How to play Jenga tower. What is the name of the game where wooden blocks are pulled out of the pyramid? What is the name of the game where wooden blocks are pulled out

Number of players From 2 to 4

Party time From 5 minutes

Game difficulty Lightweight

Jenga was developed by Scott Leslie. The game was invented in her family and various cubes were used instead of wooden blocks. Jengo translates to “build!” The game was later purchased by Parker Brothers. The game can be played by 2 to 4 players.

Equipment needed to play Jenga: 54 wooden blocks (the height of one block is equal to half the width).

Purpose of the game

It is necessary to pull out blocks from the bottom of the tower and at the same time avoid the fall of the tower itself.

Jenga: rules of the game

Before starting the game, you need to prepare the tower, that is, build eighteen floors.
Each floor consists of 3 wooden blocks, built parallel and close to each other.
The next floor should be built perpendicular to the previous floor.
The player who built the tower starts.
Each player takes turns pulling out a wooden block from any floor except the top two.
You can pull out the block with only one hand.
You can't hold the tower up.
Any block can be stopped moving if it could cause the tower to fall.
The player on whose turn the tower falls loses.

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Board game Jenga (Tower) and its variations

History of appearance

The familiar “Jenga” was invented by British board game designer Leslie Scott three decades ago. According to the author, it was created in the image and likeness of the game at which the entire Scott couple spent their evenings in the distant seventies. Only then, instead of elongated wooden blocks, elements of the Takoradi children's construction set, brought from Ghana, were used. Based on the same African fun, another game was created called “Ta-Ka-Radi”, very similar to “Jenga”. It appeared on the American market several years earlier, but did not achieve such deafening popularity as Jenga.

The game has a rather exotic name. "Jenga" is a Swahili dictionary word meaning "to build." The game's author, Leslie Scott, is of British descent, but she was born in Tanzania and spent her entire childhood in Africa. Therefore, Leslie decided to pay tribute to her second native language by christening her new brainchild with a name so unusual for Europeans.

Kit Contents

The original Jenga consists of 54 oblong wooden blocks. The surface of each block is carefully sanded, but not covered with varnish or paint. This increases friction between structural elements and prevents the tower from falling apart. The dimensions of the block of the classic version of the game are 1.5x2.5x7.5 cm.

With the growing popularity of Jenga, many of its “remakes” have appeared on the market, the dimensions of the elements of which may differ from the progenitor, but the aspect ratio of the blocks is mostly preserved.

"Ta-Ka-Radi" vs. "Jenga"

The two games are very similar, but have some significant differences. Ta-Ka-Radi uses only 51 rectangular blocks. As a result, the original tower is one floor lower than in Jenga, but the height of the structure is greater. The most important difference is how the bars should be placed. In “Ta-Ka-Radi” the blocks are installed on the short side of the section with significant gaps between the elements of the same row. At the same time, in Jenga, the bars lie close to each other on the long side of the section.

If “Jenga” comes in paper packaging, then “Ta-Ka-Radi” is sold in a fabric bag made of natural cloth with a print. The manufacturer also offers a choice of several types of fabrics from which the bag can be made, all colors in the spirit of Africa.

Preparing for the game

Before the start of the round, the starting tower must be level. You can level it using the box from the game itself. Some Jenga sets come with a special plastic corner that acts as a kind of level. Initially, our building has 18 “floors” of 3 blocks each. The bars are laid on the long side. All elements must fit tightly to each other. In this case, the bars of each subsequent row are located perpendicular to the blocks of the previous one.

Rules and gameplay

Jenga is designed for two or more players. The principles of the game are very simple: each participant takes out one block from an already standing structure and places it perpendicular to the previous row. At the same time, the “penthouse” tier, preceding the unfinished one, remains untouchable. Also, you cannot start laying blocks on a new level, leaving the top “floor” unfinished.

You can only pull the block out of the tower with one hand. You are first allowed to touch the elements and tap the ends of the bars, checking which of them is the most pliable. If something moves out of place, the player must return all affected blocks to their original position before the end of his turn.

All participants take turns taking turns. The turn ends when the next player touches the tower or ten seconds after placing the pulled out block.

Nature of the game

The game trains motor skills and analytical skills well. At the same time, it does not require participants to develop strategy and mental stress, so the gameplay is a relaxed, fun pastime.

Varieties of the game

There are a great many varieties of Jenga on the modern board game market: from small portable versions with tiny bars to huge copies that serve more of an advertising role than serve their direct purpose. Such a “tower boom” among board game manufacturers was undoubtedly due to the popularity that the game found among fans of such games. According to the creator of the classic Jenga, about 50 million copies of the original game have been sold worldwide.

