WEEKLY MAH JONGG

American Mah Jongg (2010 NMJL card). Continuing defense by the numbers.

1. Quints has no hand like this. You should call her dead.

2. She's making 13579 #3. The hot tiles are flowers and 1s, 3s, and 5s in the other two suits.

3. She's making a concealed hand; either Consec. #6 or W-D #5. Call her dead.

4. Seven identical tiles? No hand requires that. She's dead.

5. Like Nos. #2. Hot tiles are 3C, R, and soap.

6. Don't know what she's thinking. Dead.

7. Consec. #1. Hot tiles are 1C, 2C, and 5C. Check the discards to see if the 1s and 2s are dead; if you see they are, give her the bad news so you can eliminate a drain on the remaining wall tiles. But also check to see if the opposite dragons go dead. If they do, and if she acts dismayed, then she might be working on Consec. #6 without having yet realized that it's supposed to be concealed. You can't call her dead, but you'd have information.

8. She's making Consec. #6, a concealed hand, which means she's dead.

9. Consec. #2. Hot tiles are 1s, 2s, 5s, and 6s in the other two suits.

10. Consec. #3. Hot tiles are 2C and soap.

11. Quints has no hand like this. Call her dead.

12. 13579 has no hand like this, and nothing in Consec. matches either. She's dead.

13. Consec. #2. Hot tiles are 4C, 6D.

14. 13579 #2. 1s and 3s in the other two suits are hot.

15. She's mistaken about something. Call her dead.

A tip of the hat to Elaine Sagman!

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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/.

© 2010 Tom Sloper. All rights reserved.