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>Thursday, February 21, 2008 12:19:38 PM
>Attachments: image001.gif (1KB); Mah Jong a.jpg (177KB); Mah Jong b.jpg (173KB); Mah Jong c.jpg (227KB); Mah Jong d.jpg (221KB); Mah Jong e.jpg (233KB); Mah Jong f.jpg (223KB); Mah Jong g.jpg (234KB); Mah Jong h.jpg (217KB); Mah Jong i.jpg (190KB)
>Dear Tom
>
>Im really hoping you can help me !!!
>Im about to purchase a 1920's mahjong set for 350 pounds - Its
>actually way out my budget & looking at your site has helped me
>incredibly !
>
>I'd really appreciate a 2 nd opinion after browsing for several hours
>& now having doubt that it is a genuine -
>I hope you dont mind me emailing out of the blue like this but it
>seems like you're the only one that knows what you're talking
>about !!! (I've seen so much rubbish & conning ! )
>
>I'd be most grateful if you could take a look at these pictures that
>the antique dealer has sent me & give an opinion ?
>
>Also - i read on the mahjong museum website that if it doesnt say
>''mahjong'' its not in fact mahjong..... I hope you'll be able to
>help - I very much appreciate it !
>Rosey
>R o s e y C h a n
Hi Rosey,
Greetings from the Game Developers Conference.
I gather that your question is as to the set's age, value, and authenticity. The latter is an unusual question, but I gather that you're referring to an old Babcock marketing slogan from the 1920s. Babcock trademarked the name "Mah-Jongg" and a bunch of other importers were cutting into his business, so he came up with this slogan to sell more of his own imports. So I wouldn't worry about "authenticity." It is indeed a real mahjong set - maybe not a Babcock "Mah-Jongg" set, though. Not that that necessarily matters that much today.
Age - the tiles look like 1920s tiles to me. But I'd need to know the tiles' dimensions to be sure. That ornate box is not exactly typical, and I wonder if it was manufactured later. Did you read FAQ 7g? It's too bad there's no instruction manual (rules booklet) in this set.
Value - 350 pounds sounds very high to me. I wouldn't pay that much for it unless the tiles were ivory (and not just bone). But I have no idea if these tiles are ivory or not. Ivory tiles are very rare compared to bone tiles. Well over 9 out of 10 so-called ivory sets turn out to actually be bone. You should read FAQ 7c2. And don't just take the seller's word for it. Even professional appraisers sometimes confuse good quality bone with ivory.
If you have any further questions about your set, please ask me in very clear terms. See FAQ 7p. The FAQs are above left.
Cheers!
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
San Francisco, CA (USA)
February 21, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West. Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Boo-hoo
>From: DAngel63
>Sent: Monday, February 18, 2008 10:58 AM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is: We have a small group of Mah Jongg players, who learned sometime ago. One of the girls who occasionally plays with us refers to bamboo as "boo". I know the correct terms are either "bamboo" or "bam", but "boo"? I hesitate to correct her without sounding petty, but a couple of the other girls are teaching a seniors group, and I don't think they need to get in the habit themselves of saying "boo" for bamboo. Am I being incorrect in calling this to the attention of those teaching others?
Hello DAn,
What do you mean "correct her"? There's no rule that specifies what words a person must say. What's important is that she verbalizes each discard in a way that other players can hear and understand. I guess she just thinks "boo" is cuter than "bam." As for myself, I sometimes annoy persnickety players by saying "zero" or "white" when discarding a white dragon (aka "soap"). And sometimes by saying "ditto" rather than "same" when discarding a tile identical to the preceding discard (or a joker). You know what she means when she says "boo." Lighten up.
And how should this occurrence have been ruled?
>From: DAngel63
>Sent: Monday, February 18, 2008 11:01 AM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is: One more question. The other night, I called for a discarded tile, picked it up and racked it when the player to my right informed me that she wanted it, and it was for Mah Jongg. The others thought I should take it off my rack and give it to her. I didn't think so, since I spoke first and it was racked, but I did it to be on the safe side. Was I correct to do this? I don't believe I was being aggressive.
Well, DAn, there is a clear ruling on this. Rule 13b on page 19 in your rulebook. And the NMJL issued a highly pertinent clarification in the yearly bulletin of January 2006. (You can read it also in FAQ 19, above left.) Technically, the player to your right was too slow in calling for the discard. But her speaking the claim for it revealed what she needed, and that would have had a detrimental effect on the remainder of the play. As I discussed in FAQ 9, it's better at this point to rectify the situation in a way that leads to the most harmonious result. You did the gracious thing, and that's probably best. (In most cases, I would have done the same.)
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
Presidents Day, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West. Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Question 1: Is this self-pick?
