How to play Dominoes

Dominoes is one of the world's great social games — played on doorsteps in the Caribbean, in cafés across Latin America, and around kitchen tables everywhere. The pieces are simple and the rules take a minute to learn, but reading the open ends and counting what's left to play turns it into a genuine battle of tactics. This is Draw Dominoes for two, you against a bot.

Goal

Be the first to 100 points, scored by going out and by catching your opponent with tiles still in hand.

The tiles

A double-six set has 28 tiles, each split into two ends showing 0–6 pips. You're each dealt seven; the rest form the boneyard. Whoever holds the highest double (or, failing that, the heaviest tile) leads.

Playing a turn

• The layout is a line with two open ends. Play a tile that matches one of them — a 5 can join an end showing 5 — and that end now shows the tile's other number.
• If a tile matches both ends, tap it and then tap the green end where you want it.
• Can't play? Draw tiles from the boneyard until you can. When the boneyard is empty and you still can't play, you must pass.

Winning & scoring

Play the last tile from your hand and you call "Domino!" — you score the total pips left in your opponent's hand. If neither player can move and the boneyard is empty the game is blocked; the player with the lighter hand wins and scores the pips in the other hand. First to 100 takes the match. Good players shed their heavy tiles early, hold a spread of numbers so they're rarely stuck, and watch which numbers their opponent keeps passing on — that's a number they can't play. D draws, N starts a new game.