Tag Archives: Game

Dominoes

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Dominoes

Dominoes – a fun family game…

  • Dominoes is a game that involves matching the game pieces, rectangular ’tiles’, on a flat surface and each domino tile has a number of spots, or none at all, at each end of the tile that must be matched with another of the same number of spots.
  • ‘Dominoes’ is also spelt ‘dominos’, while the spots on the dominoes are also known as ‘pips’, and the game pieces, called ’tiles’, are also known as ‘bones’, ‘stones’, ‘cards’, ‘spinners’ and ‘tickets’.
  • Dominoes were first documented in China between 12 and 13 century AD, and in the western world were initially played in Italy in the 1700s, and from there it spread throughout Europe.
  • Bone, ivory or hardwood were the original domino materials, and some other materials such as stone, metal, ceramics and glass have been used, but modern dominoes are generally made from plastic or resins.
  • European domino sets, which generally differ slightly to Chinese dominoes, have 28 tiles, but sets with up to 253 have been made, but are rare and are more than enough to suit eight players.

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  • They most common sets of dominoes are known as ‘double six’ or ‘double nine’, which have 28 and 55 tiles respectively, with values of zero to six and zero to nine.
  • Dominoes are played with two to eight people, depending on the quantity of tiles, making it a great family game, the aim of which is to be the first to rid your hand of all your tiles, blocking your opponents as you do so.
  • Dominoes have often been used to create what is known as ‘domino effects’ that are lines, or many other things such as spirals, of dominoes standing on their ends, that when one is toppled over the rest should follow in turn.
  • Chinese dominoes were originally made to represent all the possible throws of  two six-sided dice, with some added duplicates to make a set of 32.
  • To this day, it is uncertain whether the game of dominoes derived its name from the word ‘domino’, that once referred to the black hood-like accessory that priests wore, or directly from the word ‘dominus’, meaning lord or master.
Bibliography:
Dominoes, 2013, Wikipedia, < https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominoes>
Dominoes Information, 2013, Domino Games, < http://www.domino-games.com/>

 

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Crosswords

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Crosswords

Think… Think… and think again…

  • Crosswords are word puzzles that generally have a numbered black and white rectangular or square grid with a list of clues, the answer of which get written in the appropriate squares on the grid.
  • Crosswords have different appearances and variations depending on the country and language system, with Hebrew crosswords only using consonants, and Japanese crosswords using one syllable per square, instead of one letter.
  • Crosswords can range in difficulty from easy to hard, and are often set in a square and have 125 (15 by 15) to 425 (25 by 25) squares, to be filled in.
  • The first true crossword is attributed to journalist Arthur Wynne, which was published in the “New York World”, in December 1913, and prior to this, similar word puzzles had been created, most notably, Italian Giuseppe Airoldi’s puzzle published in an Italian magazine in 1890, which had a square grid.
  • There are two main types of clues for crossword puzzles, clues that have answers as simple definitions, known as ‘straight crosswords, ‘quick crosswords’ or simply ‘crosswords’, and clues which are ambiguous and a puzzle themselves, known as ‘cryptic crosswords’.

Crosswords, Two, Old, Empty, Fresh, Grid, Book, Puzzle, word, Ten Random Facts

  • In 1924 in America, the newly formed company Simon & Schuster, started by Richard Simon and Lincoln Schuster, published the first crossword puzzle book, which proved very popular, and the company still holds a prominent place in the United States for the publishing of crossword books.
  • Roger Squires, of the United Kingdom, has designed the most crossword puzzles, starting in the 1960s, having is 66,666th puzzle on May 14, 2007.
  • The longest word ever set in a crossword was Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, which is a Welsh town of 58 letters, and was the answer to one of Roger Squire’s clues.
  • Arthur Wynne’s crossword was originally known as ‘word-cross’, and this quickly changed to ‘cross-word’, and after a while the hyphen was removed.
  • Someone who creates crosswords is a ‘cruciverbalist’, although crossword puzzle enthusiasts are also called ‘cruciverbalists’, although the term is not often used, and the creator is more commonly referred to as a ‘setter’, ‘constructor’ or ‘compiler’.
Bibliography:
Crossword, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossword>
The World’s First Crossword, 2010, Thinks.com, <http://thinks.com/crosswords/first1.htm>

Pool Billards

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Pool Billards

Ready, Aim, Fire!

  • Pool is also known as pool billiards, pocket billiards and billiards, and is a sport that is played with 2 or more players, although it can be played by a single person to improve their skills.
  • Pool is played on a pool table; a cloth-covered rectangular table surrounded by rails, that has six pockets on the edge of the table.
  • There are many versions of the pool game, such as 9-ball pool, bank pool and 8-ball pool, 8 ball pool being the most popular.
  • Most pool games use special balls, made from phenolic resin plastic, that are shot into the pockets with a white cue ball and a stick, called a cue, which is at least 1.016 m (40 inches) long.
  • Pool tables are normally 1.07 to 1.37 metres (3.5 to 4.5 feet) wide by 2.13 to 2.74 metres (7-9 feet) long and pool balls are generally 57.1 to 60.3 cm (2.25 to 2.375 inches) in diameter, and weigh 156–170 g (5.5 to 6 oz).