>From: Linda Fisher
>Sent: Monday, February 18, 2008 5:08 AM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>Hi, Tom! Greetings. Two situations have come up recently and your expert advice is sought:
>1. We played Friday night (NMJL). Margaretann threw a North. Arlene called the north, exposed four norths, then took two flowers from her hand, exchanged them for Margaretann's exposed jokers and Arlene called mahjongg. Now, the question is, is that considered self-picked or called? We took out your book, but it only addresses a tile that is picked from the wall, and then a joker exchanged, not a tile called. I felt that the last tile "picked" was the joker from the exposure, and thus we should all pay Arlene double. Arlene, being the gracious lady that she is, said since she began her turn calling the north, only Margaretann should pay her double. But, technically, it wasn't her mahjongg tile that Margaretann threw, was it?
>I think I will ask question 2 in a separate e-mail, since it's kind of wordy.
>Linda
Hi Linda,
When I saw your emails in my inbox this morning, I thought "uh-oh, she found a mention of tile spacing in the NMJL rulebook, 'Mah Jongg Made Easy,' and now I have to write a retraction to the reply I wrote to Sally/Sarah yesterday." But I see that's not what you were writing about. (I just checked the rulebook, and I was right - no mention in there at all.)
But to get to your questions:
is that considered self-picked or called?
It's self-pick. She hadn't redeemed the flowers before her maj tile went out, so the discard alone didn't give her maj. See rule 88 in my book (page 58). It says just the opposite of what you said it says (the example given is a called tile, not a picked tile, followed by a joker redemption). Maybe you were talking about the bottom of page 116 instead?
Question 2: Can you help me convince her she's wrong about futures?
>From: Linda Fisher
>Sent: Monday, February 18, 2008 5:17 AM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>Okay, so here's the other situation that came up.
>I coordinate the Forest Hills mahjongg meetup. We meet in a restaurant on the third Sunday of the month and, frankly, we never know who is going to show up, but it's usually a congenial group and we try to match players by ability.
>Some people felt intimidated about coming because they were new players and didn't really know the game, etc., etc. so they got together on their own and someone taught them how to play. Well, the person who taught them, taught them to play with a future. This person then came to the meetup and we got into a very heated discussion about what I felt was the down side of teaching people an antiquated version of the game but she was adamant that "everybody" plays this way and they would never go to tournaments anyway so why bother. I guess my question is, do you think there is a way to ameliorate this situation? I can understand this woman's need to pass on her version of the game, even though the back of the card says NO PICKING OR LOOKING AHEAD, but I feel that she is corrupting the future generation of mahjongg players. Argh. Please help.
>Linda
Linda, the short version of your question is:
do you think there is a way to ameliorate this situation?
Look, she's got her opinion and she firmly believes she's right. She knows multiple people who play with futures, and she doesn't know many people who don't. It's the way she was taught. She also doesn't know anybody who plays in tournaments. There's nothing I can say that'll convince her. I'm a man, fer cryin' out loud - since when does a man's opinion carry any weight? Especially since this is a women's game. She doesn't even give a whit for the printed rule on the card itself. You can't convince people like that to change their ways. Give it up. Teach it the right way, but let your students know that there are those out there who teach it other ways (and that there are other kinds of mah-jongg, too). Have your students memorize Tom's Three Rules on Table Rules (FAQ 14).
How about this. Take a deep breath. Visualize yourself lying on a warm sunny South Pacific island beach. Wait, not there - too near the coconut palm, those things can be heavy! Yes, that spot is better. Oh wait - a crab has dug a pit there and might think your tootsies look inviting. How about that spot over there? Oh wait, that spot's radioactive, from an old Cold War atom bomb test. Maybe not a South Pacific island beach. How about a nice hot bath instead.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
Presidents Day, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West. Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Is there really a rule that says I can't space my tiles on my rack?
>From: Sarah Williamson
>Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2008 6:35 PM
>Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2008 6:37 PM
>Subject: Sloperama Mah-Jongg Question - Is There A Rule Tiles Must Touch When Racked?
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>One of four women I play mah-jongg with insists I rack my tiles touching one another, rather than spreading them out. Is there a rule which stipulates racked tiles must touch?
>I know it's better strategy to keep my tiles together, since other players can sometimes guess the tiles I need when I separate them into kongs, pungs, etc. Unfortunately, I can't keep track of my mah-jongg sets any other way than to put a space between them. (Maybe it's an eyesight thing?)
>She's never mentioned to me that my tiles are a giveaway to my hand, so it's not an issue for this reason. Her bone of contention is , I space my tiles, so she can't, readily, tell whether I'm short or over 13 tiles. Is it my responsibility to make it easy for her to readily note the number of tiles I've racked?
>To date, having an incorrect number of tiles racked has not been a weakness in my play, so it isn't likely she would catch me short or over anyway. Apparently, she thinks that if I arranged my tiles touching, she would.
>In the interest of not spoiling mah-jongg harmony, do you and/or your readers have suggestions on how to politely put this issue to rest so our future mah-jongg sessions would be more peaceful.
>PLEASE ADVISE:
>1. Is there a rule that mah-jongg tiles must touch one another on a player's rack?
>2. Given that I've, repeatedly, said I have trouble playing my tiles when they touch, do you think she's being unreasonable in this matter?
>3. Do you or your readers have suggestions on how to, politely, put an end to this issue to the satisfaction of both parties?
