of hooded costumes worn at masquerade balls or the hoods of priests over their surplices.
The earliest records of domino in China date back to the 12th century. There are also references to a similar game in Egypt. However, Western domino games are only about 250 years old. They arrived in Britain around the end of the 18th Century, probably brought over by French prisoners of war.
Rules
There are a number of different domino games, with rules that vary from game to game. However, most of them fit into one of four categories: bidding games, blocking games, scoring games, and round games.
To make a play, a player must place one tile on the table. Each tile must touch either end of the existing domino chain. If a player places a tile that causes the domino chain to show the same number at both ends, it is called “stitched up” and the player must remove the piece and place another one on the next turn.
The first player to score 100 points wins the game. Some players use a marker to mark their train, which stops other opponents from adding to it.
Variations
There are many variants of domino, some that are played in pairs and others that are played solo. Generally, players score by blocking other players’ plays or by clearing their hand of tiles. The first player to do so wins the game. However, play may end if a player blocks play or if no one can continue. In this case, the winners are those whose hands contain the least number of pips.
Craftsmen initially used thin pieces of animal bone affixed to ebony or rosewood sawdust. They later switched to “vegetable ivory,” a hard, close-grained material called tagua nut. This material is also used for chessmen and dice. In the 19th century, craftsmen began using tinplate to make dominoes. This material was more durable and easier to stamp than animal bones.
Materials
Dominoes are flat, thumb-sized blocks that are divided into two parts by a line or ridge. One of the ends bears a number from zero to six or more spots, called pips; the other end is blank or identically patterned. The pips distinguish the domino from similar building blocks such as dice or playing cards. Dominoes are also known as bones, cards, men, or tiles.
A Festool Domino is a woodworking tool that is used for the production of strong and durable Domino joinery, but can also be employed for panel alignment and glue-ups in non-structural applications. The tool has several similarities to a biscuit joiner, including fence systems that slide for height adjustments and tilt for angled mortises. However, these machines have a different mechanism for plunging the bit into the workpiece.
Scoring
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A scoring game in domino involves a chain of tiles with matching ends touching (1s touch 1s, 2s touch 2s). Each player scores the sum of the open end pips on the tile played. The players then subtract the total number of outstanding tiles in their hands, rounded to the nearest five, from their running total. The player who plays a double that can be played on all four sides (called a spinner) receives an additional point. The game stops when one player’s hand is empty.