Singles and pairs are underlined on this practice card as a helpful reminder to a player that a discarded tile cannot be picked up to make a single or a pair, unless it is the 14 th tile the final tile needed to make mah jongg. How to play mahjong for beginners pdf gallery ideas. This is an excellent book which explains the rules and how to play. Prior to the publication of this book a beginners guide to american mah jongg, elaine sanberg, 2010, you could not find anything about the american game in bookstores.
As the global reputation of mahjong has increased, computerized editions with diverse rules have been formed for individual play. American mahjong also sometimes spelled mah jongg or called maajh is unique from asian mahjong in several ways. Mahjong is a four player game of skill, originating in china. American style mahjong rules associazione italiana mah jong.
It is not permitted to take the tile in order to redeem it for a joker. It is played by four players and most closely resembles the card game gin rummy. Players are required to display the nmjl card during tournament play. The rules that follow are known as modern american rules. Also i have some questions about american version of mahjong. Destination mah jongg tournament rules e or a stays in the same seat or, may move down 2 directors will tell you, n or b moves up 1 table, s or c moves down 1 table, w or d moves up 2 tables play is according to national mah jongg league rules plus tournament rules and uses the nmjl card. Mahjong cards free for ios free download and software. The game of mah jong illustrated thompson, patricia a.
Thus, there are total of 16 hands in one complete game of mahjong. This creates opportunities to get rid of tiles that the players do not want by passing them to other players during the charleston. As these rules are based on tournament play there are no initial starting points. They were first used in an official tournament at the world championship 2002 in japan. The game of mahjong has many variants this version is sometimes referred to as the chinese classical or sometimes the hong kongcantonese version. It is important to remember that there are many different kinds of mahjongg. Although normally played with four players, mahjong can be played by two people with only a. American mahjong utilizes racks, jokers, hands and rules score cards and has. These instructions are based on the american version of mah jongg. There are many versions of mahjong, but the main 4 are chinese hong kong american japanese. A guide to mahjong chinese official international rules 7 understanding the mahjong set a mahjong set is rather like a standard deck of cards.
The points are given a monetary value agreed by the players. The chinese official rules are also referred to as the official. Although normally played with four players, mahjong can be played by two people with only a slight variation to the rules. These rules are described in detail in mahjong competition rules the world mahjong organization, 2006, also known as the green book. The objective is to be the first player to match fourteen tiles and declare, mahjong. Does anybody know sites with american rules explained. A great way to learn mahjongit presents the complex rules in a clear format, introducing those unfamiliar with the game to its rules and techniques.
In practice there are always variations to rules and. A brief history of wonderful, mystical, romantic mah jongg mah jongg began life in china during the late 19th century. The winning player adds up the value of his hand, then the other. A brief history of wonderful, mystical, romantic mah jongg. Official standardized national mah jongg rules for tournaments national mah jongg tournaments qualified for mah jongg master points and sanctioned mah jongg tournaments mah jongg master points has certified and authorized this tournaments directorhostmanager to run a tournament where mah jongg master points may be awarded.
The 3 suits the 4 directional tiles the 3 cardinal tiles the 8 optional flower and season tiles. Chinese rules were agreed to, the games popularity had cooled. The basic mahjong set has 6 pieces, which contains 36 distinct kinds of. A mah jong handbook is the allcomprehensive mahjong guide, offering a clear and concise introduction to the classic chinese, western, and japanese rules of the game and outlining its many variants. Below are the rules to american mahjong, which differs slightly from its asian predecessor.
The singaporean mahjong tile system consists of 148 tiles, and is slightly different from that of other regional mahjong tilesets. Mahjong set cheat sheets cheating games gaming plays toys crib sheets spelling. After a game is completed whether by a winning hand or no winner after the last tile in the wall has been picked, the player to the right becomes the. Stop when each player has 12 tiles and then have each player draw a th tile. A certified tournament complies with all standards, rules and scoring of the mah. Rule info by mandisa washington, some info taken from clay breshears mah jongg site, back in 1997.
Learn more on how to play various styles via our mahjong 101 series, new videos added every week. Playing cards originated in china a thousand years earlier and derived their shape from early chinese paper money. Play a relaxing game of solitaire that mixes the classic rules of mahjong with a deck of playing cards. Welcome to the absolute beginners guide to mah jongg this guide is intended for beginners who wish to get an overview of how the game is played. For the japanese or american style games, higher values will need to be. Mahjongg solitaire is the accurate name for computer mahjongg games. Hong kong mahjong rules associazione italiana mah jong. American mahjong employs racks, jokers, and some different mechanisms of play. Although the game play in general is similar in all of the versions of mahjong, the game pieces and scoring, however, slightly differ depending on the regional variations. Tina christensen, president european mahjong association april 2016. Like many popular games, mahjong has many regional variations, from the chinese prevailing wind system to american mahjong with special. Hong kong mahjong rules hong kong mahjong game objective the objective of the hong kong mahjong game is to put together a complete set or hand, which contains four sets of threes either three of a kind of the same suit or pung or a sequence of the same suit or chow and a pair, for total of 14 pieces. See the basic rules for the popular chinese game mahjong, which apply to most variants. Mahjongg is to make the tiles match up with a hand on a mahjongg card.
Almost similar to gin rummy, the object of mahjong is to build sets, as well as. This also happens in the event of a dead hand where nobody wins. Singapore mahjong rules the following describes the rules for singapore mahjong that are followed by the computer game at this web site in general these rules apply to the singapore style of mahjong. Especially, newcomers to this variant ask about which scoring patterns fan.