>Thanks for reviewing my questions. Hope to hear from you soon.
>Sally
Hello Sally, you wrote:
Is there a rule which stipulates racked tiles must touch?
No. The rules do not say anything about that.
I know it's better strategy to keep my tiles together
Good, I'm glad.
since other players can sometimes guess the tiles I need when I separate them into kongs, pungs, etc.
Yes. When I'm teaching players, I point to the spaced tiles on another player's rack and say, "so now you can tell what she needs to win. She needs either a four dot or an eight crak." The players quickly get the idea. It's not at all unusual for beginners to need to space the tiles for the first couple of weeks or so.
Unfortunately, I can't keep track of my mah-jongg sets any other way than to put a space between them.
And how long have you been playing mah-jongg?
(Maybe it's an eyesight thing?)
I doubt it, but your optometrist could tell you better than I could. I think it's probably a mental block - you only think you can't read your tiles without the spacing.
Her bone of contention is , I space my tiles, so she can't, readily, tell whether I'm short or over 13 tiles.
I don't know why she's telling you that story. It's actually easier to count someone's tiles if she spaces them.
Is it my responsibility to make it easy for her to readily note the number of tiles I've racked?
No - but it is good etiquette to put spaces between your exposed sets. There's no etiquette about spacing one's concealed tiles. I think it's odd that she makes such a fuss about it. Is she the only one?
do you and/or your readers have suggestions on how to politely put this issue to rest so our future mah-jongg sessions would be more peaceful.
If she's not the only one complaining about your tile spacing, then it would be conducive to harmony if you'd get with the program and bunch all your tiles. It's not that hard to read the sets, once you've been playing for a month or more.
do you think she's being unreasonable in this matter?
It does sound like her knickers are unduly knotted, yes. Especially if she's the only one. If I was sitting at the table with you two, I'd encourage her to relax, and I'd encourage you to learn how to read your tiles when bunched - maybe go see the optometrist. Maybe download a mah-jongg tile-matching game. Those games really do help you read tiles in a pile. I have to tell you, this is the first time in the years I've been doing this that I've ever had a question about this! I hope the two of you can resolve this harmoniously. Maybe you can at least put smaller spaces between your tiles, and maybe she can at least put longer time intervals between her kvetches. (^_^)
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
February 17, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West. Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
missing tiles ... help
>From: OttrJh
>Cc: OttrJh
>Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2008 10:11 AM
>Subject: missing tiles ... help
>Tom,
>I bought an old Mah Jongg set which from your site looks like bone and bamboo. The dragons match the from top of your one web page: on the bottom right two tiles. Am I correct in thinking that the blue dragon (soap) is a blank tile in this set. Are these jokers for this set?
> XXXXXXXX these 2 tiles
>If you have the dragon (if different from the blank tile) or jokers for this set, please send the pictures (if possible) and the costs. There are several blank tiles in this set.
>Thanks, John Otterson
Hi John,
I don't follow you. Not sure what you're looking for or what you're asking. I have only three bone/bamboo tiles for sale (a North, an East, and a West). I recommend you read FAQs 7a, 7b, & 7e to identify what your tiles are. And if you need replacement tiles, I recommend you check the Tiles For Sale & Tiles Wanted bulletin boards. If you're saying you need jokers, read also FAQ 7r. You get to the FAQs and BBs by clicking the links, above left.
Good luck! May the tiles be with you. Literally. (^_^)
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
February 17, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West. Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
主題無し (No subject)
>From: Jdsmith737
>Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 8:57 PM
>Subject: (no subject)
>I have a question about japanese majan:
> For a 7-pairs hand (chii toitsu), what does "no kongs" exactly mean? Does this mean no Exposed kongs, or no 4-of-a-kind in your hand? Also, I remember hearing (on Shanghai 2nd Dynasty, I think) that the only hand Robbing the Kong is allowed in is 13 Orphans (koku shimosou). If this is true, why? I don't understand why this is, or what reason it has. Arigato.
Konbanwa, J.D. (or should I call you Smith-san?), you wrote:
what does "no kongs" exactly mean?
I don't know where you saw "no kongs." Do you mean FAQ 25 where it says "kongs not allowed"? That isn't worded very clearly, is it. I'm changing the wording in the FAQ.
Does this mean no Exposed kongs, or no 4-of-a-kind in your hand?
I probably meant both. Certainly an exposed kong (or even a concealed kong, melded) would be no good - the hand isn't "5 pairs and a kong," it's "seven pairs." If you go to http://guide.riichi.nl/reachmahjong/hand_values/han_value_frameset.htm you'll see that Ryan Morris clarifies this - two identical pairs are not permitted.
I remember hearing (on Shanghai 2nd Dynasty, I think) that the only hand Robbing the Kong is allowed in is 13 Orphans (koku shimosou). If this is true,
I gather that you're posing this as a question. Please see FAQ 25 for a clearer statement of how Robbing the Kong works. And also read FAQ 14.
why? I don't understand why this is, or what reason it has.