"Jenga: Throw and Go" (Throw "n Go Jenga)- a game resulting from the fusion of good old Jenga and gaming dice. The elements of the classic set are painted in three different colors. The dice are marked with colors and words that indicate where exactly the block should be pulled from (middle, top, bottom of the tower), as well as exactly how many blocks need to be pulled in one move. For example, after the first roll, you get the words “any two” on the top face of the die. This means that you will have to “fight” with two bars, and not with one.

Throw the die again, and the top one turns out to be a crimson side with the word “beginning”, which means that the first element is crimson, and it is located at the base of the structure. Next, you roll the dice and get the word “middle” on a black background - you pull out a black block from the middle of the tower.

Jenga Truth or Dare. The set consists of the usual number of blocks, two-thirds of which are painted orange and purple (colors may vary in different editions of the game). Orange bars are desires, purple bars are questions. In this case, one third of the game elements remain uncolored. It is on these pristine bars that players are invited to write their own wishes or questions. Then the game acquires individual characteristics and becomes one of a kind. Overall, this variation is quite fun and aims to get participants talking, and the gameplay is generously filled with fiction and eccentricity. Due to its nature, it is intended for players over 12 years of age. Nevertheless, many rightfully note that this variety of Jenga is not suitable for children. The desires and questions proposed by the creators cannot be called crystal innocent. On the one hand, you may only be required to sing a song or describe one of the participants and games (why not?). There are also more amusing statements, such as “sensual dance with a mop” and other similar inventions. The questions are tricky ones with a touch of the now popular “American humor.”

More suitable for children Jenga Girl Talk Edition- a much more harmless edition of the game. The blocks are painted pink and crimson and, just like in the previous version, are covered with questions. This kind of thing could once be seen in children’s notebooks and questionnaires, which were then filled out by friends and classmates. Here you will find traditional questions: “What is your deepest desire?” or the more modern “Name your favorite website.”

Jenga Extreme. The game elements are not a rectangular parallelepiped, but a parallelogram. This adds a certain extreme to the gameplay and makes it possible to build tilted towers of absolutely bizarre shapes.

"Jenga: Las Vegas Casino" (Las Vegas Casino Jenga)- a completely unexpected combination of two completely different games: Jenga and roulette! As the tower is built, players place bets. The set consists of 54 numbered red and black blocks, a betting board and 75 chips. Recommended for players 18 years and older.

"Jenga" XXL- an enlarged version of the classic Jenga (although there are also much larger copies of the game). The size of each block is approximately 45x22.5x7.5 cm. The set includes 50 elements (48 directly for the game and 2 “in reserve”). All blocks are made not of sanded wood, but of painted plywood, so that when they fall, the structure will not kill players. The original tower is 120 cm high and can theoretically grow to three and a half meters during the game! This version of Jenga is especially good for outdoor games, and it goes great as a fun accompaniment to a barbecue.

We briefly talked about only some of the varieties of this simple board game. There are also special editions of it. Deserves special attention Jenga Nigthmare before Christmas- a game designed in the spirit of a popular cartoon that appeared on screens more than twenty years ago. The blocks are colored black, purple and orange. Each of them bears images of ghosts, funny, sad, cunning faces of Jack Skelington and, of course, the name of the cartoon with its signature “Halloween” font.

In addition, there are many board games created based on Jenga. Some retain the rules of the original game, but the elements themselves are significantly modified. In particular, the snow-white set looks very interesting Jenga Stack The Bones with blocks in the form of bones and a skull crowning the tower. Such a set can become not only your favorite game, but also an original interior decoration, which will also serve as a wonderful gift for lovers of various strange things. There are also similar sets with more peaceful themes: with cats, bunnies, carrots, and so on.

As you can see, the good old Jenga does not stand still, but develops in accordance with the desires of modern users. The market is replete with various versions of the long-loved board game, among which you are sure to find the best “Tower” for yourself.

Be the last player to place a block without knocking down the tower.

Progress of the game

Using a piece of cardboard, build a tower by placing rows of 3 wooden blocks at right angles to each other.

Carefully place the cardboard corner vertically, then remove it so that the tower can stand on its own.

Start the game with the name of the participant who built the tower. Take turns removing one block at a time from anywhere in the tower but below the top floor, and placing them on top of the tower at right angles to the blocks directly below them. You can only use one hand.

Continue the game clockwise, removing one block each time. Always complete a full 3-block floor before starting the next one.

Winner

The last player who manages to remove a block from the tower structure without knocking it down wins. The player who knocks down the tower builds it for the next game!

54 wooden blocks

1 cardboard corner

The Leaning Tower, or Jenga as it is also called, is a popular and interesting board game for a group. It's not like the usual games. There are no chips or cards in it, but there are blocks of natural unpainted wood (birch).

