Jenga rules: how to play the block stacking game

Jenga is a stacking game in which players build a tall tower from wooden blocks and then take turns removing blocks from below to stack them on top. The tower becomes taller and less stable with every move, until someone causes it to fall and loses. The game was created by Leslie Scott and first presented in 1983. Its name comes from a Swahili word linked to building. Jenga needs no reading, no counting and almost no explanation, so it works across ages and languages. A standard set uses 54 rectangular blocks, each three times as long as it is wide, laid in layers of three, with each layer turned across the one below it.

How to play Jenga

Build the tower with layers of three blocks side by side, turning each layer at right angles to the one below, until all blocks are used. The player who built the tower goes first. On your turn, use only one hand to remove a block from any level below the highest complete layer. You may touch and tap blocks to find a loose one, but you should put back any block you move and decide not to take. Then place the removed block on the top of the tower, continuing the crossing pattern, and wait until the tower is steady. Your turn ends when the next player touches the tower or after a short agreed pause. The game ends when the tower falls, or when any block other than the one being moved falls. The player who caused the fall loses, and the player before them is often counted as the winner.

Tips for new players

• Tap blocks gently first; loose ones slide out with little force.
• Centre blocks in a layer are often easier to remove than edge blocks.
• Place your new block carefully so the top layer remains balanced.
• Use a firm, flat table away from people walking past.