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Domino game: history, rules and varieties

Dominoes are one of the most popular board games known across a wide variety of cultures. We analyze where the dominoes came from and how to play this game, we will learn the domino terms.

In the old days, everyone liked to spend time playing dominoes. Today, mainly children play it, but you can also find elderly people, as well as adults, laying out the knuckles in a certain sequence on the surfaces of tables, benches or on ordinary boards.

Anyone has seen a game of dominoes at least once in their life. There are different knuckles: they can be made made of plastic or from wood mainly black or white with contrasting dots.

At first glance, it seems that it is very simple. But in order to find out the details of the game, you need to consider its features.

Domino history

Everyone's favorite and popular dominoes first appeared in China around the 12th century AD(from 1120).

Dominoes were based on dice, which were brought to China from distant India, where they evolved into small plates. Each plate showed the results of the dropped points when throwing the dice. In ancient China, dominoes were called "Bone tablets".

Over time, the game has gained great popularity all over the world.

In ancient times, dominoes were made of ivory and played only by monks, then the game gradually moved to France, and then to England and Italy.

The domino tile looks like a small plate. Each plate is marked with the number of points, in the modern version - only on one half. The number of marks on the plate shows the result of the dice roll.

Zero point in this game appeared already in Europe when the famous traveler Marco Polo brought this wonderful game from China. Before that, both halves of the plate showed the number of points.

Europeans became familiar with dominoes only in the 18th century, although the Great Silk Road was paved much earlier. It was after Europe's acquaintance with this interesting fun that the domino plates changed and began to look like they do now, in a modern version, with one empty half.

In the Chinese version, the plates are much longer, while the Europeans made shortened dominoes. Gradually Chinese fun transformed into another game - Mahjong, which proved to be very popular in the twenties in the States.

Itself the name "domino" has French roots... This was the name of the winter vestments of the priests, which have two opposite colors. It was black on the outside and pure white on the inside.

This is how the name came about, connecting two halves, completely different in color. Interesting that carnival face masks with one half black and the other white, have the same name.

Domino magic

In some countries, dominoes were not only meant to be played. Inhabitants of Indian settlements know how to use bones to tell fortunes, predicting fate and performing various magical rituals.

So dominoes were not originally intended for entertainment and having fun, but for serious rites of magic.

However, similar function in many cultures originally had dice as well used in divination magic and to communicate with spirits.

Modern dice and domino games are essentially simple interpretations of divination or collective ritual... Agree, and you sometimes wondered at the domino table at certain situations and positions of the dice.

Video: domino divination

In eastern countries there are about fifty different variations of plate games... You can even see a colored version, where the color indicates the hierarchical height of the knuckle. And the original titles of the games will surprise you with their romanticism: "gazelle jump" or "carnation in the fog".

Many interesting games based on dominoes are relatively young, some of them appeared only a few decades ago. For example, different types of solitaire games.

There is an interesting fact that American Eskimos have a very similar game in which chips are used instead of plates... On this basis, we can conclude that there was a connection between the Americans and the Chinese.

In fact, there are many versions about the origin of the game. One of the most interesting assumptions is that dominoes were invented by clergymen - Dominicans, because their clothes bore the same name. BUT the Latin translation of this interesting game means the appeal of Catholics to the Lord God.

The game of dominoes is very popular in all countries; both a child and an adult can be interested in it. Well, to make it more interesting to play your favorite game, you need to know the history of its origin.

Domino rules for children and adults

In fact, the game for children and beginners is essentially no different from a professional one. There are simply varieties of dominoes that have certain characteristics and additional rules.

Here the situation is in many ways similar to poker: there is Texas Hold'em, and there are varieties with more sophisticated rules.

The game includes 28 elements in the form of a rectangle, separated by a horizontal bar. There are points on each part of the figure, which are a number between 0 and 6.