I cannot necessarily explain the reasoning for any rule, since I was not present at the time any rules were first created, or at any times when any rules were debated by the decision-makers who decreed the rule. Not all rules can be justified to the satisfaction of every player.
I might have guesses as to the reasoning behind some rules, but I have no thoughts regarding this one.
Dewa mata. May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
February 12, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West. Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Can I call a twice-discarded tile in 3P Malaysian rules?
>From: Siew .
>Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 10:19 AM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>Hi Tom, I have a question for the 3 players malaysian mahjong.
>Let me write a scenario down.
>There's 3 players. Let's call them player Ann, Ben and Carl.
>The player sequence is Ann > Ben > Carl
>Ann threw a tile "East" on the table, Carl has 2 "east" with him but he doesn't want it. It is Ben's turn. Ben threw another "East" on the table. The question is, Is Carl allowed to PONG that "East" which was thrown by Ben when Ann threw the "East" right before Ben? I was told that it isn't allowed because it will be considered as a set up by 2 players.
>Thanks in advance.
Hello Siew,
This is undoubtedly one of those rules that varies from table to table. Especially since no Malaysian mah-jongg organization has codified the 3P rules. You say "I was told..." but you didn't say by whom. If the 2 people you play with told you this, then that's the rule that's in effect at your table. Read FAQ 14, above left. If in doubt about a table rule, only the players who use the table rule can tell you how the table rule is supposed to work.
FYI, the Japanese do not permit calling a twice-discarded tile in one go-around, but the Chinese Official rules do permit it. And the American rules do not even have a rule on this at all (meaning it is permitted).
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
February 12, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West. Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Column 352
From: "Tina Christensen"
Sent: Monday, February 11, 2008 2:29 AM
Subject: Column #352
> Hi Tom,
> In Column #352, Hand #5, I would discard 5C. You have Mixed Shifted Chows:
> 789B 567D and 678C. The 2345B gives you a two-sided wait for the pair.
> Tina
> --
> Tina Christensen
> tina中mahjong.dk
Doh! I knew I wasn't seeing something in that hand in particular. And I knew you would see it, Tina! (^_^)
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
February 11, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West. Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Players wanted - and Tom, please add our links. Oh, and give us your thoughts.
>From: Bay Area Mahjong Dojo
>Sent: Sunday, February 10, 2008 4:57 PM
>Subject: Players wanted
>Email: bamahjong中gmail.com
>Location: San Francisco bay area, CA, USA. Current members live in Vallejo, but we're willing to drive reasonable distances.
>Types: We've played Chinese Official, Chinese Classical, Hong Kong Old Style, and Zung Jung. We're also willing to teach.
>Our forum: bamjd.forumer.com. If you want to learn more, please visit our forums.
>Thanks Tom!
>= Andrew
>P.S. Oh yeah, almost forgot. In addition to our forum, would you mind linking the mahjong website we made? mahjong.wikidot.com
>We would be very interested to hear your thoughts. We're no mahjong experts. We just like to play.
Hi Andrew,
My thoughts, hmm? Okay... (You don't know what you're getting yourself into! (^_^) )
When I went to bamjd.forumer.com, a popup congratulated me on being the exactly one millionth visitor or something (oh wait, no, it was the 999,999th visitor). And it was quivering with excitement, which made it hard to hit the little X in the upper right corner, so I hit the "No, thanks" button but it still sent me to http://consumer-rewardzone.com/?config=4427&src=WC-208447aaa:153480: anyway (where I could select any one of three different laptops as my prize). I don't trust sites like that, so I banished it back to the ether from whence it came. Back on your forum again, the quivering congrats is still there. Ignoring it this time, since I see that it's actually part of the page and not a popup at all, I see that there are a variety of mahjong discussion categories (along the lines of the categories one sees at the Yakitori Online site), and the Board Statistics tells me:
Our members have made a total of 154 posts
We have 6 registered members
The newest member is DARTH VADERic
Most users ever online was 4 on December 24, 2007 12:29 am
And let's see, you also have mahjong.wikidot.com, so I went there too. Much better - no excitedly quivering dubious claims of wanting to give me a laptop. "This strives to be the first comprehensive English wiki site for mahjong." You have rules for a number of variants, and the first English wiki site for mahjong (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahjong) may indeed be less comprehensive, in that sense. (^_^)
So, what other thoughts... well, I hope the plumber comes tomorrow to fix that leak in the kitchen sink, and
I hope the writers' strike is over soon so we can see scripted shows on TV again. And so that some video game projects affected by the strike can get under way so maybe somebody will want to hire my design or producing services.
Andrew, I've put links to both your sites in FAQ 4b. Please keep me updated on further developments (like does that thing ever stop quivering, and by all means let me know about the growth of your group, and any special events you have, stuff like that).
Oh, and your announcement is on the Find Players BB as well.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
February 10, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
What is pictured on my flower tiles? (part 4)
>From: Edwin Phua
>To: Tom Sloper
>Sent: Sunday, February 10, 2008 10:09 AM
>Subject: Re: Flower tiles
>Dear Tom,
>Happy Chinese New Year to you!
