Ritmo Costeno Magazine – The Beat of the Atlantic

At first it seems like a wild bar room brawl is taking place. You can hear it from a block away. A raucous crowd of men stand on the sidewalk peering in and cheering. And then there is the sounds – bam, thud and crash. As you move closer however, it becomes obvious that this is no ordinary bar fight; in fact it is no fight at all, it is the first round of Blueifeld’s hotly contested inter-barrio domino tournament. And this year the dominoes fanatics are out in full force.

Dominoes is more than a game on the Atlantic Coast, it is a passion. Here, playing dominoes is not only about your moves, it is about your style. Even in non-competitive games between colleagues or neighbours, the tiles are slammed down with such force that the half full bottles of beer on the table rock precariously from side to side with every piece played. And unlike in other parts of the world where it is perhaps favoured by an older generation of gamers, here the youth are also passionate the dots.

Today is the first round of this year’s tournament is being held in one of central Bluefield’s iconic bars. The two sides of the wood paneled restaurant area have been cordoned off to keep the spectators and those waiting to play back from the tables. Within the game zone there are four tables each seating four players, two from each team. A number of the players are decked out in custom team t-shirts featuring their barrio’s name and logo.

On the left side of the room, reigning champion and domino powerhouse Cotton Tree are taking on the small neighbourhood of Pointeen while on the other side of the room Tres Cruces battle it out with Beholden. At each table there is an observer/referee who yell results to a scorer who writes and erases frantically on a beat up blackboard.

Dominoes is a game that goes hand in hand with drinking. And a majority of the players are keeping themselves well hydrated with beer and rum. But the real hardcore alcohol consumption is going on in the spectators area where afficionados and a handful of players from teams that don’t begin their campaigns until the coming days have rocked up to check out the opposition.

It is no fluke that the domino season kicks off in earnest when the real wet season rains arrive. For many in town, when the rains start lashing down their first reaction is too reach for the domino tin and start a game.

And while the annual tournament is the most concentrated display of Buefield’s domino addiction, on any given day countless amateur games are played out in countless homes around the city.

In fact, this simple game is a visual demonstration of the strong bonds that the autonomous regions share with the greater Caribbean. For, perhaps more than any other past-time, dominoes unites the Caribbean. From Cuba to Jamaica and Antigua to the Dutch Antilles, dominoes is the game of choice.

Back at the bar, another round of matches has just wound up and the players are spilling out onto the the street to discuss the previous game or talk strategy. And it is in this moment of rest between the battles that one can identify the real reason this game is so popular here, it is a major social event that provides the chance for residents from across this rapidly growing city to catch up and shoot the breeze.