Dominoes are double-sided tiles with a line or ridge in the middle that divides each side into two squares. The top side of each domino has an arrangement of spots or “pips,” whereas the bottom side is blank or identically patterned. The value of each domino is indicated by the number of pips on its face, with a domino that has more pips being considered “heavier” than a lighter tile.
In many domino games, a player scores by being the first to play all of his or her tiles in a specified line, often 61. To begin a new line, the player must match and play a domino that has an open end (not counting the halves of doubles) that is joined to an existing open end of another domino on the table. The total number of pips on the matching open ends is used to determine if a domino is scored; for example, a triple 5 is scored as 4 because 3 + 5 = 14.
When a player can no longer play any more tiles, he or she “knocks” the table and play passes to the opponent. The resulting dominoes are then placed in front of the winner to form the next line of play. The line of play can be a straight, circular, or zig-zagged path, but is usually limited to the table edge.
Dominos can be made of a variety of materials, but the most common are bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory, or a dark hardwood such as ebony. Traditionally, the top of the domino was inlaid with colored resin or paint, and the lower surface was inlaid with black or white pips. The size and shape of a domino is determined by the number and color of its pips, with larger sets having more pips than smaller ones.
One of the most popular types of domino games is a blocking game, in which the object is to empty an opponent’s hand. Players can also play scoring games in which the players count the pips on all of the tiles remaining in the losing player’s hands at the end of a hand or game.
Like a nerve impulse firing in the brain, a domino effect occurs when a small change causes a cascade of new behaviors that builds identity-based habits. For example, when Jennifer Dukes Lee started making her bed every day, she established the habit of maintaining a neat and tidy home. Over time, this led to her changing her overall self-image and beliefs about herself.
Hevesh’s domino art can include straight lines, curved or angled paths, grids that create pictures when they fall, stacked walls, and 3-D structures such as pyramids. She starts each project by considering its theme or purpose, brainstorming images or words that will be incorporated into the design, and planning out how to arrange the dominoes to achieve her desired result. Her largest creations can take several nail-biting minutes to complete.