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WEEKLY MAH JONGG

By Tom Sloper
August 1, 2010
Column #461

American Mah Jongg (2010 NMJL card). Continuing defense by the numbers. Finishing up quints of ones.

1. Quints #1. Hot: 2C.

2. Quints has no hand like this. She's dead.

3. Ones and fours don't go together in Quints.

4. Quint of ones, pung of fives? Sorry, that's backwards. Pung of ones and quint of fives would work, but not the other way around. Call her dead.

5. Quint of ones, kong of fives. Nope, sorry.

6. Quint of ones, quint of fives. Nice try!

7. Sixes and ones don't go together this year.

8. Quints of ones and sevens? Also no go.

9. Ones and eights? What is she smoking?

10. This year's card has no hand using quints of ones and nines. Maybe another year.

11. Flower pungs are not on this year's card anywhere.

12. Now we're talkin'. Quints #3. Hot tiles are 2D, 2B.

13. Flower quints don't fly this year. Call her dead.

14. Wind kongs don't go with quints. Call her dead.

15. Quints #2. All dragons are hot.

16. Dragon quints? No way. She's dead.

17. Quints #2. Regardless of the color-coding, the parenthetical says "Any No. in Any Suit, Kong Any Dragon." That means this can be a 1-suit hand or a 2-suit hand. You know what the word "any" means. It doesn't mean "the English language is trumped by the color-coding." FAQs 19J, 19AJ, and 19AK all discuss this important concept. Oh -- and wind tiles are hot.

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Question or comment about this column? I often miss something; maybe you'll be the first one to spot it! Please be gentle. Email and the discussion will be posted on the Mah-Jongg Q&A Bulletin Board.

Where to order the yearly NMJL card: Read FAQ 7i.

Need rules for American mah-jongg? Tom Sloper's book, The Red Dragon & The West Wind, is the most comprehensive book in existence about the American game. AND see FAQ 19 for fine points of the American rules (and commonly misunderstood rules). AND get the official rulebook from the NMJL (see FAQ 3). Linda Fisher's website is the only website that describes American rules: http://sites.google.com/site/mahjrules/.