NEWS

 

Mah Jongg, a game of Chinese origin, is a table game in which players use tiles depicting Chinese numbers and symbols to form hands.  Mah Jongg offers a fun and mentally challenging social game of strategy, skill and luck.  Want an alternative to bridge? This may be the game for you.

Each player plays with a National Mah Jongg League Card that is printed new each year and adheres to the National Mah Jongg League Rules. “In 1937, a number of Mah Jongg enthusiasts met in New York City to standardize the game so all Mah Jongg players would play the same hands and rules” (NMJL 1984).

In 2018, a friend asked me and several women if we would be interested in learning Mah Jongg.  We  jumped at the invitation knowing nothing about the game.  We started playing in January of 2019, and the group just began its sixth ear of playing together every Tuesday.

When COVID hit in 2020, I needed something to occupy my time, so I talked my husband, Cole, into learning a two-handed version of the game.  We played for an hour each day (2 games) for most of the year.  Since then, I have taught my adult children and several grandsons how to play.   Two grandsons, 8 and 10, sit with us when we play and are very familiar with the tiles and rules of the game, so it won’t be long before they are playing on their own.

In the last few years, I have taught four groups privately how to play.   In January 2023, I started teaching “Mah Jongg for Beginners” classes through Davidson Parks and Rec (DPR).  Currently I am teaching my seventh class through DPR.  I take a picture of everyone when they win their first Mah Jongg game so they can remember the occasion.  Classes are held in Room 106 (The Preserved Room) at the Davidson Town Hall.  New classes will be offered in the Spring—watch for registration signup.

At the end of 2023, I started a Community Mah Jongg Open Play at the Davidson Town Hall.  I wanted a place where students I had taught could have somewhere to go  to continue playing the game.   Interested players of all levels can come, meet new people, and enjoy playing for a few hours.  We offer two-hour afternoon sessions and evening sessions.  It has been slow getting started but hoping more people will learn about it and want to join in.  The cost is $3 and you can sign up through the DPR website.  Check the DPR website soon for upcoming dates, updated every Friday.

There are a number of sites online where you can play Mah Jongg games.  You can also play on apps through the Apple Store.  During COVID I would often play with some friends in my regular Tuesday group.  I also play a solitaire-type game on an app.  It comes in handy when waiting in doctors’ offices and need something to kill some time.

Mah Jongg has certainly become a big part of my life especially since I am retired.  I play in a regular group once a week, another group twice monthly, teach private classes and classes through DPR, and play at the Community Open Play Sessions.  I am always happy to be a sub in groups that have formed around town.  I have taught over 50 women and men how to play.  The interest and popularity has increased in the past few years.  There is no better time than now to learn Mah Jongg.

Soon you will be able to find dates and times to learn and play Mah Jongg by going to the DPR link below: https://townofdavidson.recdesk.com/Community/Program

 

About the author: Sydney Barton, originally from Utah, moved to Davidson in 1983 with her husband, Cole Barton, who taught in the Psychology Department at Davidson College.  Sydney taught school, worked in banking, and later in the Admissions Office at Davidson College before retiring.  She now spends time playing pickleball, enjoying their seven grandsons, traveling around the state and country, and spreading the word about Mah Jongg.