Domino – a children’s game?
Explaining the game with 28 dominoes, putting equal numbers together may sound childish or boring. And »domino days« in German TV have not improved the image of a game, whose only purpose seems to be put up for being knocked over. But wondering, how many dominoes are needed to show all combinations between zero and six leads to mathematics, resulting in the formula (n+1)×(n+2)÷2. By replacing n by the highest number 6 we discover that there are exactly 28 dominoes in a game with double-six as highest number.
When FIDO people are talking domino, they have double-eighteen, double-fifteen or at least double-twelve in mind. These games are hardly to be found in Europe, but the United States are a reliable source.
Double-six, the origin of the game, was most probably brought by Marco Polo from China to Europe. Today it is wide spread in the hispanic world and in arabian countries. This game is played by two couples trying to finish while leaving high score to the opponent which will be credited to the winning couple. To make it easier, communication is not allowed during the game. Further information is available on the spanish website of the »Federación Internacional de Dómino (F.I.D.)« www.dominointernacional.org. |
