What on Earth is Mahjong and How in the Heck Do You Play It?

August 1st is International Mahjong Day and fans around the world will likely be playing it. 'Tis the day of celebration of Dots, Bams, and Craks.

In the mid 90s, I worked at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center in La Jolla, California and there was a dedicated group of Mahjong players there. If memory serves me correctly, there was a group of older women who played almost daily. Honestly, I seem to recall occasional Mahjong tournaments too. I was always fascinated by the game, but, to this day, still have ZERO clue what it is or how to play it.

According to NationalDayCalendar.com, Mahjong was created in China during the 19th century and became popular here in the United States in the 1920s. Here's a little history about the evolution of the game.

Much like Scrabble, Mahjong is played with tiles. But, don't expect any other similarities. Fans of the game say Mahjong is more like Rummy. Mahjong features 144 tiles which are based on Chinese characters and symbols. Okay. Cool! But what the heck do you do with them?

Here's a quick primer on how to play. Props to YouTube for having a tutorial on virtually everything in the world.

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Though I know some people who play the game, my first introduction to it, as described above, was at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center. This video explains a bit why the game gained cultural significance with that particular population.

Today, the biggest fan of Mahjong that I know personally is Sharon Weber. She's been playing for about twelve years, currently teaches others how to play, and plays a couple of times a week with her friends here in Owensboro, Kentucky. In fact, Sharon plays with two different groups. She estimates there are about five different groups of Mahjong fans here in town.

She says, "The game is always a challenge. It's a good brain game." She adds, "Of all the games I play, Mahjong is my favorite."