Mahjong (Chinese: 麻將; pinyin: má
jiàng) is a game that originated in China,
commonly played by four players (with some
three-player variations found in Korea and Japan).
The four player table version should not be
confused with the popular western single player
(tile matching) computer game (Mahjong solitaire)
which is a recent invention and completely
different from the table game. Mahjong is a game
of skill, strategy and calculation and involves a
certain degree of chance. In Asia, mahjong is also
popularly played as a gambling game (though it may
just as easily be played recreationally).
The game is played with a set of 136 tiles based
on Chinese characters and symbols, although some
regional variations use a different number of
tiles. In most variations, each player begins by
receiving thirteen tiles. In turn players draw and
discard tiles until they complete a legal hand
using the fourteenth drawn tile to form four
groups (melds) and a pair (head). There are fairly
standard rules about how a piece is drawn, stolen
from another player (melded), the use of basic
(numbered tiles) and honours (winds and dragons),
the kinds of melds, and the order of dealing and
play. However there are many regional variations
in the rules; in addition, the scoring system, the
minimum hand necessary to win varies significantly
based on the local rules being used.
Mahjong in the Western world
 In
1895, Stewart Culin, an American anthropologist,
wrote a paper in which mahjong was mentioned. This
is the first known written account of mahjong in
any language other than Chinese. By 1910, there
were written accounts in many languages, including
French and Japanese.
The game was imported to the United States in the
1920s. The first mahjong sets sold in the U.S.
were sold by Abercrombie & Fitch starting in 1920.
It became a success in New York, and the (co.)
owner of the company, Ezra Fitch, sent emissaries
to Chinese villages to buy every set of mahjong
they could find. Abercrombie & Fitch sold a total
of 12,000 sets.
Also in 1920, Joseph Park Babcock published his
book Rules of Mah-Jongg, also known as the "red
book". This was the earliest version of mahjong
known in America. Babcock had learned mahjong
while living in China. Babcock's rules simplified
the game to make it easier for Americans to take
up, and his version was common through the mahjong
fad of the 1920s. Later, when the 1920s fad died
out, many of Babcock's simplifications were
abandoned.
The game has taken on a number of trademarked
names, such as "Pung Chow" and the "Game of
Thousand Intelligences". Mahjong nights in America
often involved dressing and decorating rooms in
Chinese style. Several hit songs were also
recorded during the mahjong fad, most notably
"Since Ma is Playing Mah Jong" by Eddie Cantor.
Many variants of mahjong developed during this
period. By the 1930s, many revisions of the rules
developed that were substantially different from
Babcock's classical version (including some that
were considered fundamentals in other variants,
such as the notion of a standard hand). The most
common form, which eventually became "American
mahjong", was most popular among Jewish women.[9]
Standardization came with the formation of the
National Mah Jongg League (NMJL) in 1937, along
with the first American mahjong rulebook, Maajh:
The American Version of the Ancient Chinese Game.
While mahjong was accepted by U.S. players of all
ethnic backgrounds during the Babcock era, many
consider the modern American version a remake of a
Jewish game, as many American mahjong players are
of Jewish descent. The NMJL was founded by Jewish
players and is considered a Jewish organization.
In addition, players usually use the American game
as a family-friendly social activity, not as
gambling. In 1986, the National Mah Jongg League
conducted their first Mah Jongg Cruise Tournament,
in conjunction with Mah Jongg Madness. In 2010,
this large scale seagoing event hosts its 25th
Silver Anniversary Cruise, with players from all
over the States and Canada participating.
In recent years, a second organization has formed,
the American Mah Jongg Association. The AMJA
currently hosts tournaments all across North
America, with their signature event being at the
Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort in Atlantic City,
New Jersey.
British author Alan D. Millington revived the
Chinese classical game of the 1920s with his book
The Complete Book of Mah-jongg (1977). This
handbook includes a formal rules set for the game.
Many players in Western countries consider
Millington's work authoritative.
Mahjong is not the first re-appearance of the
Chinese game in the western world. It was also
introduced in playing card form by an official of
Britain's Consular Service named William Henry
Wilkinson, author of "Chinese origin of playing
cards," under the name of Khanhoo. This card game
does not seem to have made much impression. The
later success of mahjong came in part from the
elegance of its mechanism as embodied in the
domino-like pieces. |
