Players take home money and trophies from first dominoes tournament in Brooklyn

History was made in Brooklyn over the March 17 weekend, when Caribbean nationals from across the United States and the world came to participate in the first ever recorded domino tournament, bringing with them the excitement of the past time.

Winners were: Random Mental: 1st place – Ruby Redz Walcott, 2nd place – Alex “Flash” Cheddesingh, 3rd place – Michael “Kicker Mike” Voice, and 4th place Luke “Lucky Luke” Gaspard. Each received a cash prize and a trophy. In the Mental Pairs, New York went up against Canada winning 6-2 in the finals.

In the Team championships, Team WDF captained by Dwayne “Sniper” Henry beat out Team Florida, captained by Loraine “Legend” Brown 18-15 in the finals to walk away with $3,000 and the top giveaway for the night, thanks to theexecutive board and sponsors, Moneygram, Golden Krust, and Caribbean Legal Solutions.

The 1330 Utica Ave. venue was a lively atmosphere of music, and the familiar hands being hammered on tables during the competition that got underway with groups such as Friday Welcome Party, Random and Mental Pairs, and Mental Teams.

President of the World Dominoes Federation, Jamaican national Rodrick Daley who organized the tournament that competed for prizes in the thousands, wants to give the hobby international prominence.

Women and men play a game of domino at the first ever recorded tournament in Brooklyn. Photo by Tangerine Clarke

“Dominoes is a sport that’s played in the Caribbean and worldwide and one of my visions is to make it internationally known,” said the sports enthusiast. He said that even if the sport did not originate in the Caribbean, it is Caribbean owned. “It’s very exciting. We love playing dominoes. It’s a very important pastime, and we’re trying to make it an Olympic event like the game of chess,” said Daley.

“This is why world federation was formed. I want to bring the power of dominoes by galvanizing our Caribbean people, through the power of friendship, camaraderie and positive leadership, all under the direction of dominoes.

“Today is our culminating event for the World Dominoes Federation organization. On behalf of my board and my executive officers who are helping to say let’s push this idea, I’m so proud of what’s happening. People are coming out, they’re playing. You can see the camaraderie,” said Daley.

He said participants are required to pay a fee towards the success of the organization. This is a start, he said, noting that sponsorship must play a major role in the development of the championship.

“The love is here, so we want to build more sponsorship, and leadership. We want to take dominoes international. We have players from the Dominican Republic, Canada, Florida, Connecticut, Texas, all coming from upstate, downstate, Jamaica, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.”

“Banging on the table, is one of the biggest excitements in the game. My nick name is Kumbaya, then there is Hallelujah! Rasta! Missa!, beautiful expressions, that are heard at the dominoes table,” said Daley.

The website is www.worlddominoes.com. It is updated on events taking place in the organization and across the diaspora. Daley could be reached at info@worlddominoes, or president@worlddominoes.

He also explained that there are different ways to play dominoes, as displayed at the weekend tournament. I thank everyone who participated in the tournament.

Daley thanked sponsors, Caribbean Legal Solutions, Renee Kendall, Esq. CEO, Golden Crust, Money Gram, Grace Family Adult Social Daycare, Daley & Daley Enterprises, and Howie DaCosta CEO, Rastason Consulting Inc., for their support.

Rep. Yvette D. Clarke shows off her chops at the domino table at the first ever tournament in Brooklyn. Photo by Tangerine Clarke

Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke, stopped by to encourage the domino teams to keep the tradition alive.

Clarke, of Jamaican roots, who threw in her Jamaican twang while speaking to the crowd, said, “thank you for holding up the tradition. It is great that you can come together and play dominoes coming from the Caribbean and leading the way.”

“My mother, Dr. Una S.T. Clarke used to host many domino tournaments while I was growing up in Brooklyn. I am happy to see you are coming together strong in the sport, holding up one another.”

Rep. Clarke, then sent a shout-out to lady players by saying, “Happy women’s history month, you’re making history right here.”

Paul M. Johnson, president of the Houston Missouri City Domino club, which started in 2009 by a group of Jamaican nationals, said Daley visited the state to partner with his group and was inspired to host the tournament in Brooklyn.

Some of the players, pictured are Dwayne “Sniper” Henry, President of the WDF, Rodrick Daley, REDZ, Norman Mcpherson, and Ludwin Walters. Photo by Tangerine Clarke

The three-year domino tournament was the brainchild of Rodrick Daley. The main objective is to form an alliance with the domino clubs around the globe.

He said a Dallas vs Kansas City inaugural tournament will be held on April 29, noting that these competitions attract sometimes scores of participants over a weekend.

Women also compete, in addition to a male female/match-up for prizes of trophies, and thousands of dollars, he said.

“There is also a round-robin tournament between states, like Atlanta, Florida, Canada, and New York, with different leagues participating.”

He said the league in Texas, combine the game of dominoes and philanthrope, and shared that women players are just as assertive as men, trouncing them in many of the matches.

Glen Caven, a Florida organizer, another Jamaican national, said he has been participating in the game for more than 20 years, and noted that the Guinness Book of World Records named domino as the second largest sport in the world, next to soccer.

“The largest bodies are from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. They compete all the time, and they have been trying for many years to get the Olympic games to include domino as one of the competitions. It’s the one game, next to soccer that is popular in the Caribbean and South America,” he said.

“This is the first time there is a tournament with the monitor and rules in the Jamaican community. The Latin community host tournaments all the time. I am trying to get the West Indian community to organize and play the game according to the rules and regulations,” said Caven.

Barbados national Kathyann Sealy, a seasoned player since living in her homeland, said she tries to be just as powerful as her male counterparts, and joined the weekend tournament as part of the Jamaican league.

Caribbean domino club members bring passion, mind games and intrigue to the high-octane sport according to a posting.