Mah Jong

On one of my regular walks around the village I spotted a poster advertising "MahJong" – a game for those that like to laugh.....this sparked my interest, and so I decided to find out some more about it when I got home!

This is what I discovered....

MahJong is a chinese game that is played all over the world (although every country seems to have it's own rules!). Tournaments take place every year and the UK usually does very well. Back in the 1920s the game was huge in the UK, predominantly among the "socially elite" – largely because it was quite expensive to buy a MahJong set – nowadays it costs anything from £60 upwards (the lower end of the market being the "John Lewis" cost....more specialist websites display sets in the hundreds of pounds!). The game is especially popular amoung the ex-pat communities who have returned to the UK, as they will have played in their foreign homes.

Th game is based on the card games of Bridge and Rummy – but you will need to learn a new language to play the game -

A player generally tries to collect sets of tiles. The 3 basic sets are as follows:

A Pung – a set of 3 identical tiles e.g. 3 x Red Dragons, 3 x Two circles
A Kong – a set of 4 identical tiles. e.g. 4 x Eight of Bamboos or 4 x North Winds.
A Chow – a run of 3 tiles in the same suit. A Chow does not score and so is only helpful because it can contribute to a hand that allows a player to call Mah Jong.
The primary aim of the game is to collect such tiles that allow a player to call "Mah Jong" and go out. In order to do this, a player must achieve one of the following:
A pair, and 4 Pungs, Kongs or Chows
A special hand
However, the overall aim of the game is to amass a greater score than one's opponents and it should be remembered that it is possible to do this over a series of rounds without ever calling Mah Jong.

The Tarvin MahJong Club is the only one in the North West of England – I understand that whilst playing you need to be able to laugh, talk and concentrate at the same time, and you have to have your wits about you too! Talking to Heather, the lady who organises the Tarvin club, she said that it is possible to learn the basic rules of the game in about 20 minutes....but to become an expert will take you about 1-2 years as you learn as you play.

Heather was very grateful to the land ladies of the George & Dragon (where the club is held) as they kindly sponsor prizes and put on tea and coffee.

There is currently a waiting list for people wanting to join the Tuesday sessions, but there are a couple of places left for the Thursday evening games. Anyone wishing to find out more about the game and the Tarvin club should contact Heather via email at hklove@btinternet.com