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By Tom Sloper
May 10, 2015 Column #635 |
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By Tom Sloper
May 10, 2015 Column #635 |
American Mah Jongg (2015 NMJL card). My beginner and intermediate students at AJU are clamoring for more Charleston help. So: which tiles would you pass with these? Use the four steps (or just use whichever steps jump out at you).
1. Pairs: fives and wests. They're not friends. The fives have lots of friends, and the wests have only a few. The problem is, if you keep all the friends of the fives, all you can pass are winds (I'm sorry for how that sounds; I can't help it). If you are going to pass three wind tiles, one of them should be a W (you want to break up that pair, else you might be forced to pass a pair in a later pass). Note that I have not identified a hand; I'm only eliminating tiles that don't fit.
2. Sevens, nines, opp. dragons. This fits very well with Consec. #4; so well that you should just go that way. You have five passers: 7C 8C 9C 3B 4D.
3. "Where o where are the jokers," you silently cry to the mah-jongg gods. Or maybe not so silently, if you unwisely want to share your misery with your opponents. No pairs, no obvious friends, so count highs vs. lows: six highs, five lows. But why think so long? Just pass W S soap, and see what comes in.
4. Ask and ye shall receive: three jokers! Think Quints; think Quints #2, in fact. Passers: 2C 1D 8D 2B 6B.
5. When it rains, it pours. Jokers, that is! Threes and W don't go together. So forget W. The threes have friends; so how about Consec. #2? Pass 9D W R.
6. Obvious W-D #6, with a 2015 fallback plan. Passers: 1B 4B, and you have to decide whether you'd rather keep dots or craks; flip a coin.
7. Very windy! Pass numbers and go for it.
8. Looks very 369, but no need to break up the fours just yet (the hand could go Consec.). Pass 8C G S.
9. The tiles that are not friends with the threes are 8B N R E; choose three to pass.
10. The start of a 2015 hand, perhaps. You can pass 6D 9B R.
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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! Like this:
Last week's column
>From: Ellen N
>Sent: Saturday, May 16, 2015 6:07 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>May 10 Charleston, #1:
>How about keeping the winds and fives and go for Singles and Pairs #1?
>Thanks,
>Ellen N
That's a good choice, Ellen. Take it to the next step. How many tiles do you have towards the hand -- and do you have a philosophy or strategy about how many tiles you want to have before attempting an S&P hand? (Many players have a philosophy or strategy about how many winds they think they need before attempting a winds hand, for instance. I don't have a number myself; just asking if you do.) And what tiles would you pass in the Charleston? (I know which ones I would pass in such a case, and I wonder if you see the same danger that I do.)
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper
トム·スローパー
湯姆 斯洛珀
Creator of
the weekly Mah-Jongg column and
the Mah-Jongg FAQs -- donations appreciated.
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on Mah-Jongg East & West.
Los Angeles, California, USA
May 17, 2015
Last week's column, part 2
>
From: Ellen N
>
Sent: Sunday, May 17, 2015 6:22 AM
>
Subject: Re: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>
I am assuming this is the first pass in the Charleston.
>
I would pass 4c, 6d, 6b. I think that my having so many winds means others will not be saving their 1 or 2 winds and pass them to me.
>
Ellen
Yes, the chances are not too bad that you will get more winds in the Charleston. The problem is the fives. The good news is that you have at least one five of each suit. The bad news is that fives are high-demand tiles, especially on this card. Fives are used in 2015, Sevens, Consec. #1, Quints, and most hands in Odds. It might be better to collect sixes instead.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper
トム·スローパー
湯姆 斯洛珀
Creator of
the weekly Mah-Jongg column and
the Mah-Jongg FAQs -- donations appreciated.
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on Mah-Jongg East & West.
Los Angeles, California, USA
May 17, 2015
Column 635
From: Janice E
Sent: Tuesday, May 19, 2015 5:55 PM
Subject: May 10 column, #5
Hi Tom,
In your May 10 column, # 5, would you think quints #3 since you have three jokers, 3 W, 1 dragon and a pair of 3's?
Janice
Good, Janice. Quints should always be considered when you start with more than two jokers. Take it the next step now. What tiles would you pass, and why those?
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper
トム·スローパー
湯姆 斯洛珀
Creator of
the weekly Mah-Jongg column and
the Mah-Jongg FAQs -- donations appreciated.
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on Mah-Jongg East & West.
Los Angeles, California, USA
May 19, 2015
Column 635, part 2
>From: Janice E
>Sent: Tuesday, May 19, 2015 7:15 PM
>Subject: Response re: may 10, #5
>I would probably pass 2B, 9D and flower. I would not want to pass 2B, 4D, and flower because it could be three tiles toward Evens #5.
>Janice
Okay. F 2B 4D would also all be "friends" together towards Consec. #2 (not only that Evens hand). Your twos and nines are not used together anywhere on the card, but the same can be said of the fours and nines.
In her Beginners' Guide, Elaine Sandberg said you "absolutely" don't want to pass a flower "unless you're desperate." So how about 4D 9D 2B? Those are not all friends, and they don't give someone a flower.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper
トム·スローパー
湯姆 斯洛珀
Creator of
the weekly Mah-Jongg column and
the Mah-Jongg FAQs -- donations appreciated.
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on Mah-Jongg East & West.
Los Angeles, California, USA
May 20, 2015
Column 635, part 3
>From: Barbara B
>Sent: Friday, May 29, 2015 10:12 AM
>Subject: Column 635, #1
>I was thinking the same as Ellen, so thanks for the tip about the
>6s. In my case, too, it depends on who is playing. In my regular
>group, winds are usually passed in the Charleston, then dumped asap,
>making it difficult to call or, in the case of this hand, picking
>them myself. But, then I get to see where they are (were) early
>on. Saving the 6s is a good idea because I might be able to switch to W&D #4.
>If I have 9 tiles toward a hand, I usually go for it with confidence!
>Barbara B.
Your nine-tile rule sounds like a good one, Barbara! (Note: "rule" does not mean "official rule." There's a difference between rules and strategic principles.)
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper
トム·スローパー
湯姆 斯洛珀
Creator of
the weekly Mah-Jongg column and
the Mah-Jongg FAQs -- donations appreciated.
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on Mah-Jongg East & West.
Los Angeles, California, USA
May 29, 2015
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