Domino is a game that involves the use of flat, rectangular tiles with numbered dots on both sides. These tiles are usually arranged in a horizontal row or on a circular base, with each player taking a hand of seven dominoes. The first player to play all of their dominoes, or reaches the end of their hand, wins. There are many rules to the games, but they generally fall into two categories: blocking and scoring.
The game of domino can be played by two or more players, with the players drawing lots to determine who goes first. Once the dominoes have been drawn, they are arranged on the table so that all players can see each others’ tiles but not the values of their own. This is known as a “domino layout.” Only the ends of a domino that are open for play are used in the game, and additional tiles may only be placed against one of these ends. For example, a double tile straddles the long and short ends of the domino, allowing further tiles to be placed only against the end it is connected to.
In the case of a scoring game, each player records their points on their dominoes, and then each player plays a turn in which they move their tiles across the table, placing them so that they touch a line of opposing tiles or, in the case of a ring, another domino. When a domino is touched, it “bumps” the adjacent tile, thus triggering the chain reaction. The winner is the player who reaches the target score (usually 100, 200, or whatever is agreed upon by the players) in a set number of rounds.
Lily Hevesh, a domino artist and blogger who has become famous for her YouTube videos of her incredible sets, says she started playing the game when she was 9 years old. She loved setting up straight or curved lines and then flicking the first domino to watch it fall, domino after domino. Her love of the game turned into a career as she became a professional domino designer, creating amazing structures for movie sets and even an album launch for Katy Perry.
A domino’s ability to generate a chain reaction comes from the fact that it has potential energy, or stored energy based on its position in the layout. When it is pushed against by another domino, much of that potential energy is converted to kinetic energy as the two pieces collide.
In terms of leadership, Domino’s has emphasized the importance of listening to employees in order to make changes, and this has paid off. In a 2009 episode of the TV show Undercover Boss, CEO J. Patrick Doyle was sent to work in Domino’s restaurants, where he heard some pretty harsh criticism of the pizza and the company from employees. He then put into place new initiatives, including a relaxed dress code and leadership training programs. He also reemphasized Domino’s value of championing its customers by listening to their feedback and addressing their complaints directly.