Pool, Billard, 8 ball Start up, Stick, Ball, All, Sport, pocket Ten Random Facts

  • The World Pool Billiard Association (WPA), established in 1987, governs official pool, and is a member of the World Confederation of Billiards Sports (WCBS).
  • Pool uses coloured balls that are either striped or full colour, depending on the number, and there are 15 in a set, plus the white cue ball.
  • Cue sports, including pool, have not yet been included in the Olympics, even though they were seriously considered for the 2004 Olympic Games, and there have been many attempts to have them included in the Olympic programme since the 1950s.
  • It is believed the best pool player of all time was Willie Hoppe, nicknamed ‘The King’, who lived from 1887 to 1959.
  • The game of pool has its origins in a lawn game, and was first played on a table in the 1400s, probably in France, although most of the modern style table and equipment was not produced until the 1800s.
Bibliography:
Pool (Cue sports), 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pool_(cue_sports)>

Rummikub

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Rummikub

Rummikub -‘Brings People Together’.

  • Rummikub is also known as the Original Rummikub; Rummy-O; Rummy Cube; Rummy King; Rummy-Q; Tile Rummy; and Rummy Tile.
  • To win Rummikub one must use up all of his/her tiles by putting out runs or groups, or adding on to other player’s sets.
  • Rummikub contains 106 tiles numbered from 1 to 13, that are in four different colours that are generally red, black, yellow or orange and blue, and two jokers.
  • Rummikub was invented by Jewish Ephraim Hertzano, a Romanian, who moved to Israel, and made handmade sets and sold door to door.
  • Israel, Middle East, is the biggest manufacturer of Rummikub and exports the most sets.

 Rummikub, Blue, Play, Game, runs, set, in, Old, ten Random Facts, Tile

  • It is estimated that 50 million Rummikub games have been sold since its creation in the 1930s and has been sold in 54 countries and translated into 26 languages.
  • Rummikub is actually a mix of the games Mah-Jong, Dominoes, Chess and Rummy.
  • Holland has won the most W0rld Rummikub Championships, winning the championships three times.
  • There are 13 editions of Rummikub put out by Lemada Light Industries, the manufacturers of Rummikub, and Rummikub is distributed by many well known game companies including Hasbro, Crown and Andrews, Ravensburger and Tomy.
  • Rummikub has been for popular game for over 50 years and has won six ‘game of the year’ awards during that time.
Bibliography:
History of Rummikub, 2011, Rummikub, <http://www.rummikub.com/>

Tangram

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Tangram

A thinking puzzle.

  • The tangram is a flat puzzle with seven shaped pieces, which when put together correctly, create a large square.
  • Tangrams can be arranged into many different shapes, such as a person or dog, and can be put together in an infinite number of combinations, and since the 1800s, there has been over 6500 documented, different tangram puzzle arrangements.
  • The tangram rules are that you must use all seven shapes (‘tans’); they must all touch; and they are not to overlap.
  • It is believed that tangrams were most likely invented in China between 960-1279 AD.
  • Tangrams were brought home to America and Europe by various merchants in the early 1800s, as gifts and souvenirs from their business trips to Canton, China, and became very popular.

Tangrams, Full, square, B lue, Together, Magnetic, James Lyon, simon and schuster australia, Ten Random Facts

  • Tangrams also became popular in World War I, probably due to their portability and good entertainment value.
  • The origin of the word ‘tangram’ is uncertain, and there are a variety of theories about it, including that it comes from an old English word ‘tramgram’ meaning puzzle or trinket.
  • Tangrams were originally made from glass, wood, ivory or turtle shell, and are now commonly made from plastic.
  • The tangram shapes are two large right angled triangles; one medium right angle triangle; two small right angle triangles; one square; and one parallelogram.
  • Tangram shaped tables and condiment dishes have been produced during the past couple of hundred years, with the sets of condiment dishes, made from a variety of materials, being popular in the 1800s and early 1900s.
Bibliography:
Tangram, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangram>

Playing Cards

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Playing Cards

Shuffle, deal, shuffle, deal.

  • Playing cards are generally small enough to fit in your hand and have a thin plastic coating on thin cardboard and are used in card games.
  • Beside games, playing cards are sometimes used in magic tricks, cardistry or card structures.
  • A complete set of playing cards is called a ‘pack’ or a ‘deck’, and a bunch of cards in one’s  hand is called a ‘hand’.
  • The front of playing cards have a picture or a number, and the back of the cards have a pattern that is the same on every other card in the deck.
  • Playing cards were invented in the 800’s in Ancient China.

Playing cards, Deck, Hand, Many, 52, Blue, Old, Red, Back, Game, Ten Random Facts

  • Playing cards were brought to England in the 1300s with suits such as swords and coins.
  • Playing cards were originally hand made and hand printed or painted.
  • A deck of playing cards consists of 52 cards, and is said to be symbolic of the 52 weeks in a year.
  • Modern playing card suits are typically French, and are clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades.
  • Playing card sizes are generally B8 paper size or 63 by 88 mm (2.5 by 3.5 inches).
Bibliograpy:
Playing cards, 2013 Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playing_card>
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