In the last decades of the Qing dynasty and the Republic of China, mahjong moved from merchant homes to every level of society — admired as sociable, criticised as a vice, and played everywhere.
Claiming another player's discard lets you complete a set instantly, but it exposes part of your hand. Here is when you can call chow, pung or kong, who has priority, and what it costs you.
The eight jokers are what make American Mah Jongg distinctive. They substitute for any tile in a group of three or more identical tiles, but never in a pair or a single — and they can be won back from other players.
Confucius did not invent mahjong, it is not only for grandmothers, and it is not the matching solitaire game on your phone. Here are the most persistent myths and what the evidence actually says.
A great mahjong night needs a good table, a complete set, comfortable chairs, agreed rules, good lighting and food that will not ruin the tiles. Here is a host's checklist.
For many Chinese, Taiwanese, Vietnamese and diaspora families, the Lunar New Year is mahjong season: long games with relatives, small stakes, and plenty of food and laughter.
The way your hand waits for its last tile — two-sided, closed, edge, single or multi-sided — affects your chance of winning and, in some styles, your score.
Big four winds needs pungs of all four winds; little four winds has three wind pungs and a pair of the fourth. Both are among mahjong's grandest hands.
Limit hands are the rare patterns worth the maximum score: thirteen orphans, big three dragons, big four winds, all honours, nine gates and more. Here is how each style treats them.
The best style to learn is the one your friends, family or local club play. If you are starting fresh, here is how to choose between American, Hong Kong, Riichi and competition rules.
Filipino mahjong uses sixteen-tile hands, flowers and a range of local bonuses. It is a fixture of family gatherings in the Philippines and in Filipino communities abroad.
A network of national and international bodies organises competitive mahjong: world and continental associations for MCR and Riichi, plus national federations across Europe, Asia and North America.