Build a flat tower from the bars using a special corner included in the game set. Each row should have three bars, each subsequent row is folded in a direction transverse to the previous one. You will get 18 such rows! Turn the corner over and remove it. On the table there will be a tall, eighteen-story impregnable tower. Now players can go on an attack.

There can be as many participants in the battle as there are friends in your company. Each player chooses any level to attack and pulls out one of the bars with one hand! This block, which ends up in the player’s hands, is placed on the new, top floor of the structure. All actions are performed by the participant so that the tower of bars does not collapse! The culprit of the disaster is considered the loser! Sanctions can be applied to it, which the players consider fair; with this rule, the game will be more intense and longer. If you play without it, the game will be more dynamic. Choose the option that suits you. And if your company brings together dexterous, attentive and intelligent participants, the height of your tower can double!

In the end, if you get tired of playing, the blocks can be used as a set of cubes for a little builder, since they do not contain varnishes, dyes or stains, but are made from environmentally friendly Vyatka birch.

Equipment:

54 bars;
rules of the game.

Reviews for the board game The Leaning Tower

Angelina

I decided to make a gift for February 14th to a young man and ordered this game) I placed the order on February 7th through boxberry, the delivery date was indicated on February 12th. Today (February 13) I wrote to support several times, and they promised to send me a request somewhere and deliver the order within 2-3 days, and they apologized, of course, but that’s the point, because... I have neither the opportunity nor the desire to wait that long) It’s good that at least I chose to pay in cash upon receipt, I didn’t lose anything. I had to hastily run all over the city in search of the unfortunate game (apparently, I wasn’t the only one who came up with this idea for a gift, because everything was sold out), I managed to find the same game, but, of course, more expensive. The quality of the game is excellent, the delivery service is terrible, this was my first time using it and I will never use it again. I'm only taking off stars for delivery, don't blame me.

Answer: Hello! We are truly sorry that you experienced a delay. Despite the fact that the fault lies with the Boxberry courier service, we are always ready to bear responsibility and do everything possible so that your attitude towards us is not bad.. By the way, please note that even if you paid for your order immediately, you can always refuse refuse! In such a case, you would get all your money back! We are very sorry that the courier service let you down! Before confirming an order, we always try to warn about possible delays, but unfortunately, this is not in our control.

Alexander

Poor quality. Chips on the sides since opening the package (((

Answer: You may have received a defective game or it was damaged during transportation. We will definitely help resolve the issue.

"Jenga" is an exciting board game, known in Russia as the "leaning tower". The principle is quite simple: a tower is built from even wooden blocks (each new “floor” is made alternating the direction of laying), and then the players begin to carefully pull out one block at a time and place it on top of the tower.

How to win at Jenga

The winner is the one who is the last to get the block and does not bring down the tower. You need to act carefully and carefully, and you should also immediately think about how exactly to place the element on top: after all, this is often more difficult than simply pulling it out of the “foundation”.

How tall is the tower?

If the players are experienced and careful, then the tower turns out to be very high: from the outside it seems that if a butterfly lands on it, the whole structure will collapse. Many people build a high tower not as part of a game, but simply for fun - for example, to take a photo with it or to drop it beautifully. By the way, the Jenga fall is studied in American schools in physics lessons.

Why is this game good for children?

Firstly, Jenga develops fine motor skills very well, that is, it activates the areas of the brain responsible for sensory and thinking. It is known that such games help prevent various cardiovascular diseases in old age and significantly accelerate the intellectual development of a child.

Secondly, “Jenga” teaches spatial and architectural thinking: imagining which block is less loaded in order to pull it out is a rather difficult task, but very necessary for the child.

Thirdly, the Jenga game develops team spirit: children can play it together and improve their communication skills.

Fourthly, Jenga is very good as a family game: it is interesting to play for both children and adults.

What will I find in the set?

The box contains 54 smooth blocks of dense wood, the thickness of which is slightly less than the width, the shape and. The latter serves to build a level tower, from which the game begins.

Who invented this game?

A Girl Named Leslie Scott: The first set was released in 1974. Leslie grew up near a house made of similar blocks - and as a child she often assembled various structures from “wooden bricks”. In the 80s, the game became famous in the UK, and in 87 - in America. This is how bricks and a neighbor's construction can have an irreparable impact on the psyche of millions of people around the world.

What modifications are there for the game?

Jenga can also be played with colored blocks and dice: in this case, a die roll decides which block needs to be moved. You can purchase two Jenga sets to play the classic version with one, and let your child color the second - this will help enhance his creativity and significantly increase interest in this useful and educational game.

What other names for this game are used?

Jenga is known by different names around the world. In our country it is called “Town”, in Brazil – “Earthquake”, in Europe it is known as the “Leaning Tower of Pisa”, in Denmark – as the “Brick House”.

What other sets are there:

Lera

“Yesterday we sat with a group, we sat for two hours)”