Board game tower of bars. Board game leaning tower

This game is very simple and at the same time can bring a lot of pleasant minutes to both children and their parents. The number of players is practically unlimited: you can train alone and hold tournaments for 2, 3 and 10 people! First you need to buy a special kit from 54 wooden blocks.

Rules of the game "Jenga"

First, a tower is built from a set of blocks on a table or on the floor. To do this, the blocks are stacked three in a row and the resulting layers are stacked on top of each other one across the other. It turns out a tower of 18 levels. As a rule, a cardboard guide is included in the kit, which will allow you to level the tower for its exceptional flatness and verticality.

As soon as the tower is built and the order of the players' turn is determined, you can proceed!

Each player on his turn tries to draw any block that he thinks is free. This must be done using only one hand. You cannot work with both hands at the same time, but you can use your hands in turn if it is convenient. After the bar is released from the tower, it is placed on top of it in such a way as to continue building according to the rules: 3 bars per layer, each next layer across the previous one. You can not take the bars from the unfinished top layer and the next layer below it.

As soon as the block is placed, the move passes in turn to the next player and then around the circle. The player on whom the tower collapsed with a roar is considered the loser, and the game begins from the beginning. You can organize a knockout game.

Tricks:

• First of all, you need to look for free bars. They can be either on the edge, and then they can be “picked out” from the side, or in the center, then they must be pushed out with a finger from one side and then pulled out from the other;
• It is very important to pay attention to the slope of the tower: sometimes, after a new block is placed on one side of the tower, on the other side it becomes possible to pull out the block that was previously clamped;
• You can adjust the "traps" for the following players: taking into account the slope of the tower, aggravate it by placing your block on the same side. But the main thing here is not to overdo it!
• Although both hands cannot be used, several fingers of one hand can be used, for example, to grab the block with the thumb and forefinger, and with the middle one carefully rest against the tower so that it does not fall. Well, and use your hands in turn.

Video game "Jenga":

Table game"Jenga" ("Tower") and its varieties

History of appearance

The familiar "Jenga" was coined 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, behind which the whole Scott couple spent evenings in the distant seventies. Only then, instead of oblong wooden blocks, elements were used children's constructor"Takoradi", brought from Ghana. Based on the same African fun, another game was created called Ta-Ka-Radi (Ta-Ka-Radi), very similar to Jenga. It appeared on the American market a few years earlier, but did not find such deafening popularity as Jenga.

The game has a rather exotic name. "Jenga" is a Swahili word meaning "to build". The author of the game, Leslie Scott, is of British origin, but she was born in Tanzania and spent her entire childhood in African countries. Therefore, Leslie decided to pay tribute to her second native language, christening her new offspring with such an unusual name for Europeans.

Kit contents

The original "Jenga" consists of 54 oblong wooden blocks. The surface of each bar is carefully sanded, but not varnished or painted. This increases friction between structural elements and prevents the tower from crumbling. The dimensions of the block of the classic version of the game are 1.5x2.5x7.5 cm.

With the growing popularity of Jenga, a lot of its “remakes” 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. Only 51 blocks are used in Ta-Ka-Radi rectangular section. 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 to place the bars. In "Ta-Ka-Radi" 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" is supplied 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, it is necessary to level the original tower. You can level it using the box from the game itself. Some Jenga kits come with a special plastic corner, which 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 snugly together. In this case, the bars of each subsequent row are 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 pulls out one block from an already standing structure and lays it perpendicular to the previous row. At the same time, the “penthouse” tier preceding the unfinished one remains inviolable. Also, you can not start stacking blocks in new level, leaving the top "floor" unfinished.

You can pull the block out of the tower with only one hand. Beforehand, it is allowed to touch the elements and tap the ends of the bars, checking which of them is the most pliable. If at the same time something has moved, then the player must return all the affected blocks to their original position before the end of their turn.

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

The nature of the game

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

Varieties of the game

On the modern market Board games are represented by a great many varieties of "Jengi": from small portable versions with tiny bars to huge copies that perform more of an advertising role than serving their intended purpose. Such a "tower boom" among the manufacturers of "board games" was undoubtedly due to the popularity that the game found among fans of such fun. According to the creator of the classic version of Jenga herself, about 50 million copies have been sold worldwide. original game.

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

Throw the bone again, and the crimson face with the word “beginning” turns out to be the top, which means that the first element is crimson, and it is located at the base of the structure. Then you throw a bone and get the word "middle" on a black background - you pull out a black bar from the middle of the tower.

