Domino is a small, flat rectangular block used as gaming piece. Known by several names, including bones, cards, men, or pieces, dominoes are normally twice as long as they are wide and have either one or more squared ends, each bearing a number of spots or pips. A domino’s value is determined by the sum of the values of its two opposite sides, and it can be described as a “heavy” or “light” domino depending on its total pips count.
When a domino is laid down, it transfers some of its potential energy to the next domino. That energy travels down the line until the last domino falls. The total amount of energy transferred is known as the Domino Effect, and it can be seen physically in a domino rally and metaphorically in causal linkages within systems such as global finance or politics.
Hevesh creates domino installations that are often hundreds of feet long and require tens of thousands of individual tiles to build. To avoid mistakes, she makes a test version of each section of an installation and then films it in slow motion, so that she can make precise corrections before assembling the final arrangement. Each section is constructed from a different material—wood, cardboard, or even plastic. Each of these sections is then connected to the others by lines of dominoes.
To play domino, each player takes a certain number of dominoes and then attempts to place them in a line before anyone else. Each time a domino is placed, the other players must match it with another domino of the same type, such as a double-six or a double-nine. The first player to complete their dominoes wins.
If a player is unable to find a matching domino, they must draw a domino from the boneyard and continue playing until they can do so. The game is played until one player cannot go or until neither player can go anymore.
For many people, domino is more than just a game—it can be a form of art or even meditation. For example, some people use dominoes to help them calm down before going to sleep. Other people use them to teach their children the importance of keeping their promises or to demonstrate how to handle conflict.
The Domino Effect is a popular concept in fiction and nonfiction, describing the way that one event can influence or trigger other events. A domino might be an individual scene in a novel, or it might be a series of arguments or observations. The Domino Effect is also often used to describe political events, such as the way that support for Ngo Dinh Diem in South Vietnam led to the United States’ increased commitment of military resources in Laos and Cambodia. Some people also apply the concept to business, arguing that successful businesses are like dominoes that connect and overlap to create larger, more complex structures. The idea of dominoes as a model for success has even spawned a new game called the Domino Effect Game.