Skujiņš’s 18th century is far from naturalistic; instead we are plunged into a parodic world of séances and amber-clad Romanov palaces, replete with cameos from caricatured historical figures – Cagliostro, Denis Diderot, Catherine the Great. Everything here is done with a sly wink; the serious is farcical and the farcical is serious. Our third-person narrator makes knowing interjections, stating that ‘the eighteenth century has its idiosyncrasies, after all!’, and characterising a particularly shady episode in the halls of an elaborate manor as being ‘like a comic opera!’. This creates a branch in the chain, and you now count both squares on the double domino as ends of the chain which can be built upon. (Of course, if you prefer, you can just play the double domino in the usual way.) A set of dominoes usually consists of 28 rectangular dominoes, each having two squares with 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 spots. Here's a collection of games and puzzles using an ordinary set of dominoes. There are many more we could put in, including domino magic squares. We'll add to this collection in future features. Perhaps you would like to invent your own game; there are some ideas to build on here and NRICH will publish any good games sent in. You may find our Dominoes Environment useful too. A Domino Set To play Dominoes easily any time, you can add it directly to your phone as an app. It’s a great way to play without worrying about losing your game save data.

This fantastic set of printable domino cards is great for a club activity. Whether you need a game for your classroom or home, playing dominoes will keep children entertained (and you can sneak in a bit of maths learning too). There are several different kinds of Dominoes Games that players can test out. Experiment with all of them to see which suits you the best. Classic The players all start with the same number of dominoes and you win if you are the first player to use up ALL your dominoes. If there are extra dominoes at the start they are placed face down as the 'pool'. Usually the player with the highest double starts. When it is your turn, you place one of your dominoes on one end of the chain and, if you cannot do so, then you have to pass, taking one So, whether your school has a dominoes club (or you're keen to start one) or you're just using these cards in the classroom, your pupils are bound to have lots of fun while practising key maths skills. More resources like these club domino cards:Here you have four dominoes laid out in the pattern of a multiplication sum. Can you make seven multiplication sums like this using all 28 dominoes? Again, like 'Windows' this organises the dominoes into seven sets of four. There are three dominoes games you can choose from. Each mode has different rules, so try them all to find your favorite! If you want a more in-depth tutorial, we have a beginner's guide to Dominoes for those who are new to the game. Types of Dominoes Games Not only is playing dominoes fun, but it also provides a perfect opportunity for children to practise their numeracy skills. Playing this game can really help children with their subitising skills as they learn to r ecognise the numbers on the tiles with speed and accuracy. Draw dominoes when you can't move until you find a matching tile. This is the most commonly played Dominoes game. Players tend to like it for the simple and straightforward gameplay. All-Fives Here is a domino square made with six dominoes. The total number of spots on the sides are not the same, but they are ALL PRIME NUMBERS so we call it a 'prime-square'. The dominoes don't match end to end. Make some other domino prime-squares. Is it impossible to make a domino prime-square with the dominoes matching end to end? If so, why? What about squares with four dominoes, eight dominoes,

This is a challenge that you might like to take on by yourself or with a group of friends. In this diagram the four dominoes make a 'window' with one empty space. The spots on each side total nine. Can you make seven windows like this using all 28 dominoes so that each window has the same spot-sum for each side? One window need not have the same spot-sum as another. There are many variations of the domino game. Here's a simple variation that most children will be able to follow: For all children who love magic and all things hocus-pocus, we've created this Magical Maths Mystery Game. Put your best wizard thinking hat on and try to solve this magical mystery!Written in 1999 by the renowned Latvian writer Zigmunds Skujiņš, who was then seventy-two years old, the novel was hailed by the critic Guntis Berelis as Skujiņš’s finest work. Skujiņš is in many ways a national hero. In the late 1980s, Skujiņš was at the forefront of Latvia’s Third Awakening, the movement that helped forge the country’s identity as a sovereign nation free from Soviet influence. Fiercely patriotic, his writing is rooted in Latvian history, but has been translated into more than a dozen languages, including this new edition of Flesh-Coloured Dominoes, lucidly translated by Kaija Straumanis. There are 28 pieces in a standard game of Dominoes. There is one of each Dominoe tile, going all the way from 0-0 to 6-6. Larger games can have even more dominoes, sometimes having as many as 91 tiles. What is the most popular game of Dominoes?