Why are parts called knuckles? It is believed that this name comes from the word "bones", which means cubes. Any of the parts is a roll of a pair of dice.

Certain sets for the game may consist of dice, which have a larger number of dots on one of their parts. Some even include up to eighteen.

In the Chinese set, there are bones that repeat each other, but there are no elements that do not contain points.

Besides, there are special varieties of dominoes for children which include different images instead of dots. The reverse side of the knuckles is most often empty, but it can be decorated with various pictures.

Dominoes are usually played by two or four... In the case when two are playing, seven elements are dealt, and when four are playing - five. Superfluous parts are put into reserve, or, as it is otherwise called, the bazaar.
The first to enter is the player who got caught or a pair of zeros, or a pair of sixes(depending on the agreement of the playing parties). If no one has got these knuckles, then you should start with any double element in ascending order (for example, a pair of twos, fives, and so on).

If there are no such chips, then the game begins with the figure containing the largest number.

The first element is placed in the middle of the playing area..
Next, other details of the game are attached in a row... This can be done both from one side and from the other, substituting, taking into account the rule of the same numbers (two to two, six to six, and so on).

However, in some cases, they play according to a different principle, when the sum of the adjacent digits must add up to a total of six(This means that zero should be placed next to the six, and one next to the five). These moments for the game must always be remembered.

If there are no suitable elements for the layout, then new tiles are taken from the so-called "home" until the matching chips are selected. If the same the necessary parts have not been pulled out.
Sometimes it is clear that there is a “fish” on the game table, if certain tiles are located there and there are no additional tiles in the bazaar, then with the help of elementary counting it is easy to determine the presence or absence of such a situation.
The winner of the game is the one who is the first to lay out the last remaining chip on the table, or the one who has the smallest amount on the dice, in the event of a “fish”. Other players must count the amount on their elements to be recorded.
The game continues again until the agreed number of points is scored.

Domino varieties

On the territory of Russia, there are slightly fewer types of dominoes compared, for example, with China. Nevertheless, there are a significant number of options for the game, and further we will tell you about the most common and interesting ones.

Goat - domino rules

The owner of the smallest take starts the game, and can play from 2 to 4 participants... If several rounds are played, then the winner of the previous one moves in the new one.
The points scored are recorded only if the number of points exceeds 30. The score goes up to 101 points, that is, the loser scores 101 or more.
A variation of this option is a 2 on 2 game, when the players of each team sit opposite each other.

Sea goat

The variety is more difficult and a long game, play either 1 on 1 or 2 on 2... The game starts with the smallest take.
The scoring in this variant is conducted by the winner of each round., the scores of the remaining losers are counted, if the sum is more than 25, then the record is performed... At the same time, if another player wins the next round and also gains more than 25, then your accumulated points are deducted.
The game continues until the winner reaches 125 points.

Features of the game "Sea Goat"

Two takes on hand, if possible can be laid out at the same time.
Player can start the game with a take of sixes and will win the game if the game is won, but if it is lost with a difference of more than 25 points, it is eliminated from the game.
It is also possible to complete the game with two zeros, that is, place two empty tiles on each side and thus win the whole game.
If the final tile is a double six, then the bettor either wins if the loser has more than 25, or the next round begins with a double of sixes.

If there are only two zeros left, then they are equal to 25, two sixes are equal to 50.
When only zeros and sixes, they give 75 points.
When a "fish" appears, the one who placed the final dice becomes a fisherman and wins if he has less than 25, and the opponent is more, with such a victory, the next round begins with sixes. If the fisherman loses, then there is an opportunity to write off, and start with any knuckle. If the players have an equal amount with the "fish", then the situation is called "eggs" and is written off in only two units. After three attempts to write off the "eggs", a draw is declared.

Perhaps, just studying and mastering these rules will be enough for you to provide yourself with exciting leisure for a long period. Many players often come up with their own variations and additions for dominoes, you can also do this if you want to diversify the game.