Chairs Game – Stacking Rules and Play Variations

Move over Jenga and Quick Cups. There is another stacking game in town!

The Chairs Game (also called Chair Stacking Game or Stack Chairs) is an exciting and fun game to play for people of all ages. It involves stacking tiny plastic chairs one on top of the other in a tower. Game play continues until the tower collapses. It is a fantastic game to pass the time and teach kids essential rules of non-verbal communication, balance, coordination, and strategic thinking.

In this guide, we will discuss:

• Chairs Stacking Game Review
• Rules of Chairs Game
• Variations and other chairs game you can play at home.

Chair Stacking Game Review

The Chairs Stacking game came into the picture when stacking games like Jenga became popular in the early 1980s. Since then, board game manufacturers have started putting their little creative twists on all kinds of stacking games to add to family entertainment and game nights.

If you have played Chairs Game, then you might have realized that it isn’t the most original dexterity game you’ve played. However, the Chairs Game is fun, and there is no doubt people of all ages are sure to enjoy it.

I gave this game as a gift to nieces and nephews, who have always told me how much fun they’ve had playing. My neighbor has Parkinson’s Disease, and his wife mentioned that this game helps get his hands moving- so it is a good mobility exercise.

There are different variations to the game, and we will discuss these shortly. The original stacking game consists of stacking the chairs on a board table. The player who finishes stacking all their chairs wins.

However, at any point, only one chair can touch the board/table. Players continue stacking their chairs until some player knocks off the chairs. The player that knocks off the chairs is allotted one penalty point per chair that is knocked off. The next round begins.

• The Chair Stacking game is ideal for everyone aged 6 and above.
• It is a perfect addition to family game night. It is also ideal for young kids 3 and older and for teenagers. 6-year-olds can play it with grandparents. Being a desk or table game, it is suitable for people with limited mobility.
• It is a portable game, and most of its variations are portable too.
• 1 to 8 people can play the game.
• The game encourages problem-solving, dexterity, and strategic thinking.
• The Chair Stacking game is not complicated at all. You can learn it in a couple of minutes and play for hours. You can also make your own rules as you go.
• The game can be as long or as short as you want, depending on your time.
• Chair Stacking Game is often considered better than Jenga because of the flexibility it offers players. For example, in Jenga, you can only remove the blocks on the lower end of the tower and add them back to the top of the tower. Chair Stacking lets you stack the chairs on top, sides, or bottom of the stack; pretty much anywhere you want. This way, it encourages kids to think creatively. 
• Intelligent thinkers can strategically place their chairs so that their chair is stable but also position them in a way that other players have no place to stack their chairs without toppling the tower. This means that players after the most skilled players will have a tough time stacking.
• The replay value of Chair Stacking makes it an exciting game as well.
• The affordability of Chair Stacking is also great. You can buy it for less than $10, and many variations are available for as low as $5!

Review: Plastic Chairs Stacking Intelligence Multiplayer Balance Game 

This chairs game has 18 bright and colorful chairs, each measuring around 2 inches. They are lightweight and easy to stack. This game will encourage creativity in younger kids who learn imaginative ways to stack the chairs game without toppling the stack.

Pros

• Lightweight and easy to keep stacking up
• Affordable and great for gifting.

Cons

• Chairs game are delicate and get bent out of shape easily.

Let us now consider the rules of the chairs game:

Rules of Chairs Game

• Chairs Game begins with all chairs out on the table. You can decide upfront how many rounds to play.
• If you have four players and four colors in the chairs, you can allot that colored chairs to each player.
• The youngest player gets to start the game.
• The first player picks one chair from the pile or their set of chairs and places it in the center of the table. After the first player has had their turn, the play moves to the next player.

• During a player’s turn, s/he has to stack one chair on the stack of chairs already on the table.
• Every other chair needs to only be on the stack of chairs. Only the first chair can touch the table.
• Any placement is legal as long as only one chair touches the table.
• Play continues until a player knocks off the stack. The player to knock off the chairs receives one penalty point per chair that is now touching the table.
• A new round begins with the player that knocked off the chairs. 

• The game ends when all rounds agreed upon are complete.
• The player with the lowest penalty score wins.

At our house, we use some of the following variations of the Stacking Chairs Game:

Variations to Chairs Game 

Variation 1

• Similar to above, but the player that knocks off the set gets to keep all the fallen chairs.
• Player to finish stacking all their chairs first wins.
• In this variation, you do not allocate a color to each player – instead, you simply stack chairs from the common pile.

