by Dominoes are small rectangular wood or plastic blocks that are marked with an arrangement of dots resembling those on dice. The dominoes are stacked on end in long lines to form structures such as square grids that make pictures when they fall, curved lines, and 3D walls. The name of the blocks derives from their ability to “dominate” or topple other pieces in a chain reaction. This feature has led to the use of the term to describe events that occur suddenly and have far-reaching consequences, as in the phrase “domino effect.” The name also is associated with a number of games played with these structures.
One of the more popular is Muggins, in which players score points by laying down doubles or triples (a combination of two and three dominoes) with open ends on the table. The number of dots on each of these ends determines a player’s total score for that round, as well as whether the player wins a hand. The winning player’s total is higher than that of the other players, and his or her score for the hand is subtracted from the sum of the scores of the remaining unplayed dominoes.
The underlying concept behind most domino games is to create lines of play by placing dominoes on the table with their open ends pointing in the same direction, so that the numbers (or blanks) on adjacent dominoes match each other. The rules for each game vary, but in general the first player to play a domino makes a line of play, then the other players follow with their own dominoes. Each subsequent player adds one or more dominoes to the line of play until all the dominoes are played.
Another well-known domino game is Draw Dominos, in which each player draws a domino from the pool of all the dominoes in play, then places it on the table with its open ends facing in the same direction. Then, each player marks the number of dots on the dominos in their possession. The winner is the first to make a play with that domino. If a player cannot make a play, all players must turn their dominoes face up and count the total number of dots to determine who is the winner.
There are many different games that can be played with dominoes, and they can be enjoyed by all ages. A good place to start is the Great Book of Domino Games by Jennifer A. Kelley, which gives detailed instructions for most of the commonly played domino games.
The Domino’s Pizza brand has a very solid leadership structure and is run well. The CEO Don Meij is a great example of this, and it was evident in his appearance on the show Undercover Boss. Meij went undercover to visit some of Domino’s restaurants and their delivery services, observing how the company operates. He was able to see the company through an entirely new lens. He was able to make some changes that will hopefully improve the quality of Domino’s delivery service and increase the customer base for the pizza chain.
