iStock/Catherine Lane

Leslie Scott created the game 30 years ago (the name comes from the Swahili for "to build"). Here she explains how to get the upper hand.

▲ TAKE YOUR TIME


Don't rush yourself. "With Jenga, you lose it rather than win it," says Scott. Feel for easy bricks and forget those that feel stuck -- they might loosen up later as the weight distribution changes.

▲ ▲ FORGET STRATEGY Concentrate on individual moves, rather than deploying a strategy. "Each brick is a slightly different size and weight, so every time you assemble a tower of bricks it's a different game."

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▲ ▲ ▲ AVOID GOING CO-OPERATIVE

Don't get sucked into building a tall tower. "People want to get the tower as high as possible and it becomes a co-operative," Scott says. The higher it gets, the greater the likelihood it will be unstable.

▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ GET DEXTEROUS "The rules say you can only use one hand at a time but that doesn't mean you can't swap hands," says Scott. "Also, you can balance the tower against your forearm, using your arm as a brace."

▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ MANIPULATE THE TOWER "Even if there appears not to be a brick available, there might be," Scott says. "If there's a layer where the centre brick has been removed, pinch together the two remaining bricks, then remove the outside one."


▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ THINK ABOUT PLACEMENT

Placing bricks on the top of the tower can give you the upper hand. "You can sabotage the tower by balancing it on one side," says Scott. But if your opponent succeeds, you could inherit a real wobbler.

This article was taken from the July 2011 issue of WIRED magazine. Be the first to read WIRED's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.