A New Jenga® Champion Is Crowned! Epic Tournament Returns to NYC With More Than 300 Blockers!

With $10,000 on the line, blockers brought the intensity to every match!

300 blockers gathered in the heart of Manhattan to compete for $14,000 in total cash prizes!

A new Jenga® champion has towered over Times Square! Fifty teams stacked, tapped and wiggled thousands of blocks in an epic battle for a $10,000 top prize at the National Blocking Association™ tournament at the Sheraton New York. It all went down on Saturday, June 17, and one exceptional blocker toppled the competition: Michael Cavanaugh of Team Blue Barracudas!

The gravity-defying competition took off with more than 300 blockers — from ambitious 10-year-olds and first-time blockers to seasoned champs from February’s tournament — under the soaring ceilings of the Metropolitan Ballroom. Blockstreet Boys, New Girls On The Block, Rock Around The Block and more cleverly-named teams went head to head as National Blocking Association™ flags waved in an enthusiastic crowd led by emcee Ivory Fox.

Through multiple rounds of play, blockers attempted to tower over their opponents and advance to the finals while a crew of referees kept close score. Blockers also tried their hands at the Fuzzy Fingers Challenge, a friendly (and funny) game of Jenga Giant® with gloves like lobster claws and fuzzy paws! A curated Block ‘n’ Roll Radio playlist kept the good vibes cruising all afternoon. 

Attendees sipped on the event’s signature cocktail, the Slightly Unstable — served on the blocks, of course! Plus, guests had the opportunity to try custom Red Bull cocktails made with Red Bull Yellow and Red Editions.

The stakes were as high as the stacks! The final four teams took their Jenga® skills to the next level with a crowd of spectators hanging on the placement of every block! After a nail-biting final game, Michael Cavanaugh of Team Blue Barracudas (who placed third in our last tournament!), came out on top! He secured a giant $10,000 check, a gold Jenga® trophy and, of course, ultimate bragging rights.

Team Rrrrr took home $2,500 in second place, Team We Will We Will Block You scored $1,000 in third, and Team Block It Like It’s Hot won $500 with their fourth place finish.

Stay tuned for the date of the next National Blocking Association™ Jenga tournament. For more information, visit nationalblockingassociation.com and follow @nationalblockingassociation on Instagram and @natlblockingassoc on TikTok.

About the National Blocking Association™

The National Blocking Association is a casual club of obsessed blockers who love to geek out about Jenga® and celebrate their sport. It’s a passionate little organization committed to bringing blocking out of dark basements and dive bars into the bright light of day! With more upcoming tournaments and events, the association hopes to usher in a blocking renaissance — a “Jengaissance!”