Mahjong rules and how to play mahjong your goal is to remove every tile by matching pairs of identical tiles. It therefore follows that the rules of the game somewhat vary from other scoring systems in the region. Start with the dealer and take turns drawing four tiles at a time, moving counterclockwise. Of the many mah jongg mah jong variants extant today, american mah jongg is unique. Mcr has also adapted some table practices, such as orderly placement of tiles from the japanese style of playing. A tile is free when there are no tiles on top of it. When a player creates a set of hand or mahjong, he wins the game. As each tile is discarded, the player must announce the name of the tile she is discarding so that all players are aware of the discard e. A minimum of eight points is needed to call for mahjong. To the end and to make things a little simpler for everyone, weve created a quick reference guide to mahjong scoring. The main focus is to be the first player to get a hand composed of four sets and a pair. Mahjong has 166 game tiles, 152 of which are used in play. American mahjong utilizes racks, jokers, hands and rules score cards and has several distinct gameplay mechanics.
American mahjong is a variation on the classic chinese game and was standardized by the national mah jongg league of new york in 1937. D to 1644, a paper card game named matiao rose in popularity. This game is played with four players and a set of tiles. Basically, the tile needs to be able to slide out without anything blocking it.
View imj rules online international mahjong rules version 05. How to play mahjong with the basic rules the spruce crafts. For those who wish to go further, it is also possible to set themselves some hard challenges. If you are playing casually everyone can start arbitrarily with 500 points. After the event the wrc rules were slightly revised in 2015, and it was obvious to revise the ema riichi rules in light of the wrc rules. American mahjong rules games, board games, card games. Mahjong scoring a quick reference guide to scoring. Almost similar to gin rummy, the object of mahjong is to build sets, as well as get the highest point value. Ma 2 tiles a pair seak gamemah jong end of game feng similar to the term, tricks in cards. Explanations and examples of handssequences shown on. The rules of mah jong or mah jongg masters traditional games. An american mah jongg set consisting of 8 flowers, 8 jokers, 4 red dragons, 4 green dragons, 4 soapwhite dragons, 4 north winds, 4 east winds, 4 west winds, 4 south winds, 19 craks suit4 of each number, 19 bams suit4 of each number and 19 dots suit4 of each number, 4 racks, 2 dice and 4 mah jongg. Instead, it is a complete set of written rules of the worlds most popular cantonese mahjong, including modifications widely played throughout the 1990s and beyond.
Game rules mahjong in poculis can satisfy both people who want to relax themself and the ones who like to rack their brains. Once a redeemable tile has been discarded, it can only be taken for mahjongg or to create a new set for exposure. Mahjong chinese classical or hong kongcantonese rules. The ultimate goal will be to do a mahjong, that is to say to make a winning hand with 4 melds pong, kong or chow and 1 pair also known as eyes. In this case mahjong is played lonely, is called mahjong solitaire, and the. Explanations and examples of handssequences shown on the card. One of the main differences between the american style mahjong and the other mahjong styles is the charleston sequences before the game play. Classic tile collecting game mah jongg comprehensive instructions for friendly play. Page 1 of 6 terminology chee or chow a meld of 3 tiles in sequence of the same suit pung or pong a meld of 3 identical tiles of the same suit kong a meld of 4 identical tiles and must be exposed if formed from a discarded tile. Going dead it is important to remember that there are many different kinds of mahjongg. The goal in hong kong mahjong for every hand, the goal is to become the first player to get a hand composed of any combination of four sets see below and a pair. In addition, either its left or right side needs to be open.
Within each round, the winds seating position will rotate as follows. Mahjong competition rules mcr, also referred to as chinese official mahjong has 81 combination, and is based on patterns and scoring elements popular in both classic chinese mahjong and some modern regional variations. American style mahjong rules mahjong is a chinese game of skill, which involves four players. The basic rules mentioned in this article are pretty much the standard core principles across most form of mahjong games. Can user declare concealed kong or promote a pung to a kong. Beginners can struggle a bit to keep track of the points that each hand is worth. The first major european tournament played by these rules was the 1st oemc in nijmegen, the netherlands, during wich. How to play american mahjong yellow mountain imports. Mahjong, the classic chinese tile game, dates back to the tai ping rebellion of 18511864 and was popularized in the west in 1920 with the publication of the book rules for mahjongg. Mahjongg solitaire is a corresponding game where you attempt to match tiles with similar face design. Mahjong is a game of both skill and luck that originated in china many centuries ago and was brought to the west in the 1920s with the publication of joseph park babcocks rules of mahjongg.
There is less emphasis on dragon tiles and concealed hands. The single most popular variant in north america, its also the least well documented. International mahjong rules a reproduction of international mahjong rules pdf file isbn 0968368719 worlds first comprehensive set of written rules of. This booklet describes the standard riichi rules of the european mahjong association as revised in 2016. Scoring in mahjong, a game for four players that originated in china, involves the players obtaining points for their hand of tiles, then paying each other based on the differences in their score and who obtained mahjong won the hand. The first one you can download and print, but you need a color printer. Mahjongg does not require four players, though the rules change when players join or leave the game. The charleston is basically series of tile exchanges among the players. Although in many variations scoreless hands tui dao hu in mandarin, gai wu in.
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