Are you stuck and frustrated that there seems to be no more moves on your turn while playing Jenga? Whether you are playing Jenga with a dice or not, moves are completed when a player removes one block using one hand in a tower constructed using 54 blocks.
After checking every level and spending extended time to find a loose block, it may seem there are no more possible moves to continue the game.
What if there are no more moves in Jenga? No exact moves a player can make depending on the gameplay, but traditional Jenga can have approximately 101 moves if played intently.
If there are no more possible moves left in Jenga, the player must keep trying to tap and flick out every block. Making the tower fall down is the only way to lose and end the game.
When this point is reached, the player that is supposed to take a block from the tower automatically loses as the tower topples.
Each block removed in the tower by the player is placed on top of the tower to create a progressively unstable structure. However, only one hand is used when removing a block at any level to add instability to the gameplay.
Any removed block must be returned the the top of the tower before another block is removed in the next turn. If the player touches the tower, they have ten seconds to complete the move.
Jenga can be intense and challenging game that is played both indoor and outdoor setting. Due to endless possibilities, you may end up 2 blocks in one tap or impossible moves with nowhere to go.
So, if you don’t know what to do if there are no more moves, read no further, we are going to share our gameplay tips and in this article. Answered below are frequently asked questions to help you determine what to do when there are no more moves left in the Jenga tower.
Can there be stalemate in Jenga?
Yes, Jenga game can reach a stalemate so that a player cannot make any more moves. In that case, the player who was supposed to remove a block from the tower forfeits their turn and automatically loses the match.
Stalemates cannot prevent the next player from playing since there are no draws in the Jenga game. Therefore, players have to play until the tower falls.
Remember that all blocks in the Jenga game are the same size. However, various block loosen up as the tower leans and sways in different directions during gameplay.
Depending on how the block sticks together, which entirely relates to the player’s creativity and hand stability, it’s going to dictate how many moves a player can make at any given point during the game.
Therefore, a player may limit the number of possible moves depending on the random pattern of the previous player’s turn. Hence, the next player can lack space to pull out a block and thus run out of moves.
How many moves are possible in Jenga?
According to the official Jenga game instructions, there are at least 101 potential moves in the game. Players have at least that many opportunities to construct more levels on top of the original tower, up to 51 levels high with alternating perpendicular blocks.
To investigate these moves, first, consider a new tower to minimize the number of blocks at the top levels. Let the remaining part of the tower have one-block level.
The number of blocks on the top level, followed by the next level going downwards in that series, be denoted as 3,3,3.
Since a player cannot remove a block from the uppermost complete levels, it means the series of attempts will be as follows below.
- 1,3,2: means 6 rows with three blocks each on top
- 2,3,1: will be led by six rows with three blocks each on top
- 3,3,1: means seven rows with three blocks each on top
Since Jenga has 54 blocks, it means the tallest tower will have almost 51 levels such that for the series.
- 1,3,2 having 48 levels can have 97 moves
- 2,3,1 having 48 levels can have 98 moves
- 3,3,1 having 51 levels can have 101 moves
Player can also make the number of moves in terms of phases followed in making layers, which their numbers increase by at least a third, and a player can never get rid of a layer as follows.
- First phase 36 moves with (18 dead layers, 12 live layers, 0 spare blocks)
- Second phase 24 moves (30, 8, and 0)
- Third phase 12 moves (38, 5,1)
- Fourth phase 10 moves (43, 3,2)
- Fifth phase 6 moves (46,2,2)
- Sixth phase 4 moves (48,2,0)
- Seventh phase 4 moves (50,1,1)
- Eighth phase 2 moves (51,1,0)
- Ninth phase 1 move (52,0,2)
- Tenth phase 1 move (54, 0,0)
In the Jenga game, a player cannot loop because that requires either taking a block from the top layer or replacing the block on a layer instead of the top.
What happens when there are no more moves in Jenga?
The last player to place the possible block on the tower wins the game. However, the player that out of moves must play since the only way to lose the game is by letting the tower fall.
The player can try to flick out a block until it moves, which can cause disorientation of the block at the top, hoping for the chances that the tower won’t fall.
To continue the game, a player must try to tap a block and find out which one is loose. If any block is not to be played, the block must be replaced, which typically will make the tower fall and cause the player to lose.
What do you do when there are no more moves in Jenga
The player out of moves can try to yank the bottom block out so that the tower will not fall, but it typically does and the player will lose the game.
The other option is that the player may try to squeeze the blocks in the outer layers towards the middle. Then, try to pull one of the blocks out very carefully, maintaining the center of gravity using one hand such that it won’t make the tower fall.
In a stalemate tower, there are one or more blocks that disorient the alignment of the tower, and a player should try to flick out and hope the tower or the block slides out with ease.
No More Moves in Jenga: Conclusion
The goal to finish Jenga game is not because there are no moves left in the game, but to cause the opposing players to knock the tower down. Therefore, the last player to successfully remove a block and carefully stack it on top wins the game.
The Jenga rules state that a player can only remove a block from a layer that is not the top of the tower, which a player should then place on the top layer.
Therefore, given the classic Jenga game has 54 blocks at the start, it means the tallest tower the players can build can go up to 51 levels with three blocks at the top.
Even though there are 101 possible moves in Jenga, there is a chance of facing no more possible moves in your gameplay scenario. In this case, the player must continue to flick out and find a block to carefully remove otherwise lose due to forfeit.
The only way to determine win or lose is when the tower topples as the player pulls or places a block on the tower. Therefore, continue to tap and find the loose block with one hand to continue the game until the crumbling tower determines the winner and loser.