Domino is a game in which players place a domino tile edge to edge against another, either so that the two dominoes display identical numbers or to form some specified total. In most games the player who places the first domino must play all of his or her tiles, and subsequent players may not hold back any of their pieces for strategic reasons. The game continues until one or more players have played all of their dominoes or a player cannot continue because no more dominoes are available to play. The simplest game is simply to knock over all of the dominoes in a row; however, players often engage in tactical moves in order to gain or lose points.
Dominoes have inertia, meaning that they resist motion unless some outside force pushes or pulls on them. But a small nudge can set them off and they can quickly tip over on their own, creating a chain reaction. Hevesh uses this concept of the domino effect in her art. She builds 3-D sections in a small scale and tests them out, then connects the pieces with lines of flat dominoes that lead from one section to the next. By filming the tests in slow motion, Hevesh can see if the dominoes work as intended and make fine-tuned adjustments until they do.
In a similar way, authors use the domino effect to help them plot their novels. Every scene is a domino, and each one should fall over in a logical manner based on the events and emotional beats of the previous scenes. For example, a character’s goal should shift after an emotional beat like losing a job or having a fight with someone close to them. By considering how each scene will affect the one that comes after it, an author can ensure the story is well-paced and logically connected.
While the domino is a game that involves many different strategies, its most common use is in positional games. In positional games, each player takes turns laying down dominoes on the table in such a way that they touch each other on either side or form some specified total. When a player can’t play a domino, that person chips out, or passes the turn to his or her partner. The partners then continue to chip out until one player can’t play any more dominoes or the total of the opposing players’ remaining dominoes is less than that of the winning player.
Most dominoes have a specific number of spots on each face, or “pips,” that are used to identify the piece and indicate its value in the game. The majority of the dominoes are numbered from 1 to 10, but there are also some sets with more than 10 pips, and even larger ones can be found, although those are rare.
In addition to pips, some dominoes have a picture or logo on one face, and others have a unique design or pattern. There are also a variety of types of material from which dominoes can be made. Some of the most common are bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory and ebony. Some sets are crafted from stone (such as marble or granite), metals and ceramic clay, and other non-traditional materials.