Michele Frizzell
Published: 2021-12-28
Total Pages: 82
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Mah jongg originated in China dating back to the 1880's. The name of the game is spelled many ways, but they all roughly translate to "sparrow." It is an intriguing tile game of skill, strategy, and luck. In the beginning, only royalty played the game. It was actually illegal for commoners to play. In the 1900's this restriction was lifted, and the game gained popularity throughout Asia. By the time the game was introduced to Europe in 1920, several playing styles had emerged. In 1922, mah jongg was imported into the United States with translated and simplified rules for American players. The National Mah Jongg League (NMJL) was established by a group of New York City players in 1937. They found that Americans were confused about the many ways to play the game, so they created their own rules and developed a player reference card (i.e., the card) that is published and distributed every year in April with a portion of the proceeds going to charity. This is the most common way to play mah jongg in the United States and has come to be known as "American Style." The objective in a game is to be the first player to assemble fourteen tiles into one of many pattern-based combinations or "hands" on the card. The purpose of this primer is to teach the fundamentals of the American mah jongg game, provide skill-building exercises, and share enough strategy for the game to be played with confidence. It is intentionally brief.
