Official Jenga Rules: One Hand, Which Blocks, and Who Wins

Jenga is the rare party game with no cards, no board, and almost no reading. That is also why its rules get fuzzy. Can you use two hands? Can you pull from the top? Does the turn end when you let go? The official answers are short, and they come from two places: the rules on the official Jenga website, run for the brand's owner Pokonobe Associates, and the instruction sheet Hasbro printed for its classic edition.

1. Where the game comes from

The official site says designer Leslie Scott developed Jenga from a wood block stacking game her family created in Ghana in the 1970s. It was introduced at Harrods in London in 1982 and launched in North America in 1986.

2. What is in the box

A classic set has 54 hardwood blocks and a loading tray or sleeve for building the tower. Hasbro's current product page lists the game for 1 or more players, ages 6 and up.

3. Building the tower

Stack the blocks in levels of three, placed side by side along their long edges, with each level at a right angle to the one below. Hasbro's sheet notes this gives a solid tower 18 stories tall, since 54 blocks divided by 3 is 18. Use the tray to square it up, then lift the tray away.

Who goes first? Both sources agree: the person who built the tower. Hasbro adds that play then passes to the left.

4. Your turn, step by step

1. Take one block from the tower, using only one hand.
2. Place it on top to help complete the highest level.
3. Wait. Your turn is not over the moment you let go.

4.1. One hand only

The official site says players may use only one hand at a time; either hand is allowed, but only one may touch the tower at any time. Hasbro puts it more casually: use only one hand, and you can switch hands whenever you wish.

4.2. Which blocks you may take

The two sources word this slightly differently.

• The official Jenga site: take a block from any level "except the one below an incomplete top level."
• Hasbro's 2000 sheet: take a block from anywhere below the highest completed story.

Both protect the highest complete level when the top level is unfinished. Hasbro's wording also keeps you out of the unfinished top level itself. If your group wants one clear rule, use Hasbro's: only pull from below the highest completed level.

4.3. Placing the block

Hasbro says to stack the new block at right angles to the blocks just below it, and to always complete a 3-block story before starting a higher one.

4.4. Testing for loose blocks

You may tap or touch blocks to find a loose one. If you move a block out of place and decide not to take it, put it back. Hasbro says to fix it with one hand before touching another block. The official site adds a practical exception: replace it "unless doing so would make the tower fall."

4.5. When your turn ends

Your turn ends when the next player touches the tower or after ten seconds, whichever comes first. Hasbro's sheet counts the 10 seconds from when you stack your block. The official site puts the loss on whoever's turn it was when the tower fell, so a tower that falls inside that window is still on you.

5. Who wins and who loses

The official site defines the end of the game: it ends when the tower falls completely, or if any block falls from the tower other than the block a player is moving on that turn. The loser is the person whose turn it was when it fell.

Hasbro states the same result from the other side: the last player to stack a block without toppling the tower wins. Its sheet adds a nice tradition, that the player who knocks it over sets up the tower for the next game.

6. How tall can it get?

Hasbro's sheet says a real pro can build a tower 36 stories high or more, double the starting height. The official site lists the highest known tower as 40 complete stories with two blocks into the 41st, claimed in 1985 by Robert Grebler.

7. Solo practice

Hasbro includes a solo variation: remove one block at a time and stack it on top, trying to beat your own record height before the tower falls.

8. A one-minute rules talk

1. One block per turn, one hand at a time.
2. Pull only from below the highest completed level.
3. Put the block on top, finishing each level of three before starting a new one.
4. You may tap to find loose blocks, but put back any block you nudge.
5. Your turn ends after ten seconds or when the next player touches the tower.
6. Whoever's turn it is when the tower or any block falls, loses.

9. Key takeaways

• A classic Jenga set has 54 blocks that build an 18-story starting tower in levels of three.
• Only one hand may touch the tower at a time, though you may switch hands.
• Take blocks only from below the highest completed level (Hasbro); the official site at least protects the level under an unfinished top.
• Your turn ends after ten seconds or when the next player touches the tower.
• The player whose turn it is when the tower, or any stray block, falls loses the game.