|
By Tom Sloper
December 29, 2024 Column #811 |
|
|
By Tom Sloper
December 29, 2024 Column #811 |
American Mah Jongg (National Mah Jongg League).
The January 2025 bulletin/newsletter has caused a brouhaha on Facebook, where everybody is discussing the Q&As.
At issue, specifically, are Q&As #s 8, 10, and 13...
8. Q: What happens if two players both call the same discard, who is entitled to the tile?
A: When two players call for the same discard, either for Mah Jongg or for an exposure, the next player has preference EXCEPT when one of the callers has begun to expose her tiles. This is not relevant to previously exposed tiles.
The issue: the answer attempted to address the confusion surrounding the unfortunately-worded rules 5 and 6 on the back of the 2024 card, but glossed over the many nuances involving conflicting claims: call for exposure vs. call for mahj, both calls for the same thing, and what if one player is too fast (slamming) or what if one is too slow (other player has already made a move). The problem is that the focus on brevity satisfied one question but avoided/raised several implied questions.
10. Q: Can a player call one of the Winds and then rack NEWS if it isn't for Mah Jongg? Isn't that the same as picking up one of a pair to rack during play not for Mah
Jongg?
A: A Joker may never be used in place of a single or a pair or in a grouping of single tiles and may NEVER be called for an exposure, but only for Mah Jongg (e.g. NEWS and the current Year 2024)
The issue: the answer doesn't address the compound question (the question didn't ask about jokers). The correct answer would be "No" and "Yes." No, you can't call a wind for NEWS for exposure (except for mah-jongg), and Yes, you can't call a discard to expose a pair, based on the same principle.
13. Q: I called for a discarded 5 Crak and accidentally put up a 3 Crak with my other tiles. May I make a change or is my hand 'dead'?
A: A player may change the number and type of tiles displayed in the exposure up until the player has discarded, which ends their turn. Exception: If a player accidentally exposes more than one Pung, Kong, Quint or Sextet at the time a tile is called, the hand is now considered 'dead'.
The issue: while clarifying a controversial or misunderstood rule, a new twist on the rule has now been added. Making multiple exposures is a rare mistake, and some questioned why this sub-rule was needed.
An additional problem has been identified in this newsletter: Q&A #11 is a repeat of Q&A #3.
The annual bulletin is mailed to all current NMJL members in late December. The bulletin doesn't normally cause such a fuss, and is usually a valuable guide to rule updates. There are two ways to get on the mailing list: by purchasing a card directly from the League's e-store and providing your mailing address, or by purchasing a card from a collector who provides your address to the League when placing an order. Then, the following December, you'll be on the mailing list for the annual bulletin. You will not be on the mailing list if you purchase a fake or genuine card from Amazon or Temu, where flawed counterfeit cards are common, or if you copy someone else's card.
COMMENTS
2025 bulletin/newsletter/magazine Q&A #8
The brouhaha on Facebook, if you've been hearing about that or reading the posts yourself, is about the fact that while the brief answer in 2025 bulletin #8 "fixes" the unfortunate wording in rules 5 and 6 on the back of the 2024 card, this brief answer glosses over the many nuances involving conflicting claims – that the question cries out for a much longer and more detailed answer. Personally, though, I'm not so sure that it really does; someone who's got the 2023 MJME and has been paying attention to the card back changes for 2 or more years ought to have a firm grasp on the Conflicting Claims rules. All #8 does is address the confusion around the "except when other caller has exposed tile(s)" language on the back of the 2024 card (rules 5 and 6).
I just posted column #811 today to discuss the controversies around the 2025 bulletin, so I'm going to append this exchange to the Comments in column #811.
Email 
. Hit me with your best shot!
May the tiles be with you.
On Sunday, December 29, 2024 at 01:12:26 PM EST, jamesc wrote:
Subject: Question #8 in the January 2025 magazine
Question 8 has to do when 2 players call for the same tile and the player who is not next in line exposes tiles, either for mahjongg or exposure which was the same occurrence for both players.
The answer was that the player who exposed their tiles gets the called tile, even though they were not next in line.
What is your take on the answer in the booklet?
Hi, Jim!
Based strictly on the question as you asked it, my take is that this has been the rule for several years now. I was fielding questions about "slam-exposing" in 2020, and I was calling it "That old 'slamming' thing" even then (April 2, 2020, followed by some back-and-forth). There's nothing new or remarkable about the rule "the player who exposed their tiles gets the called tile, even though they were not next in line."
This rule makes it possible for players to act aggressively fast when there might be a conflicting claimant. I never mentioned slamming (as it's now called) until the League ruled that a slow player would be too late if another player had acted more quickly and exposed before the slower player spoke a claim. I just knew that aggressive players would take advantage of the rule. The point is, "the player who exposed their tiles gets the called tile, even though they were not next in line" has been the rule since at least 2020. See page 20 in MJME2020.
Tom Sloper
Rochester, New York, USA
December 29, 2024
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind"
 |
|
|
© 2024 Tom Sloper. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced without express written permission.