As soon as a child is tall enough to see over the table it is encouraged to watch the sport of dominoes. Here in the DR it is not just a pastime played in the park, it is a spectator sport where others watch and follow the snap of a move with the same passion as people watching a world champion chess match. Sometimes the silence is almost deafening as eveyone waits for the next play, then the tile is thrown down and the crowd goes wild analyzing the move and speculating on what will come next. Players here have an amazing gift that is honed from childhood. While the game's basic objective is simple enough - to get rid of one's tiles first by placing them next to tiles of matching dots on the table - the best players are expert at using memory counting to calculate what tiles an opponent is likely to be holding.

No matter where you go you will see people sitting around a domino table or a board set on top of any flat surface. There are clubs and national teams that travel to world class competitions. If you have the chance to go to a true Dominican bar or disco you wil find a table set up and ready for the challengers to arrive. Over the thrum and beat of the merengue and bachata these players sit concentrating on the game while their fan clubs stand around and watch with baited breath. You can always tell when a particularly good move has been played or a daring manoeuver has just occured from the shouts and hoots that follow it.

If you think that dominoes is for old men and little children then stand and watch a game while you are visiting the Dominican Republic, and your notion of the game will be altered forever.