Domino is a game that requires strategic thinking and careful planning in order to win. It’s also a fun way to spend an afternoon with family and friends! To help you get started with domino, we’ve put together a collection of tips and tricks that will make your experience more enjoyable. We’ve also included a few helpful tutorials on how to play some of the most popular domino games. So grab a friend and start building some domino chains!
A domino is a tile, normally rectangular and doubled-sided, that has been marked with a number of dots or pips on one face. The pips on the domino are used to indicate its value in a game of dominoes, which may be played by two or more players. The pips on each domino are arranged in a pattern similar to those on a die, with some squares being blank. Each player must place their tiles so that one or more ends of the domino chain show the same number (normally a number that is useful to them and distasteful to their opponents).
If a player cannot place their next domino, they “knock” the table, rap the table, or whatever other action they take to signal that they are unable to proceed. The opposing players then continue playing their dominoes until the chain reaches a point at which it cannot possibly advance further, or until a player is unable to lay their last domino (usually called “chipping out”). The winning pair is then declared.
The word domino, which is used in English-speaking countries and regions, was probably coined by a French journalist and political writer named Joseph Alsop, who wrote in the mid-18th century about a new game involving falling wooden blocks. He named the game after the Italian city of Domino, which was then part of the Papal States. The name stuck, and the game soon became popular in England as well.
Domino was introduced in Europe in the 18th Century, possibly via French prisoners of war who brought it to Italy and France. The game quickly became popular in inns and taverns. It seems likely that the game was originally developed in China, however, as a Chinese text from about 1120 CE entitled Chu sz yam describes a game using wooden dominoes, and there is archaeological evidence of such a set found at a burial site in the fourteenth Century.
What are good dominoes? Good dominoes are tasks that contribute to achieving larger goals. They are usually challenging and require a significant amount of time to complete, but if they’re focused on and completed, will have positive ripple effects in the future. For example, creating a financial plan is a good domino because it contributes to establishing and meeting financial goals in the long term.