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Introduction
The following explanation of the rules are a part of the Chickenfoot
for Windows computer version of the game as a "Help" menu
item.
Background
Chickenfoot is a domino game where the basic object is to get rid of all of
your dominoes before your opponents can do the same. Although it is a
multiplayer game, there are no teams -- each person acts independently.
The game is typically played with Double-9 dominoes (meaning there are up to 9
spots on each end of the dominoes), with other variations
including Double-12 and Double-15. Score is kept on a cumulative basis, as
each game consists of a number of hands. The number of hands in a game is
equal to the number of domino suits: in other words, Double-9 dominoes have 10
suits (0-9), Double-12 dominoes have 13 suits (0-12), etc. While low hand
scores are important, in the end only the final cumulative score matters.
Scoring
First and foremost, low score wins.
For all dominoes except the double-blank, the score associated
with that domino is the number of spots on the domino. For the
double-blank, the score is 50 points. For example, observe the sample
hand below:
The score for this hand is (5+5) + (1+0) + 50 + (3+1) = 65. Without the double-blank, the score would have only been
15.
Object of the Game
The basic object of the game is simply to get rid of all of your dominoes,
keeping in mind that the low score
wins.
Rules of the Game
Dominoes can only be played on dominoes of like suit. Ignore the
doubles for now, but observe the picture at the top of this page and notice
that all adjacent dominoes share a common suit.
If no play can be made with the dominoes in your hand, you
must draw a single domino from the Bone Pile (remaining dominoes not initially
dealt to players). If the domino you draw is playable, it can be
played. Otherwise, your turn is over and the next player's turn
begins. If there are no dominoes left in the Bone Pile, then you will be
forced to pass in the event you cannot play.
As previously mentioned, each game consists of a set of hands (equal to the
number of domino suits). The first hand will begin with the largest
double being played first. The second hand will begin with the
second-largest double, and so on and so forth. In the case of Double-9
dominoes, the hand sequence would begin by playing the double 9. The
second game would begin with the double 8, etc. If no player has
the necessary double, then each player must draw one domino. This
process repeats until a player eventually draws the necessary double.
The player who has the double necessary to begin the next hand simply plays
the domino to begin play for that hand. The next six
dominoes played must be played off of the initial double as shown in the
picture below (this could be the first hand in a Double-9 game):
Once these six dominoes have been played, play can continue
off of any domino (provided the domino to be played matches the suit of the
destination domino).
The only other rule deals with the subsequent play of other
doubles. Similar to the play of the initial double, any other double
forces the next three moves off of that double.
Incidentally, this is where the name of the game comes from, as the resulting
configuration resembles a chicken's foot. The picture below shows the
double 6 added to the previous arrangement shown above:
As the picture indicates, the next three dominoes were played
off of the double 6. After the three dominoes have been played, plays
can again be made anywhere.
A few additional moves for this same hand are shown in the
picture at the top of this page.
Ending a Hand
Chickenlittle Rule
In a normal game of Chickenfoot, when a player is down to his/her final
domino, that player must announce this fact to the remaining players by saying
"Chickenlittle". This is very similar to the card game UNO,
where players must announce that they only have one card left by calling out
"Uno".
During a regular (meaning non-computer-based) game, if the next player
manages to play before "Chickenlittle" is called and the lapse is
noticed by another player, then the resulting penalty is for the player who
forgot to "Chickenlittle" to draw a domino. If the Bone Pile
is empty, then that player is not allowed to play his/her domino on the
subsequent round, where he/she must again say "Chickenlittle"
thereby beginning the whole process once again.
Possible Outcomes
There are two possible outcomes for each of the hands played during the
game:
Winning a Hand
If a player manages to play all of his/her dominoes, then that player
wins the hand outright. Since he/she has no remaining dominoes, a
score of 0 (zero) will be recorded for that player. All other players
will score their respective hands (remaining dominoes) according to the
scoring rules laid out above.
Stalemate
If insufficient dominoes remain to complete play off of a double, then the hand will have reached a stalemate condition. This can happen
late in the hand when almost all the dominoes of a particular suit have been
played (but not the double), and then the double of that suit is
played. If there are not three dominoes remaining of that suit, then
play will continue until the Bone Pile has been exhausted AND all remaining
dominoes of that suit have been played. Once the stalemate is final,
all players will score their respective hands (remaining dominoes) according
to the scoring rules laid out above.
Note: It is possible for the hand to enter a state of
"Stalemate Pending" and a player still win. For example,
assume there are only two dominoes remaining that contain sixes after the
double six has been played. This is the pre-condition for
stalemate. However, if any player manages to play a six as his/her
last domino, then that player will win outright because he/she managed to
get rid of all dominoes.
Basic Strategy
The most basic element of strategy, of course, is to get rid of the
double-blank if you have it, or block others from getting rid of it if you
think they have it.
Other strategies can be picked up quickly by playing a few hands and
observing what it takes to win.
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