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By Tom Sloper
March 29, 2026 Column #816 |
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By Tom Sloper
March 29, 2026 Column #816 |
American Mah Jongg (2025 NMJL card). Let's take a look at the back of the new 2026 card. Changes there are noteworthy (and sometimes controversial).
The first difference is in the "GAME BEGINS" section (left panel). Last year, this section ended with "A discarded tile may only be claimed to complete a Pung, Kong, Quint, or Sextet in an exposed hand." That sentence is moved to the top spot in the next section, "CLAIMING A DISCARD." And some important text is added. It now reads, "1. A discarded tile may only be claimed to complete a Pung, Kong, Quint, or Sextet in an exposed hand, but not to complete a grouping of single tiles or pairs (e.g., FF, NEWS, 2026) except for Mah Jongg." All the remaining points in that section are same as last year but their numbering has increased because of the introduction of a new number one.
The last one, Claiming A Discard #8 (#7 last year), has not been changed, leaving one controversy in place. On the card, it's all caps. But herein, I have reduced the sentence to regular case: "A player may change the number and type of tiles displayed in an exposure up until the player has discarded." The controversy is that there are two other acts a player can do after making (and changing) the exposure: redeeming a joker, and declaring Mah Jongg. The wording of Claiming A Discard #8 ignores the possibility that a player might redeem a joker after making an exposure - leaving a loophole, it seems, for someone to make more changes to the exposure since the player hasn't discarded, closing the "window" during which changes to the exposure can be made. I can't say that I disagree with those who say this rule is incomplete. It does leave a loophole. A separate rule puts a patch on the loophole, saying that once a joker is redeemed, it may not be added to any of one's exposures. That rule is not in print in MJME 2023/24 - it was written in a 2019 letter to a player, and it's also in this year's January bulletin. "Once an exposure has been made, a player cannot then initiate a Joker exchange and add the Joker to the exposure."
Atop the middle panel, the "Misnamed Tile" section has been combined with the "Dead Hand" section. The first sentence has been shortened by the removal of the words "or Mah Jongg."
The "Rules for Jokers" section lists seven rules this year. Last year there were eight, and one of the seven is new!
n Rule 1 is unchanged.
n Rule 2 is new: "A discarded Joker may NEVER be picked up. It is a dead tile." That's in addition to the other NEVER rule, which went from #3 to #4. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
n Rule 3 (fka #2) names the kinds of exposures a joker may be used in - it now includes "sextet."
n Now for the "other never rule," #4, the rule that jokers may never be used as a single or part of a pair, examples are added! Says clearly that 2026 and NEWS are made of singles.
n Rule 5 (was #4) is unchanged.
Old rule 5 is gone ("Any tile, except a joker, may be called for Mah Jongg..."). Old rule 6 is also gone: "Any tile within a grouping such as NEWS... may be called only for Mah Jongg." - they were not exactly Joker rules, so they didn't belong in that section.
n Rules 6 and 7 are unchanged from old rules 7 and 8. The rest of the back is unchanged from last year.
What I really miss is the old scoring section. But I couldn't say what I would take out to make room for it.
COMMENTS
"Claiming a Discard" rule 8, from the 2026 card
Email 
. Hit me with your best shot!
On Sunday, March 29, 2026 at 06:02:54 PM EDT, Sally C wrote:
Question on Window of Opportunity and Changing an Exposure
Our group is having a debate regarding the rule on the back of the 2026 card under claiming a discard # 8. It clearly states that up until discard you may change the number and type of tiles you displayed in an exposure. However, the exception to the rule that you may not do that if you made a joker exchange before your discard is not listed on the card. Some people feel therefore that they are able to change the exposure after a joker exchange. Shouldn't this exception be listed on the card to clarify this?
Sally C
Hi, Sally! This is a controversy, as I wrote in today's Column. I agree that #8 ignores the possibility that a player might redeem a joker after making an exposure - leaving a loophole, it would seem, for someone to make more changes to the exposure just because the player hasn't discarded. But the League closed that loophole in advance. There is a rule that once a joker is redeemed, it may not be added to any of one's exposures. That rule is not in print on the card, nor in MJME 2023/24 - it was written in a 2019 letter to a player, and it's also in this year's January bulletin: "Once an exposure has been made, a player cannot then initiate a Joker exchange and add the Joker to the exposure."
I agree that ideally the loophole would be closed on the card, together with rule 8. But what is not is not.
Tom Sloper
March 29, 2026
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