Domino is a popular game that is played with small rectangle-shaped blocks, each bearing from one to six pips (or dots). The dominos are arranged in lines and angular patterns. The most common games involve scoring points by touching adjacent ends of dominoes that are either identical or form a specific total.
Dominoes are often used to help people focus on key tasks or projects that will have a significant impact on their lives in the future, such as writing a novel or creating a financial plan. In the game, players begin with a single domino that they will use to set off a chain reaction with other pieces. A good domino is a task that will require a chunk of time and energy to complete, but the effort spent on this one item will be beneficial for the rest of the process.
Like the idiom “dominate,” a good domino can also refer to a powerful and successful person or company. While some individuals and businesses may be naturally dominating, others must work hard to create the right environment for success. This can be accomplished through the creation of processes and strategies that will allow them to thrive in the most challenging situations. A good strategy is a domino that will have the greatest impact in the short term and will lead to positive results down the road.
The word “domino” has been in use since the mid-1800s, though it may have been used earlier in other parts of Europe. Today, dominoes are available in many forms. Some are painted, while others are carved or decorated with images. Some are made of clay, while others are made of wood or even glass. They can range in size from a thumbnail to a large dinner plate.
In most Western domino games, players take turns placing one domino edge to edge against another in such a way that the ends touch or total a particular value. This produces a line of dominoes called a chain, which can continue to grow for some distance. Once a domino has been placed, additional tiles can be laid down only along the exposed sides.
Before a game or hand begins, the dominoes are usually shuffled. The resulting collection of unused tiles is called the stock or boneyard. The leader starts by drawing a domino from the stock. Once that piece is played, play passes to the player with the most unused dominoes.
Hevesh, who has worked on domino projects involving more than 300,000 dominoes, says that the most important thing to remember when setting up an intricate display is to follow the laws of physics. “Gravity is the most important domino factor,” she says. “If you knock over a domino, it will fall down.” Hevesh uses this principle to build amazing layouts that can take several nail-biting minutes to fall into place. She’s even created a domino sculpture of the Earth, which took more than four hours to complete.