Domino is a game of chance and skill, played with small rectangular wood or plastic blocks with numbers on one side (often called pips) and blank or striped on the other. It is a classic family board game that has been enjoyed for generations.
In a game with more than one player, the tiles are shuffled and each player draws a hand of dominoes. The player who draws the highest double goes first, or if there is no high double, the player with the highest-scoring domino. If there are tiles left over after drawing a hand, these remain face down and may be bought later in the game, depending on the rules of the game being played.
Hevesh carefully tests each section of her intricate designs before putting them all together, and she even films the testing in slow motion so that she can make precise corrections when necessary. But it’s really the power of gravity that makes her installations work, and that’s what gives them their “domino magic.”
When a domino stands upright, it stores energy in the form of potential energy based on its position. When a domino falls, this energy is converted into kinetic energy as it crashes into the next tile and begins a chain reaction. This transformation of energy is what allows the massive installations to be so spectacular.
There are many different types of domino games. Some have a set number of players and follow strict rules, while others are more relaxed and allow for more individuality in the way that the dominoes are played. Regardless of the type of game, however, there are some basic instructions that all players must agree to. These include the order of play, the line of play, the count and the scoring system.
To begin a game, each player must place a domino on the table positioning it so that the matching ends of the two tiles touch. This positioning is sometimes referred to as the set, down or lead. The next player then plays a tile onto the chain by placing it on top of the domino that has been played. This new tile must match the pips on the open end of the previous domino played. This process continues until the entire line of dominoes is completed.
Typically, the open end of each domino must match either the left or the right half of the previous tile. When the open end of a double shows a number that matches both the left and right half of the preceding tile, it is said to be stitched up. This is a term that indicates that the previous tile has been played incorrectly, and it should be corrected before the next player plays a tile to the double. If the error is not corrected, it is a misplay. This can be a costly mistake as the resulting chain can prevent the player from reaching the end of his or her turn.