A game of dominoes can be played by two players or more. Each player takes a turn playing a tile on the table, making sure that it matches a number on one end of the chain. The player who connects two tiles with the same number on both ends is said to have “stitched up” the ends. It is also possible to connect two dominoes in a row vertically. The goal of the game is to make the most consecutive pairs, or “chains”, as possible.
The term domino originated in France sometime around 1750. The word originally meant a long, hooded cape or cloak worn by priests. Because the pieces used to be made of ebony black and ivory, it may have evoked the hood of a priest’s cape. These materials were also commonly used for domino sets, and were used to make them. However, the game has also been played with pieces made from soapstone.
A domino is a small rectangular black or white tile. The pieces are usually symmetrical and have a spot count of one to six. A typical domino set contains 28 dominoes. This set includes all combinations of spot counts between zero and six. There are many variations of the game, including a variation on the classic Chinese game Go. The game is fun for all ages and levels of skill. The domino set itself can be very expensive.
One of the most interesting aspects of dominoes is that they are reminiscent of playing cards. Like cards, dominoes are rectangular and bear identifying marks on one side, with blank sides on the other. The tiles are marked with pips, spots, or both. The pips are sometimes painted. Most dominoes have black or white pips, although you can get a set of any color you want.
The set of dominoes is called a deck. There are many different sizes of dominoes, but the most common are double-six, double-nine, and triple-nine. In a double-twelve set, four players take turns picking twelve tiles each. In a triple-nine set, players take turns selecting seven tiles. A single player starts with eight tiles. The larger the set, the more players can play.
The first known mention of dominoes is from China in the Song dynasty. It is possible that Italian missionaries brought the game to Europe. The game was originally a version of checkers, but did not catch on in the western world. This variant of the game has been used throughout the centuries to play gambling games, such as roulette. In fact, there is a Chinese version of the game. You can find dominoes with doubles or triples if you visit a Chinese-speaking country.