A flat, thumbsized rectangular block bearing from one to six pips or dots: 28 such dominoes make up a complete set. Used in various games to build a chain of tiles by matching the ends of adjacent pieces and laying them down in lines and angular patterns. The word is derived from the Latin domino, meaning “flip” or “top.” See also Dominoes.
Domino has become a household name through television shows that feature people building amazing structures with the tiny tiles. But a single Domino has no power by itself, and even a long line of them is just a collection of individual dominoes that must topple over to the right position to do anything useful.
Like any other activity, Domino requires planning and skill. The first step is to arrange the dominoes in a layout, string, or line of play, as described by the rules of the particular game being played. Then each player in turn must play a domino onto the table, positioning it so that its open end touches either a tile already in play or a domino in his own hand. The chains that are thus created gradually increase in length.
In some games, the highest-numbered domino in a player’s hand is an “opening” double, which must be played before any other tiles are placed. If none of the players have an opening double, then they must take turns picking dominoes from the stock until they find one. This is sometimes called “picking and passing.” During this phase of the game, the players must be careful not to expose their hands to the other players in case their next play can’t be made.
Occasionally, a player may draw more dominoes than he is entitled to in his turn. This is known as an overdraw, and the extra tiles are not to be played until the hand is reshuffled. They may be bought at that time by the player to his left, or they may remain face down and be available for buying later in the hand or game.
As the chain of dominoes develops, a special challenge arises when a player must place a tile in a position that will match its open end to another tile in the same line. Usually, this means placing the new tile perpendicular to the domino it is playing on so that the two matching ends are touching, but sometimes the line of play can be cross-ways or diagonal.
Hevesh, whose YouTube channel features her impressive domino work, makes test versions of each section of an installation to ensure that it will work properly. She then puts the larger 3-D sections up first, followed by flat arrangements and finally the lines of dominoes that connect all the different parts together. She films the entire process in slow motion, which allows her to stop the camera and make precise corrections if necessary. Once the entire setup is in place, it takes several nail-biting minutes for the dominoes to fall, as each one must fall precisely where it is supposed to according to the laws of physics.