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By Tom Sloper
March 22, 2015 Column #630 |
American Mah Jongg.
In December 14th's column #624, I introduced my Four-Step Charleston strategy:
1. Pairs
2. Friends
3. High vs. low
4. Odd vs. even
At that time, I illustrated the steps through their application in hand examples from the 2014 NMJL card. In about a week and a half, we'll all be using a new card. So this is a much-needed non-card-specific explanation of the Four Steps, in detail. Before I begin, a reminder. Beginners mistakenly think that the purpose of the Charleston is to identify "the one correct hand to go for." That's wrong. The purpose is to choose at least a vague direction, and then to eliminate tiles that don't fit. It's fruitless to spin your wheels trying to find "the one and only hand." The Charleston is about elimination. Before you can eliminate tiles, you need to determine what you have the most of. And that's what the Four Steps are for.
1. Pairs. Look to see what pairs you have gotten in the deal. Sometimes you get no pairs; most of the time you get just one; sometimes you get two pairs, or even three, or even a pung. In this step, all you do is identify pairs or pungs in your hand. Done. Move on.
2. Friends. In step one, you identified pairs -- or maybe you don't have any. If you have one pair, look at the rest of your tiles to see what other tiles in your hand can go together with your pair to make a hand. Tiles that can work with your pair are "friends" of the pair. If you have two pairs, determine if they are friends with one another. For example, twos can be friends with other even numbers, or other low numbers, or flowers, or dragons, or E-W. Are twos and nines friends? No; not unless the card includes a "2+9=11" hand. And I've never seen that combination yet.
Twos and jokers are also friends, but jokers do not give you useful information at this point; the only hint you can get from jokers is "consider Quints" and "forget Singles & Pairs" (if you have multiple jokers).
Pairs not friendly? If you have pairs that are not friends, see which pair has the most friends, and eliminate the other one (break it up).
No pairs? If you have no pairs, you can scan through the random tiles to see if there is any friendly pattern there. Don't overlook 369 and S&P.
If you have identified a hand by now, you don't need to do the remaining steps.
Continued in column 631...
To read more columns,
Updated, revised version (2019): column 725.
Question or comment about this column? I often, um... intentionally... "miss" something; maybe you'll be the first one to spot it! Email and the discussion will be posted on the Mah-Jongg Q&A Bulletin Board. Hit me with your best shot!
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Column 630 (March 22, 2015)
>From: Chris K
>Sent: Saturday, August 20, 2016 11:27 AM
>Subject: Column 630, Charleston Strategy part 1 -- minor oopsie
>Hi Tom,
>Thanks for your many online MahJongg topics, and your book (which I’ve purchased). I’ve taught some beginners, and now that they’ve been playing for a short while, they’ve approached me with questions about how to select a hand, how to change hands, etc. Because I’m still a relative newbie myself, I mine your writings and those of Elaine Sandberg to get solid advice I can share with the learners.
>I noticed in your column 630 the text, “Are twos and nines friends? No; not unless the card includes a "2+9=11" hand. And I've never seen that combination yet.”
>Maybe you’d consider updating that text and the related “Not Friends” graphic example, since the 2016 card includes a 2+9=11 hand.
>Cheerio,
>Chris(tine) K
Hi, Chris.
Okay, I'm considering...
No. In March 2015, when I wrote that, the 2015 card had not yet arrived in our mailboxes.
The 2+9=11 hand didn't arrive until the 2016 card. So I don't think the word "oopsie" applies in the least. Rather than amend that column, I'll append this email to it. Frosted Flakes back at you!
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper
トム·スローパー
湯姆 斯洛珀
Creator of
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Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on Mah-Jongg East & West.
Los Angeles, California, USA
August 20, 2016
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