A domino is a small rectangular wood or plastic block with one side bearing an arrangement of dots or spots and the other blank. The spots are called pips, and each side has a different value, from six pips up to none or blank. The values of the pips and the corresponding sides determine how the domino can be played in a given game.
The game of dominoes is a form of chance. The rules vary, but in general each player draws a hand of tiles from the stock. The heaviest tile in the hand determines which player will make the first play. In some games, a player who cannot make a play may “knock” or rap the table and pass play to an opponent.
Whether you’re a writer who composes on the fly or works from a carefully written outline, writing a novel requires thinking ahead – and that’s where the concept of the domino effect can help. Rather than focusing on plot points, which can often seem mechanical and ineffectual on their own, think of your story as a series of scene dominos that naturally influence each other.
To play a domino, players draw from the stock until they have enough to complete their turn. The player whose turn it is will lay the first domino. Then the other players must follow suit, laying their dominoes so that each tile touches its matching pair of ends. The resulting chains of dominoes are called a chain, and they can be used to win the game.
Many games of domino use the same basic rules but differ in how the pieces are placed on the board and how they are scored. For example, some players must place their dominoes squarely on the center of a line drawn on the playing surface, while others must place them so that the matching pairs of ends are touching. A player may also score more points by placing a dominoes on top of another, or by making a double.
Dominoes can be arranged in straight lines, curved lines, grids that create pictures when they fall or in 3D structures like towers and pyramids. A piece of domino art is a work of art in itself, and some artists even take the time to draw the arrows that will guide a chain of dominoes as it falls.
A domino is an important symbol for the power of cause and effect. A person who has a Domino name has a deep understanding of how actions have far-reaching consequences and is always thinking two moves ahead. A domino name is also a perfect choice for someone who wants to communicate the notion of power and authority.