About This Game

Dominoes is a matching tile game against an AI. The first player to 100 points wins the match. Each round starts with a double-six set of 28 tiles. Each player gets seven tiles, and the rest form the boneyard. The highest double in any hand goes first. If nobody has a double, the highest-pip tile starts. Tiles extend the chain from both open ends. A tile can only go where one of its pip values matches the open end it connects to.

If you can't play, you draw from the boneyard until you find a tile that fits or the boneyard runs out. If both players get stuck and neither can play, the player with the lower pip total in hand wins that round and scores the difference. Round winnings equal the total pips left in the opponent's hand. So clearing low-value tiles early is smart even when they don't help your position.

The AI uses a strategy that looks at pip count and how common each value is in its hand. It prefers to play doubles early. Doubles can only be played on one pip value, so holding them too long risks getting stuck. The match usually takes six to twelve rounds.

Screenshot

History & Background

The exact origin of dominoes is disputed, but the game is well-documented in China by the 13th century. The tiles represented all combinations of two six-sided dice and were used in various games. European dominoes show up in 18th-century Italy and France. Most historians think the game came through trade routes from China, though some argue it was invented separately. The word domino may come from a black-and-white clerical hood called a domino, which the tile pattern was said to look like.

European dominoes settled on the double-six set — 28 tiles covering all combinations from 0-0 to 6-6. That's still the most common set worldwide. The game spread widely in the 19th century as a parlor game. Dozens of versions developed: blocking games, drawing games, scoring games like All Fives, and partnership versions. In the Caribbean and Latin America, dominoes became deeply rooted in everyday culture.

This version plays the standard draw game. Match ends extend the chain. You draw when you're stuck. Win a round by having the lower pip total when the game blocks, or by playing all your tiles first. The AI picks tiles based on pip frequency — preferring plays that clear common values from its hand.

How to Play

Each player draws 7 tiles from the boneyard (the rest form the draw pile)
The player with the highest double plays first
On your turn, play a tile that matches one open end of the chain
If you can't play, draw tiles from the boneyard until you can (or it's empty)
The first player to play all their tiles wins the round
Score points equal to the total pips left in opponents' hands

Tips & Strategy

Play doubles early. A double only fits one pip value on the board. Hold it too long and you risk getting stuck if that value disappears.

Watch both open ends of the chain. Keeping both at values you hold gives you more options and forces the AI to draw.

Track how often the AI draws. Each draw tells you it doesn't hold any tile matching either open end right now.

Low-pip tiles like 0-1 or 0-2 score you little if you win the round but score the AI a lot if it wins. Play them out early when you can.

Drawing is required when you're stuck — keep drawing until you find a match or the boneyard is empty.

The blocked-game tiebreaker means lowest pip total wins. That's worth keeping in mind when you're deciding which tiles to play off.

Plan two tiles ahead. A tile that fits now might open an end you want next turn. Play the one that sets you up, not just the one that fits.

You're racing to 100, not just winning rounds. If you're close to 100, focus on winning the round cleanly rather than running up the score margin.

Features

✓ Double-six set (28 tiles)

✓ Draw rules

✓ AI opponent

✓ Score tracking across rounds

✓ Board panning for long chains

✓ Clean tile rendering

Controls

Desktop

Click a tile, then click the end of the chain to place it.

Mobile

Tap tile to select, tap board end to play.