>A minor self-correction. In my haste, I added some incorrect information about the stroke number of 年. The character has six strokes, as you had indeed correctly mentioned earlier.
>Of course, I had also left a number 2 (used as a tone indicator) beside the second word in the phrase "yì nián sì jì", which I forgot to delete after adding the tone diacritics.
>Best regards and wishing you all the best for the Year of the Rat!
>Edwin Phua
Okely-dokely, Edwin.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
February 10, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
I've played Wright-Patterson and Chinese Classical, but NMJL seems hard to adapt to!?
>From: Charles/Cordelia Christopher
>To: tomster@sloperama
>Sent: Friday, February 08, 2008 3:32 PM
>Subject: Question about comparing Chinese classical, Wright Patterson, & NMJL
>Hi Steve,
>A "Cheesy" New Year to you too. I read you almost every day. Question: I learned the Wright-Patterson rule set about 7 years ago and, although learning the 103 hand possiblities was difficult, I love the the game with the group. Each hand is so different and the whole mathematical possiblilites amaze me. When we-my husband and I, wanted friends to play Mah Jongg with us, we "boned" up on Classical Chinese rules, which you suggested as the easiest and fastest way to teach which it is. And that is fun too with the points to play. So then in a vacation spot I decided I could learn NMJL rules and play-I didn't realize at first-for money. I thought I could easily adapt but after 3 days of trying and never having a Maj Jongg and losing lots of change and feeling under pressure like I did with Bridge of ruining someone else's hand, I've decided not to pursue that goup. (My last play was to discard THE LAST TILE-a 5 Bamboo-giving someone a Mah Jongg and being summarily told I should have discarded one of my several jokers-hard to realize that's part of the rules but it is.) My basic question: I think that using the Wright Patterson rules it is easier to recover from an unfortunate hand decision than using NMJL rules. Do you think mathematically that's true? It's like once I make a bad decision in NMJL rules, my goose is cooked.
>What is your opinion and, if you can answer without offending all other players, what is/are your favorite rules to play for Mah Jongg?
>Sincerely,
>Cordelia Christopher
中&西: Hi Cordelia, you wrote:
Each hand is so different and the whole mathematical possiblilites amaze me.
Yes, that's what's so amazingly wonderful about all the "un-American" forms of mah-jongg! Most players of American "maj" don't realize this (a typical question: "how do the Chinese play without a card?").
I didn't realize at first-for money.
Well, sure! (^_^) Sorry they didn't forewarn you, but I'm sure they couldn't imagine that you didn't just already know. But at least it's not a lot of money, thank goodness. Most American players play for a $5 pie ($5 maximum loss).
I thought I could easily adapt
I've always said that American "maj" is the single hardest form of mah-jongg to learn. The narrow focus on the card means that a key strategy is to try to maintain flexibility as long as possible (unless one clear hand makes itself evident during the Charleston). I'm sure I wrote that in FAQ 8.
summarily told I should have discarded one of my several jokers-hard to realize that's part of the rules but it is.)
No, it's not a "rule." But yes, lots of players will tell you that it is. And actually, a lot of American players do use a "hot wall" or "cold wall" table rule. See FAQ 19 and FAQ 14.
I think that using the Wright Patterson rules it is easier to recover from an unfortunate hand decision than using NMJL rules. Do you think mathematically that's true?
Oh, absolutely!
It's like once I make a bad decision in NMJL rules, my goose is cooked.
Yes, welcome to American mah-jongg. You have to maintain flexibility if you can, and even then, sometimes your hand will go dead.
what is/are your favorite rules to play for Mah Jongg?
To be clear, I enjoy myself, no matter which kind of mah-jongg I'm playing. But I find the Japanese game to be the most exciting and engrossing.
So. Who's Steve? (^_^)
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
February 8, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Kudos on your site, from a Wright-Patterson player
>From: Joanne Forman
>Sent: Friday, February 08, 2008 2:56 PM
>Subject: mah jongg site
>Hi
>I just wanted to let you know that I have enjoyed your website on Mah Jongg.
>It is VERY thorough, and I have learned a lot. I have also bookmarked it for future reference.
>I play Wright Patterson rules, and I love it.
>A friend and I are tossing the idea of hostessing a 'mah jongg retreat' for 2-3 days. And, possibly incorporating a tournament during that time. We're still in the planning process with this.
>Keep up the good work.
>naniyosie
>Joanne
中&西: Hi Joanne!
Thank you so much for writing! I'm sure your mah-jongg retreat will be loads of fun! Now if I could only figure out what "naniyosie" means. Backwards it's "eisoyinan"... which is meaningless. And "nani" means "what" in Japanese, so maybe it's "what, Yosie?" (^_^)
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
February 8, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
|
恭喜發財!
2008 is the Year of the Rat!
(Click to see your New Year's card.)
Tom Sloper
February 7, 2007
|
Aha, so 5 people can play...
>From: elaine
>Sent: Thursday, February 07, 2008 1:32 PM
>Subject: Re: Mah Jongg Question
>Thank you very much. Elaine
中&西: You're welcome, Elaine.
