Domino is a game of skill and strategy. A domino is a rectangular piece of wood with either a number of dots or a blank side. It is normally twice as long as it is wide. The dots or blank sides are called open ends, and each one has a value that can be assigned according to the rules of the game. The first player to reach a particular score wins the game, although many games have multiple winners.
In the late 1700s, domino spread to England and Italy through France, where it was brought by French prisoners. It was then introduced to America in the 1860s, and it quickly became popular. Today, a variety of domino games exist worldwide. The most common are positional, where a player places dominoes edge-to-edge against each other in a row to form some specified total. Some domino sets have only blank and numbered ends, while others feature both.
While playing a game of domino, it is important to remember the principle of a chain reaction. Each domino has the potential to initiate a chain reaction, but only if the player places it on its edge so that its end can connect with another adjacent tile. In most cases, only the long side of a domino is considered open, but in some games, the short side can also be connected with a neighboring tile.
Dominoes are normally made of clay or resin, but plastic and metal versions have become increasingly popular. They are available in a wide variety of colors and shapes, and the rules for laying them are quite complex. Generally, a domino is played on a table with a flat surface, and each player has the opportunity to place two dominoes in a row before his or her turn.
When a person lays down a domino, that domino becomes part of the layout, and it will continue to influence the rest of the layout until it is removed or the game has ended. Each domino has a unique value that can be assigned to it according to the rules of the game. The rules of most domino games allow players to lay down tiles with different numbers on their sides, but each must be matched with a tile that has the same value.
A person who is an expert in the rules of a domino game can construct complicated layouts that require a great deal of planning. These layouts can be used in a variety of ways, including for educational purposes.
In politics, the term domino effect has been used to describe a situation in which one small event may cause a series of events that lead to a larger result. In the Cold War, President Eisenhower used this concept to explain how Communism might spread throughout the world if America did not intervene in Vietnam.
In business, a good domino is a task that contributes to an overall goal. This type of task typically requires a significant amount of time and energy, but it can have a positive impact on the future of your company.