"Jenga: Truth or Dare" (Jenga Truth or Dare). The set consists of the usual number of blocks, two-thirds of which are colored orange and purple colors(colors may vary in different editions of the game). Orange bars are desires, purple bars are questions. In this case, one third of the elements of the game remains unpainted. It is on these pristine bars that players are invited to write own desires or questions. Then the game gets individual characteristics and becomes one of a kind. In general, this variation is quite fun and aims to get the participants talking, and the gameplay is generously filled with fiction and eccentricity. Due to its nature, it is designed for players over 12 years old. Nevertheless, many rightly point out that this variety of "Jengi" 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 need to sing a song or characterize one of the participants and the game (why not?). There are also more amusing statements, such as "sensual dance with a mop" and other similar inventions. Questions - from the category of tricky 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 in pink and crimson colors, and in the same way as in previous version filled with questions. This could once be seen in children's questionnaires, which were then filled in by friends and classmates. Here you will find the traditional questions: “What is your most cherished desire?” or the more modern "Name your favorite website."

"Jenga: Extreme" (Jenga Extreme). The elements of the game 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 completely bizarre shapes.

"Jenga: Las Vegas Casino" (Las Vegas Casino Jenga)- a completely unexpected combination of two completely different fun: "Jengi" and roulette! During the formation of the tower, players make bets. The set consists of 54 numbered red and black blocks, a betting board and 75 chips. Recommended for players aged 18 and over.

Jenga XXL- an enlarged version of the classic Jenga (although there are also much larger copies of the game). The size of each bar is about 45x22.5x7.5 cm. The kit comes with 50 elements (48 directly for the game and 2 "in reserve"). All blocks are made not of polished wood, but of painted plywood, so that during the fall the structure will not knock the players to death. The original tower has a height of 120 cm and can theoretically grow up to three and a half meters during the game! This version of "Jenga" is especially good for playing on fresh air, with a bang it goes as a fun accompaniment to the barbecue.

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

In addition, there are many board games created based on Jenga. In some, the rules of the original game are preserved, 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 a favorite game, but also original decoration interior, which will also serve as a wonderful gift for lovers of various outlandish things. There are also similar sets on a more peaceful theme: 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 full of various options our favorite board game for a long time, 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.

Game progress

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

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

Start the game with the toga of the player who built the tower. Take turns removing one block at a time from anywhere in the tower but below the top floor, and place 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 proceeding with the next one.

Winner

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

54 wooden block

1 cardboard corner

"Jenga" - extremely popular, meditative and at the same time gambling. In the process, the players act with bated breath, and losing marks the crash of a collapsed building.

Overview

The board game "Jenga" (Jenga), also known as "The Tower", is quite simple.

It is necessary to build a tower from wooden blocks, and then pull out the sticks from the tower and put them on the top floor. The structure will become more and more unstable until it collapses from careless movement or a breath of wind.

In its basic principle, it is a bit like a game of spillikins (with miniature dishes) or Mikado (wooden skewers are used). The game takes an average of 5-10 minutes.

Who created

Jenga was invented by Tanzanian Englishwoman Leslie Scott in the early 1970s. Its ancestor was the game of blocks, which Leslie played as a child. The word "jenga" comes from the Swahili verb "build". The game is produced by one of the "daughters" of the company "Hasbro", replicas from the company "Igrotime" are popular in Russia.

From what age

You can play jenga from the moment when fine motor skills have developed enough. You can build a tower for the first time at the age of five, although it is hardly worth an adult to compete with an impatient baby.

What's in the box

In the package you will find:

54 pieces of wood, easy to retrieve. Their size is about 8 centimeters in length, length and width are related as 3:1. Bamboo is used in the original, birch is more often used in Russian replicas;

cardboard sleeve for the construction of a flat tower, it is also an instruction.

rules

In Jenga, the rules are clear to both the preschooler and the grandmother. It is necessary to build a tower from the bars with the inscription "jenga", laying out three bricks in a row, on them - three bricks perpendicularly. There are 18 floors in total.

Next, you need to pull out one block at a time from the body and arrange it at the very top so that the skyscraper can stand. You can touch the tower, try on, touch the bricks that you are going to pull out, but only with one hand. The main thing is not to drop. Dropped - lost. After each move, you need to wait 10 seconds, and only then pass the move on.

Sometimes Jenga is played not using a 3 by 3 grid, but by 4 by 4 bars. Then, in the process, a surprisingly intricate structure can turn out, the fall of which will be simply epoch-making.

There are more options on how to play the tower. For example, buy a set with numbers on the dice and take out not random blocks, but the one whose number fell out on the dice.

Game mechanics

In "jenga" players have to show miracles of dexterity, to demonstrate the accuracy of movements and fine motor skills. Knowledge of physics and the ability to see an object in volume, calculate the balance will also come in handy.

