DAILY MAH-JONGG
By Tom Sloper

Tuesday, June 24, 2003

Column #80

American (2003 NMJL card). Look at the hand Wesley was dealt. Two pairs. Threes and same suit dragons. What are his three possibilities with those pairs? (Answer at bottom.)

Wesley was able to maintain all of his possibilities throughout the first Charleston, and by the time the 2nd left came along, some of them had even grown more possible.

By the end of the second Charleston:

Immediately picked another soap. Just like that, he was leaning to just one main hand. A detestable concealed hand, as events would have it.

After Nora made a no-joker exposure off his discarded 7D, Wesley picked 3D. Throwing 9C, the concealed hand was making itself the obvious target now. Next, Wesley picked another Green. He was very short of three craks, was his main problem.

In an unknowing taunt to Wesley, Esther threw one. Soon, Sophia took Wesley's discarded 5D for a kong - again, without exposing any jokers.

Then Wesley picked a joker. And then another on the very next turn. After discarding his last junk tile, he was waiting for 3C or 3B.

Esther exposed a quint. Seven bams. Very impressive. She discarded 3B. "That's it!"

Answer: I lied. There aren't three possibilities. There are six. 369 #1, 369 #4, Run #2, Run #6, Like #s #2, Quints #2. But actually, you know what? I lied when I said I had lied. Of those six, the best three are Run #2, Run #6, and Like #s #2 (6 tiles each, counting the J).

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