Gung hei fa choi!
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
Chinese New Year, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Can 5 people play?
>From: elaine (gammalain)
>Sent: Thursday, February 07, 2008 10:24 AM
>Subject: Mah Jongg Question
>Can 5 people play a game of Maj at the same time? Where may I find the rules? Elaine
中&西: Hi Elaine,
I assume you play American mah-jongg, since you called the game "Maj." If my assumption is correct, you will find the answer in FAQ 13a, above left.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
Chinese New Year, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
>From: Benjamin Boas
>To: Tom Sloper
>Sent: Thursday, February 07, 2008 2:54 AM
>Subject: Re: Happy Year of the Rat!
>新年あけましておめでとうございます！
>今年もよろしくお願いします。 m（＿ ＿）m
Come to Paris and play!
>From: Laurent Mahe
>Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2008 11:37 PM
>Subject: RE: Happy Year of the Rat!
>Thanks Tom and happy new year to you too,
>I hope to see you at Paris for 3rd International Mahjong Tournament of Paris & French Championship 2008.
>http://mahjong.paris.free.fr
>Friendly
>Laurent
中&西: Je suis désolé, Laurent. I'm probably not going to be able to make it. I went on too many trips last year! I hope the tournament will be a big success.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
Chinese New Year, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
My set doesn't fit with FAQ #7*!? (part 2)
From: Sicilian=pzmath
Sent: Thursday, February 07, 2008 12:01 AM
Subject: thanks
> Hello Tom!
> Many thanks for your superfast and exhaustive comment for my mahjong set:
> you make a present of your time. Even I was at some point so vague (sich!)
> in my query you gave me informations to better know my set: I think it
> is important to grow the feeling with it and thus play funnier round.
> With my best regards,
> Alessandro
> ##########
> Che cos'e' la rapina di una banca di fronte alla sua fondazione?
> B. Brecht
中&西: You're welcome, Alessandro. Ciao!
May the fun be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
Chinese New Year, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Is it really ivory? And is it really from the mid-1800's?
>From: CARLA FLOOD
>Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2008 4:53 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is: Found this ad on Craig's List for the Seattle area and wondered if this is really ivory and if the dating is correct. They mentioned it was appraised in 1975. Please give me your opinion. Thank you! http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/clt/560197992.html
中&西: Hi Carla,
FYI, I generally don't like having to follow links and look at stuff (I prefer it when people send me directly all the photos and info they have).
But I did follow your link and copy the info here. You asked:
Is it really ivory?
I have no way of knowing. The seller didn't mention any of the three checklist items I listed in FAQ 7c2. You should read that FAQ - the FAQ links are above left. I wouldn't believe something was ivory until I could check off all three questions on the checklist.
Is the dating correct?
Seller claims the set was made circa 1850, seventy years before Babcock did what he did. Please read FAQ 11 (especially FAQ 11h). And then read FAQ 7g.
May these tiles not be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
February 6 (just a normal Wednesday), 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
What do I have?
>From: JCP83
>Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2008 12:26 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>Hi. I just inherited a Mah Jong set from my grandmother. I am unsure of what I have. It has a brown hard case that looks like some faux skin, and the inside has a sticker that reads "Royal brand by Crisloid". The case locks and has a key. It has 5 colors of trays. It has a few other pieces (a circle with numbers inside), but I am unsure what this is used for. It has 154 tiles. The look white to off-white in color. They have smooth rounded edges. The back of a few of them are chipping or peeling (somewhat brittle). There are 14 pieces that ar #1-4. One each of these numbered tiles has the number in gold. Then, there are 12 tiles of each number 5-9. There are 4 tiles that have E, 4 with N, 4 with W, 4 with S. 4 tiles have a blue outline with gold inside, 8 say joker, and then there are 4 red dragons with gold eyes and 4 green dragons with gold eyes. Lastly, there are two red dice.
>I know that this is a big favor to ask, but can anyone help me to identify what I may have? I have spend time researching on the internet and on ebay, but I am not confident that I know what I have.
>I appreciate your time and any help and advice that you may have.
>Thanks,
>Jamie
中&西: Hello Jamie, you wrote:
I just inherited a Mah Jong set
Lucky you. You're sure it's a mah-jongg set, right? Because your only question seems to be "what do I have."
inside has a sticker that reads "Royal brand by Crisloid".
Sounds to me like you have a Royal mah-jongg set made by Crisloid, so far.
It has 5 colors of trays.
You mean racks? Because the trays are usually all the same color, and there are usually 2 or 4 trays. Why don't you take a look at FAQ 7d.
(a circle with numbers inside), but I am unsure what this is used for.
See FAQ 7d. The FAQs are above left.
It has 154 tiles.
So assuming the basic set is all there, how many of the remainder are flowers and how many are jokers? See FAQ 7b. Oh wait, I see that you said elsewhere in your email you have 8 jokers. So I guess that means you have 10 flowers? Assuming the basic set is all there.
There are 14 pieces that ar #1-4... Then, there are 12 tiles of each number 5-9.