Tricks and secrets

The rules of the game describe only the general principle of action, but experienced players know that there are subtleties:

Don't be in a hurry. The main thing is accuracy, so try on as much as you see fit;

Try how firmly the bricks sit. Some can be pulled out easily, some not. If the block does not want to go, do not pull it, otherwise you will almost certainly bring everything down;

Try to build a tower not higher, but more stable. This will make the game last longer. Or, on the contrary, make a shaky crown, hoping that the opponent will not be able to repeat your trick;

If you push the central blocks, and not the side ones, the chance of collapse is reduced.

The game is unpredictable because a millimeter error can cost you a win. The original Jenga even keeps the exact dimensions of the wooden blocks a secret. Allegedly, each brick is slightly different from the other, so that there is no exact balance and it is impossible to choose a uniquely winning strategy. However, the banal error of production gives the same effect.

Most stressful moment

The most interesting thing begins when the tower is already quite skewed, and every movement can bring it down. Will it come from the removed bar, which, as it turned out, held everything on itself. Or the building will collapse when the player has already pulled out the brick, put it on the roof and breathed a sigh of relief.

How to diversify the gameplay

When you get bored with the basic rules, bring in fresh ideas. It will become more fun and more difficult if:

• Write numbers on the ends of the pieces of wood, throw the dice and pull strictly dropped out;
• Write tasks on pieces of paper and take them before each move. For example, do everything with your left hand or sing a song in the process;
• Tasks or questions can be applied directly to the bars;
• Do not build on, but dismantle the tower from below until there are so many holes in it that it collapses.

How to increase interest

Just like that, shifting wooden blocks quickly becomes boring. The way out is to come up with a prize. For example, desire. Some kind of large-scale - like the obligation to wash all the dishes after the party. Participants will fight with passion to the last brick!

How else to use

With young children, you can use Jenga as a construction set and build turret houses together, and then, optionally, take out the bricks as usual. Kids will be happy to take up new building material (more than environmentally friendly).

Who lost

Ay-ya-ya-yay, the falling tower has fallen! Who is guilty? Who wasn't careful enough? In whose turn did a fly fly past, and from the fluctuations of the air a catastrophe happened? This is where he lost.

Additional materials

Playing Jenga is more than just stacking blocks on top of each other. This is an exciting activity with a strong competitive moment. In addition, it can always be varied.

Popularity Secret

There are several secrets of the popularity of "Jenga":

• Very simple and clear rules, anyone can play it;
• It does not require a special place, except for a flat hard surface - for example, the floor;
• Despite the transience of each party, it drags on for hours;
• Consists of environmental materials, the details are pleasant to the touch;
• You can upgrade the set instead of buying a new one;
• The best players are both the smartest and the luckiest.

The Benefits of Playing The Tower Regularly

The tower under construction for both adults and children is a great shared activity. And for the party too.

Parsing a structure consisting of blocks trains concentration and fine motor skills well. The player has to show everything that he is capable of.

The construction of the turret contributes to the development of spatial thinking. We are learning to imagine what exactly we get if we take out a part from one position and move it to another.

Other advantages

Jenga is a very fun game. It is simply impossible to break away - well, another five minutes, well, another game.

Jenga can be played by everyone from young to old. Which makes the desire to build a tower of wooden blocks an all-round family entertainment.

The number of participants is not limited - although if there are many of them, it is not a fact that the move will reach everyone. But the one who gets the chance will certainly try to concentrate with the top piece in his hands and not succumb to the “encouraging” exclamations around like “Ruin ​​it!”.

The set is durable. Even if you have already played dozens of games, the appearance of the wooden parts will not change at all, they will not be wrinkled or rubbed like cards.

The height of all the bars is slightly different. This is not a bug - this is a feature to make the game even more unpredictable and interesting.

There is a whole line of games for fans. For example, the one called "Django chairs".

Board Game Jenga Boom (Tower)

Hello, Dear friends! Today I want to tell you about an extremely exciting and at the same time very simple game with wooden blocks.

It is called "Jenga" and has many varieties. The popularity of this board game around the world is due not only to simple rules games, but many other benefits.

But more on that below.

My review of Jenga board game

What is "Jenga"?

Jenga is a board game of skill and ingenuity. Standard kit consists of 54 wooden blocks, not varnished and not painted in any colors. Also included with each playset is a sleeve for building a tower and a booklet describing the rules of the game and a variety of ways to complicate or simplify the gameplay. We had the 45 piece version, but it was just as fun to play!

Rules of the game "Jenga"

At the beginning of the game, the participants build a tower from all the bars of the set. This can be done independently or with the help of a special sleeve, which allows you to make the structure as even and stable as possible. There are three bars on one level of the tower, and the details of the next floor should lie perpendicular to the previous ones (crosswise)

After the tower is ready, the players take turns taking out the bars from any part of it and moving them up. The main requirement is that when the part is removed and installed to the very top, the building does not collapse. Also, in most variants of Jenga, it is mandatory to remove the bars with one hand, no matter if it is right or left. The goal of the game is to make the tower as tall as possible.

