Overview
Jenga is fun to play game of skill and strategy. First, a tower is built using 54 wooden blocks. After this, players take turns to remove a piece each from the tower per turn and then stack the removed piece on the top of the tower without collapsing the entire structure. The last player to stack a piece successfully wins.
Objective
The objective of the game is very simple, on each turn, remove one block from the tower and stack it on top with collapsing the entire structure. The last player to stack a block on top of the tower without the tower collapsing wins the game.
Jenga Rules
.Players are allowed to remove and stack blocks using only one hand. A player can switch hands at any point if they wish.
.Players are allowed to touch other blocks to find a loose one. However, if in the process of finding a loose block a player moves a block out of place, they must fix it using only one hand before they can touch another block.
.A layer must be fully stacked (3 blocks) before a higher layer can start.
.A player’s turn ends 10 seconds after stacking their block or as soon as the next player touches a block.
Number of Players Needed
Any number of players can play the game. Usually, a minimum of two can play but it’s possible to play Jenga alone. Even though there is no maximum number of players that can play the game, the game is more fun when played with few players. This is because each player gets more turns.
Equipment
54 wooden blocks
A loading tray for building the tower
Setting Up
The setup involves building a tower. A player uses the loading tray to build the tower. Each layer of the tower has three wooden blocks, with each layer placed at a right angle to the previous layer. After this, the player carefully removes the loading tray and sets it aside. The built tower will have a total of 18 layers.
How to Play Jenga
Usually, the player that built the tower is selected to go first and play continues to the left. Each player on their turn gets to remove a block from any layer of the tower except the top layer. Players can only touch the tower with one hand. After removing a block, a player must stack the removed block on top of the tower. The block must be stacked at right angles to the block below it.
Remember that a player can only remove one block per turn using only one hand, but players are allowed to switch hands at any time. As play continues, it is inevitable that the weight of the tower shifts and some blocks become looser than others and are thus easier to remove. Players are allowed to touch other blocks to find a loose one but if a player moves a block out of place, they must fix it using only one hand before they can touch another block.
While stacking, a layer must be completed (3 block storey) before a higher layer can start. A player’s turn ends 10 seconds after they stack their block or as soon as the next player touches a block. Play continues as players take turns removing and stacking a block until someone collapses the tower. Highly skilled players can build a 36-layer tower or higher.
Winning the Game
The game ends once the tower collapses. The last player to successfully remove and stack a block wins. The player that fell the tower gets to set up for the next game if multiple games are to be played.