Amazing - this is the second time this week someone has told me how many they have of tiles of a certain number. After you read FAQ 7b and FAQ 7e you'll know which suits the suited tiles belong to, and which of your numbered tiles are non-suited (flower) tiles. I can't deal with descriptions that lump flowers and suit tiles together like this. It makes my brain work too hard! (^_^)
I know that this is a big favor to ask
No, it's not. Scroll down this board - answering questions is what I'm here for. Another guy asked me to help him translate a large amount of Chinese writing earlier this morning, and I had to turn that request down since it was too much Chinese and I only know a few characters, but when I know the answer, and when the asker works as hard as I do at exchanging information, I'm always happy to be of help.
can anyone help me to identify what I may have? I have spend time researching on the internet and on ebay, but I am not confident that I know what I have.
I don't understand what you're asking. You have a Royal mah-jongg set made by Crisloid. If there's something else you want to know, you just have to ask. See FAQ 7p.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
February 6 (Just Another Manic Wednesday), 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
My set doesn't fit with FAQ #7*!?
From: Sicilian©pzmath,unibas
Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2008 1:37 AM
Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
> Dear Tom,
> I'm a beginner italian player and some weeks ago I bought from e-bay a
> mahjong set. I'm not a collector so I bought this set just because I liked
> it and I felt that this could be a nice one. Later I discovered your web
> page so full of all kind of informations on this beatiful game. I already
> red FAQ #7* but it seems me that my set doesn't fit with the informations
> from there: am I wrong? Please find the checklist below as you request:
> 1. the set consist of 152 tiles with six small dice, no racks and no
> sticks;
> 2. All tiles are in a very good conditions.
> 3. tiles are made of bamboo and bone and they are carved in a thin way,
> flowers are carved in a very detailed way;
> 4. the set was made probably by "TAI HUNG FACTORY" in KOWLOO as you can
> see from the stamp on the instructions book
> 5. dimensions of the tiles are: 1,9 x 2,6 x 1,2 centimeters
> 6. Set includes: 4 red dragons, 4 Green dragons, 4 white dragons, 4 East,
> 4 South. 4 West, 4 North, 4x9 pieces of bamboos, 4x9 pieces of balls, 4x9
> pieces of cracks, 8 Flowers, 4 white extra tiles
> 7. no other pieces
> 8. the box is of wood and it is one of those flat boxes with a sliding top
> (could you help to translate the "chinese" words on top?)
> 9. The bottom of the box has a age crack that has been repaired ( see
> picture) and there are also 2 hairline cracks in the front panel where the
> wood had shrunk.
> 10. the set contains a direction book "for the chinese game of four
> winds";
> 11-15. I have attached pictures for these tiles.
> I hope that this suffices for you. Informations of every kind (date of
> production, quality of the set, your opinion on the set ) you can give me
> will be of great value for me.
> Many thanks in adavance for your attention
> Alessandro
中&西: Hello Alessandro, you wrote:
I already
> red FAQ #7* but it seems me that my set doesn't fit with the informations
> from there: am I wrong?
Yes. You are. What about your set do you think "doesn't fit"?
the set was made probably by "TAI HUNG FACTORY" in KOWLOO as you can
> see from the stamp on the instructions book
No, Kowloon. The peninsula across Hong Kong Harbor from Hong Kong Island. I mentioned Kowloon just a few days ago (below).
Set includes: 4 red dragons, 4 Green dragons, 4 white dragons, 4 East,
> 4 South. 4 West, 4 North, 4x9 pieces of bamboos, 4x9 pieces of balls, 4x9
> pieces of cracks, 8 Flowers, 4 white extra tiles
You left out the 4 jokers. But what's the problem?
(could you help to translate the "chinese" words on top?)
I'm sorry, I don't have "time" today. You can try using Zhongwen.com, as I told another reader below. I rotated the photo so all would be in the same orientation here. The box's writing is vertical. The two large white characters above the small yellow characters look to me like they say "bamboo wood." I leave the rest to you.
Informations of every kind (date of
> production
I don't know exactly. Could be anytime from the 1930s through the 1960s and maybe even later.
quality of the set,
All I can go on is what you've told me. The tiles are in very good condition, and the box has cracked and been repaired. You didn't say what condition the manual is in (but the manuals of most sets after the 1920s are usually not very important or valuable). If it helps give you some perspective, I have at least two sets very much like yours in my collection. Worthy of mention, though, are the turtle jokers (I haven't seen those before) and your flowers with green Western numbers and red Chinese writing (you've put the #1 among the other set of flowers in your photo).
I've rearranged them correctly above. I'm not sure what those green/red flowers depict - they're all people, and some have referred to them as "trades" (tradesmen). An analysis of the writing, via Zhongwen.com, might or might not help with that understanding. Oh, wait. It looks like those are just the season names (as per FAQ 7e).
your opinion on the set
It's a mah-jongg set, all right! (What kind of opinion do you want? See FAQ 7p.)
May the tiles be with you. Ciao!