The participant whose actions caused the tower to collapse is considered the loser. Winnings are calculated based on the number of good moves each player: whoever has the most safely moved bars wins.

Why is Jenga so popular and why do we like it?

Despite the simplest, if not primitive, rules of the game, Jenga can drag on for several hours. Reading the description, it seems that it is easy to play it, but as soon as you sit down at the table, your opinion changes dramatically.

Firstly, it is not so easy to choose the right block, the removal of which will not damage the tower, especially after other participants have already made more than one move.

Secondly, it is very difficult to carefully pull the part out of the building - one wrong move, and the tower collapsed down.

Playing with wooden blocks develops such qualities and skills as:

• fine motor skills (which is why it is useful to play Jenga with preschool children);
• dexterity. You train this quality, trying to pull the bar out of the structure as carefully as possible;
• attentiveness;
• spatial thinking;
• ingenuity and logic. These skills are needed in order to correctly calculate which block can be removed from the tower without the threat of its collapse.

I would also note the following advantages of this board game:

• fascination. It is very difficult to tear yourself away from an unfinished game. And even after the tower collapsed because of some player, you want to immediately build it again and resume the game;
• versatility for all ages. This game will be interesting for both children, starting from five or six years old, and adults up to retirement age;
• no restrictions on the number of people. If most other board games can be played by no more than 6-8 participants, then in Jenga the number of players can exceed this number. Moreover, the more players take part, the more interesting the process becomes;
• durability. Wooden bars do not break, do not crumple and do not wear out, and therefore one set of the game can serve the family for many years;
• compact package sizes. Thanks to this, "Jenga" can be taken with you on trips or on a visit.

True, you can’t play it on the road, because for stability wooden tower a fixed surface is required, such as a table or floor.

Today, the rights to publish the game belong to various global companies, including Russian manufacturers. This will allow you to choose the right option for the price and completeness for your family.

Who created Jenga?

Do you know how this fascinating board game was born, and who became its creator? Even before 1983, no one knew about such a simple but ingenious game. But everything changed, thanks to a woman from Britain named Lesley Scott.

As a board game designer during those years, Leslie decided to take a break from the complex role-playing and turn-based board games that were so popular in America and Britain for a while. Wanting to create something as simple as possible, but at the same time very exciting, she remembered her childhood. Then her whole family enjoyed playing with simple wooden cubes, building towers and other buildings out of them. Leslie remembered how much she enjoyed this activity, and decided that this process could be varied by extracting parts from the structure.

Initially, it was cubes that were considered as parts for Jenga. But for variety and greater variability of the gameplay, it was decided to use rectangular blocks. Having released her creation on the market, Leslie did not even expect that it would be so popular. In the very first year, the entire circulation of the board game was sold out, and then companies wishing to acquire the rights to publish the game reached out to its creator. Today, it still continues to sell out in thousands of copies, and a new generation of preschoolers is already developing fine motor skills for such an exciting action as building a tower.

How to diversify the gameplay in Jenga

Despite all its fascination, over time, the standard version of the Jenga game can become a little boring for a friendly company. In this case, you can diversify your pastime by slightly changing or supplementing the rules. For example:

• Playing "Jenga" with phantoms. Write different tasks on pieces of paper, for example, “Close your eyes” or “Tell a rhyme.” The player who has to get the block from the tower draws a phantom, and during his turn he completes the task.
• Game to the last bar. Here, players will not put the bars taken out of the tower on the upper level of the structure, but will simply pull the parts out of it and stack them next to them. Whoever managed to take out the most bars before the building collapsed completely, he won;
• "Jenga" with numbers. The side faces of the bars can be marked with numbers from the first to the tenth or from the first to the twelfth. Now it is enough to take the dice and throw them before your turn. What number fell out, under this number we remove the part from the tower. There are no available bars with the desired number? It's sad, but you have to skip the move.
• You can also discuss with the company. additional options complications, for example, every move to alternate the right and left hand for extracting bars, and other things that your imagination tells you.

As for the quality of this game, there are no complaints about the manufacturer. The bars are dense, smooth, it is pleasant to hold them in hands. Plus, they are very well polished, which means there is no risk of getting a splinter in the finger while playing.

Jenga is a fun, interesting and exciting game of dexterity, attentiveness and ingenuity. It will allow you to spend time pleasantly and profitably with your family, with colleagues or with a group of friends who appreciate such entertainment.

You can buy the board game Jenga by clicking the button below in an excellent store without cheating and overpayments. On the box, you can engrave, write any name, for example, if the game is purchased as a gift.