What’s behind the meteoric rise in popularity of a tile-based game that has recently taken so many busy Americans by storm? It’s mahjong, a game originally created in China more than 200 years ago. It quickly became very popular when it was introduced in America in the 1920s. Today, it has been rediscovered by many women of all ages throughout the country.
Mahjong is a four-player game of luck and skill that calls for concentration and competition, building community along the way. Its colorful tiles display Chinese icons visible in suits, named bam, crak, dot, jokers, dragons, and flowers. There are several versions of play around the world, all slightly different. The goal of the American version is to match 14 tiles with one of the patterns on an official National Mah Jongg League (NMJL) Hands and Rules card which is reissued every year.
Molly Hugo of Potomac started playing mahjong four years ago when a friend invited her to take lessons. It didn’t take long for Molly to become, in her words, “hooked.” She echoes many young women who see playing mahjong as a lovely way to make intergenerational connections, enjoy conversation and snacks and keep one’s brain busy. She decided to advance as an instructor affiliated with Oh My Mahjong and registered her own LLC, MoCoMahjong - mocomahjong@gmail.com. Now Molly is busy teaching mahjong three or four nights a week.
If you are interested in learning more, email Molly at mocomahjong@gmail.com.
Facts About Mahjong:
- Mahjong, mah-jong, majong or mahjongg? All these spellings are correct, depending on how you translate it from Chinese.
- The word mahjong means sparrow in Chinese. The clacking of mahjong tiles during shuffling resembles bird chattering.
- Playing mahjong is a great way to socialize and make new friends.
- Experts say that playing mahjong on a regular basis can develop cognitive skills and even help fight Alzheimer’s.
- Mahjong can be played online as well as in person. One example of an online game is “I Love Mahj”, https://ilovemahj.com.