Domino is a popular game played with black and white pieces, similar to dice or playing cards. The pieces are shaped like rectangles with lines down the middle. They have either blank or patterned ends, and each end is marked with spots called “pips” that represent a number from one to six.
The word domino comes from the French, which means “a hooded cape.” Some people say it evokes a priest’s cloak worn over his surplice. The word first appeared in France soon after 1750.
These hooded caps were worn during carnival season or at masquerades. Their black color contrasted with the white cloth they were made from, and it was believed that they helped identify domino pieces with people.
They also have a strong historical connection to playing cards. According to some sources, dominoes were invented in China for throwing with two dice, and they are physically identical to the playing cards we know today.
A player begins the game by laying one domino on the table. Then, the other players must play a tile onto the table to position it so that it touches the one laid by the first player.
If the second player plays a tile that is adjacent to all four sides of the first tile, it becomes a “doublet.” The other tiles are then played adjacent to all sides of the doublet as well. If a doublet is completed, all the other tiles are laid, resulting in four dominoes for each player to play against.
The players must then use these dominoes to build a chain, starting with the first player’s domino, and continuing until both ends of the chain are completed. A domino that shows a number at both ends of the chain is called “stitched up,” and the player who has done this wins the game.
Once the chain is complete, each player must then lay another domino. If the next player plays a tile that is adjacent to any of the numbers that have already been played on the table, it becomes a “cross.” The other players must then play a tile against each side of the cross.
When this is complete, each player must then play another domino onto the table to position it so that it is adjacent to any of the pips on the other players’ dominoes. If the other players play a tile that is adjacent to any of their own pips, it becomes a “cross.”
A domino’s potential energy stores in the way it stands upright against the pull of gravity. As it falls, much of its stored potential energy is converted into kinetic energy, which is the energy of motion.
This energy can then be used to push on the next domino, creating a domino effect. It’s a powerful metaphor for how you can focus on one thing and it will inevitably propel other things forward. This is why I try to tell my clients about the domino effect when it comes to their books: if you focus on one element of your book, you can eventually push it past its tipping point, knocking down more and more.