Variation 2 – Chair and Ladder Stacking

This variation has chairs and ladders for players to stack. It can have an individual play or team play.

Individual play

• The player needs to build a stable foundation and stack all 44 chairs or ladders without collapsing the tower of chairs and ladders.

Team play

• In this version, players must not let the chairs or ladders topple. 
• Each player starts with the same number of chairs and ladders. Each player begins stacking their towers.
• The winner is the last one standing. 
• You can also make your own rules in this game. For example, if the winner is the first to build the tower, or if the opponent is the first to collapse the tower, the one standing is the winner.

Variation 3 – Motorized Chair Stacking Game

This version of Chairs Game is sure to evoke tons of laughter while playing!

• The Motorized Chairs game includes “Pete” – a motorized self-driving truck that drives around.
• Players choose a single color and have to stack all of their chairs of that color on Pete while it keeps moving in circles.
• Game play continues until a player causes the stack to drop. 

Variation 4 – Drunken Tower Game

The Drunken Tower game is an adult variation of the stacking chairs game

• Players take turns stacking chairs until the tower collapses. 
• The person that collapses the chairs gets to take a shot of an alcoholic beverage. 

Drink responsibly!

Other Chairs Game to Play At Home

Musical Chairs

This classic game is also known as Trip to Jerusalem. It is a game played worldwide, and it is estimated it may have been played for centuries.

 The origins of Musical Chairs are unknown. It may have originated in Germany, where the game was called Reise Nach Jerusalem.

How to play

• You need one less chair than the number of players. For example, if you have 15 people, place 14 chairs in a circle or a straight line.
• The leader will play the music. Players run around the chairs’ formation all through the duration of the music.
• Once the music stops, players need to sit on the chair. The person that remains chairless is out of the game.
• The next round begins with the removal of one chair.
• Play continues with players being eliminated and chairs being removed.
• The last player left with a single chair is the winner.

Variation

• When the music starts, players have to find only that chair with their name on it.
• If a player gets out, remove them and their chair and continue the game.

Chair Relay

Chair Relay Variation1 

• Make two teams with an equal number of players.
• Place two lines of chairs facing each other at a distance from each other. There should be as many chairs as there are players. Players sit on their chairs.
• In the middle of the chairs, place another chair.
• Have the players pass a ball (or any relay object) down the line.
• The player at the end of the line has to get up with the ball/relay and run around the central chair. This is done on both sides. The players then come back to their end of the chairs and sit on the first chair, which is empty as the players scoot down the line to the chair on their left. 

Chair Relay/Chair Rally Variation2 

• Have two chairs with wheels.
• Blindfolded players sit on each chair and scoot forwards as in a race.
• The player to reach the winning line wins.

Chair Relay Variation 3

• Divide players into teams
• Lay the chairs in a line in front of them.
• There should be one extra chair in each group.
• Players stand on their chairs, leaving the last one empty.
• At the word GO, teams must race to the other side of the hall, passing the empty chair to the front of the line and stepping on it. They will then have a free chair that they pass to the front.

Do You Love Your Neighbor?

• Arrange chairs in a circle.
• One player stands in the middle of the circle.
• S/he chooses one player and asks them, ‘Do you love your neighbor?’
• If the answer is NO, players on either side of that player have to swap chairs before the person in the middle takes one of their chairs.
• If the answer is YES, all players have to swap chairs.

Chair Bigamy

• Arrange players and chairs in sets of 3. Let them sit on the chairs
• One group should have one chair empty and only two players.
• When the music starts, this group has to grab a player and take them back to their set.
• The group left with two players and an empty chair; they must find a third player.
• When the music stops, the last set of 2 to run is out.

Others

• Chair Lifting – This game needs strength, balance, and coordination. Each player has to hold a chair by its legs horizontally. It should not tilt—the player to hold it longest wins.
• Chair obstacle course – participants must run over chairs as obstacles.
• Balance-a-chair – Players balance a chair in a single hand.
• Re-capping chairs – Payers must tie two matching shoes under the legs of the chairs.
• Chair baseball – this game is best played outdoors – players must tee off the baseball with the back of the chair.
• Cahir water relay – Payers must balance a glass of water on a chair and walk to the finish line.

Conclusion – Chairs Game

Chairs Game or Stack Chairs game is a fun way to spend a lazy afternoon or have some indoor entertainment on game night. It is fun for all ages above six years.

You can also try its variations like Stack the Chairs and Ladders or Motorized Chair Stacking Game. For adults, the Drunken Tower Chair is a lot of fun!

Below is a YouTube video showing how to play the chairs stacking game.

FAQs – Chairs Game