Playing Jenga with a chess clock takes playing Jenga to a whole new level! The game’s variation takes the classic Jenga block-stacking, stack-crashing game and turns it up by putting a clock on it. Adding the element of speed not only adds an element of competitiveness to the game. It also adds anxiety, which could turn a steady hand into a shakey one. And anyone who has ever played Jenga knows that a shaky hand can spell trouble.
What Do You Need to Play Timed Jenga?
First, you’ll need a Jenga game and a chess clock. You can get a Chess Clock on Amazon or download any number of Chess Clock apps in your smartphone’s app store.
Then find a partner that can handle the intensity that this game will bring!
How Do You Play Timed Jenga?
- Set up your Jenga stack.
- Set your chess clock to a comfortable beginner level like 5 minutes.
- Flip a coin to see who goes first, or choose the oldest person to start first. If you can avoid it, you don’t want to be first in this game, because it’s harder to win.
- Start your chess clock when ready to start.
- Pull a Jenga block and place it on the top, then tap your chess clock to start the timer for your opponent.
- Your opponent now does step 5, and Jenga play continues until…
How does Jenga end? Who wins?
The game can end in two ways. One is that the time runs out for a player. The other is that the Jenga tower comes crumbling down. The winner is the person who has the most time on their chess clock or can avoid knocking down the tower. At Classroom Antics, we always encourage kids in our programs to explore their creativity, and adding the element of time to Jenga is a great example of that. So for our next family board game night, we encourage you to give this a try.
