Domino is a family of games in which players take turns placing domino pieces on the table so that one end of the domino chain touches an opposing piece. The sum of the remaining spots in the opposing player’s hands is computed and added to the score of the dominoing player (or team). The most basic game requires a double-six set of 28 tiles. The rest of the tiles are not used. Typically, the tiles are shuffled and then placed on-edge in front of the players; this way each player can see their own tiles but the opponents cannot. Then each player draws seven tiles; the remainder are not used. The first player to place all of his tiles wins the game.
The earliest known domino manual, the Xuan He Pai Pu (Manual of the Xuanhe Period) was written in 1120 CE by a statesman in China. It stated that dominoes were invented by a person presented to Emperor Hui Tzung, though other interpreters believe that the document was simply a standardization of the rules of several existing games.
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Traditionally, dominoes have been made of bone or silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl) with black or white pips inlaid or painted on them. More recently, sets have been produced from a variety of natural materials including marble, granite or soapstone; other woods such as ebony; metals; and ceramic clay. These natural materials add to the visual appeal of a set and often have a more substantial feel than polymer dominoes.
Most domino games are positional; that is, each tile in the game must be played edge-to-edge against another in such a manner that the adjacent ends of the two tiles match either by number (normally a multiple of five) or by some other criterion. The number of tiles required to match the other side of a domino is known as the rank or weight of that domino. This rank is usually expressed in a number of ways, such as a point count or the total of lines of tiles and tile halves.
There are a number of different types of domino games, and each requires different skills and strategy. In addition, dominoes can be used to create art such as straight or curved lines of dominoes that form pictures when they fall, grids that form patterns, 3D structures such as towers or pyramids, and more. Regardless of the game or style of domino, it is important to play safely.
