Main content

Caribbean Domino ClubPlaying Bones

Photos by Cicely Fell

  • "Dominoes are known as bones, and the table is the boneyard..."
  • …so when you say you’re going down the boneyard it means you want a game of dominoes.”
  • “When you hold those dominoes, everything plays: your body, your mind, your soul.” – Gary Lewis
  • “A good player knows there are 168 'eyes' or spots in a pack of dominoes.”
  • “It’s like playing the piano - some players can memorise a game note for note.”
  • Players use codes such as winking or scratching to communicate with their partners.
  • A member of the Bristol Lions domino team shows his winning pose.
  • If I'm winning, I get up on one leg like a stork. When my opponents see me do that, they know they have no chance whatsoever.
  • “Dominoes is a decent game and we’ve got to keep it decent.”
  • Cosmo domino club arriving at the Anglo-Caribbean Domino League final in Walsall.
  • The Clapham Eagles domino team.
  • “The rustling of the dominoes and the sound that you make with you slam it. You’re transfixed, you can’t move…”
  • A spectator at the 21st Anglo-Caribbean Domino League Final.

This gallery is from

  • Caribbean Domino Club

    Benjamin Zephaniah uncovers the passion, mind games and intrigue of competitive dominoes.

    BBC Radio 4 Extra

Gallery