514 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1893. 



the commencement of each game, the players all contributing the same 

 amount. Five per cent is at once taken from the box for the gambling 

 house, and the remainder goes to the successful player. 



k'ap shap. 



K''ap shap, ''to complete tens;" K'lm shap, " to grasp tens;" Shap 

 /s«i, "little tens." ICap shap corresponds with the preceding game 

 and is the name given to it when played by 2 persons. One set of 

 dominoes are used and the pieces are arranged in a stack 4 high. The 

 first player takes 8 and the second 7 pieces. The object of the game 

 is to get 8 pieces, 2 of which form a ngdii, or pair, and the others pairs 

 on which the sum of the spots is 10 or a multiple of 10. In this game, 

 as in A;'rt7> fdi shap, a winning hand is required to contain 1 lujdn, or 

 " eye." Slight variations from the manner here described occur in 

 playing these games. The first player is frequently determined by 

 drawing a domino and counting around, instead of by throwing dice. 



nau t'in kau. 



N'aii tHn Icau, literally "turning heavens and nines," from the names of 

 the highest pieces of the 2 suits, is played by 2 jjersons. One set of 

 dominoes are used, which are piled face down in a stack 4 high. The 

 first player draws the top domino from the end of the stack toward his 

 right, and the second player the one beneath it. The second player 

 must draw a higher domino of the same suit, either man or mo, or the 

 first player takes both ])ieces and places them on the table before him, 

 with the face of the winning i^iece exposed on top. The winner con 

 tinues drawing first until the other player draws a higher [)iece, when 

 the latter takes both pieces and has the lead. The game is continued 

 in this way until the stack is exhausted. Each of the players then 

 counts the red spots on the exposed faces of the dominoes before him 

 and the one having the highest total becomes the winner, and is paid 

 for each red spot he has in excess by the loser. 



TA t'in kau. 



Td fin kau, "to play neavens and nines," called, like the preceding 

 game from the names of the highest pieces of the two suits, is the best 

 and most highly developed of the Chinese games with dominoes. It is 

 played by 4 persons with 1 set of dominoes. The 32 pieces are arranged 

 face down in a stack 4 high to form 8 piles of 4 pieces each. One 

 of the plaj^ers throws 2 dice, and counts around to determine who shall 

 be the first player. He is called tso chong, " builder of the barn," or 

 chong M, and usually places some object on the table before him to 

 indicate his position, A disk of wood inscribed with the character 

 chong frequently accompanies sets of dominoes for this purpose. The 

 first player takes 2 piles of dominoes. If the dice fall near one end of 

 the stack of dominoes, the first i)liiyer takes the 2 piles at that end. 