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
February 6 (Ordinary Wednesday), 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
What is pictured on my flower tiles? (part 3)
From: "Stella Pethick"
Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2008 7:43 AM
Subject: RE: Mahjongg Q+A Identifying bonus tiles
> Thanks Tom, I really appreciate your effort on this (and Edwin's).
> Regards,
> Stella Pethick
中&西: Cheers, Stella.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
February 6 (Plain Old Wednesday), 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Joker when discarded as "same"
>From: "Jan Steuerman"
>Sent: Tuesday, February 05, 2008 5:11 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>> My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>> If a joker is discarded as same as the previous tile, can it be
>> called for that tile?
中&西: Hi Jan,
You will find your answer in FAQ 19. Click the FAQ 19 link above left (it's got a red, white, and blue arrow pointing at it). Bookmark the page for your future reference. Then scroll down to question G. Click it, and you'll have your answer!
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
February 5 ("Super Tuesday"), 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
What is pictured on my flower tiles? (part 2)
>From: Edwin Phua
>Sent: Tuesday, February 05, 2008 2:45 AM
>Subject: Flower tiles
>Dear Tom,
>I was reading your bulletin board, and was reading the query from Stella Pethick on the characters of the flower tiles.
>The first set indeed does seem to mean "one year, four seasons", but 年 is pronounced as "nián", and has five strokes. So the full phrase is "yì nián2 sì jì" ("yi" is pronounced as fourth tone here). 牟, "móu" ("to seek"), is written differently.
>As for the second row, it depicts the Four Arts of the Chinese Scholar [http://en.wikipedia.org:80/wiki/Four_Arts_of_the_Chinese_Scholar]: 琴棋书画 ("qín qí shū huà"), representing zither, board game (go/weiqi), calligraphy, and painting. I also do not actually recognise all the actual characters (perhaps some variant form), but as a whole, this set is easily recognisable.
>Best regards,
>Edwin Phua
中&西: Great, Edwin!
Thanks!
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
February 5 ("Super Tuesday"), 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Regarding the email conversation with the scammer
>From: Anna Rosen
>Sent: Monday, February 04, 2008 6:44 AM
>Subject: e-mail for floor tiles from Ghana
>Hi Tom!!
>My staff is wondering what I am laughing about sitting at my computer and reading some of the e-mails you get.
>I just read the one from Ghana asking you to give them a price on floor tiles. What a scam artist!! Your answer was priceless!!
>I just got one also from Ghana asking for shipping expenses for Mah Jongg T-shirts!!
>The tile purchase reminds me of an article that the Palm Beach Post ran on my company a few years back and the reporter wrote: " If you can't learn how to play tile the floor!!" referring to the Mah Jongg tiles
>Anyway, thanks for the chuckle.
>Have a Great Day!!
>Anna Rosen
中&西: Hi Anna,
Thanks. Glad you're enjoying that conversation. We'll see what happens.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
February 4, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Want to play mah-jongg online. And I'm creating my own online Java puzzle game apps.
From: "mhuret"
Sent: Monday, February 04, 2008 7:56 AM
Subject: on-line game
> Hi Tom,
> I spoke with you some time ago (a few years) and was part of the on-line
> play group. My son wants to sign me up again but I cannot find it on your site.
>
> And wonder of all wonders...I discovered the NMJL now has a website. Guess
> the "little old ladies" decided to move into the real world.
> Are you no longer associated with them?
>
> You may remember me. I write crosswords and other stuff as well as
> contribute to "Brain Games" magazine
> and, in my spare time, I am also taking courses in game design at our local
> college. I have been reading the tutorial you have posted and you have some
> information that is very helpful. What I want to do is eventually be able
> to take some of the puzzles and such (that I developed and now have to post
> as PDF's) and make them into on-line apps...or at least know enough about
> the coding that I can work with someone who has more expertise than I do.
> Right now, the original software was done in Director. The new stuff
> hopefully will be done in Flash or Java. I am finishing up a second
> semester of Java now.
>
> In the meantime, is there an online mah jongg version anymore?
> Thanks,
> Marilynn
> Marilynn Huret, Editor
> www.GarfieldGames.com
> Play games and join the fun
中&西: Hi Marilynn,
I'm sorry to say that I do not remember.
I... was part of the on-line
> play group.
I'm sorry, I'm not sure what play group you mean. Were you a Shanghai Dynasty or Shanghai Second Dynasty player with whom I played while I was at Activision?
My son wants to sign me up again but I cannot find it on your site.
I'm sorry, I don't know what you want to sign up for or what you're looking for. If you mean Shanghai Dynasty or Shanghai Second Dynasty, Activision discontinued those games a long time ago.
I discovered the NMJL now has a website. Guess
> the "little old ladies" decided to move into the real world.
A website and an online game. But no email.
Are you no longer associated with them?
Are you perhaps referring to the American Mah-Jongg Association, the alternate organization in Maryland?
What I want to do is eventually be able
> to take some of the puzzles and such (that I developed and now have to post
> as PDF's) and make them into on-line apps...or at least know enough about
> the coding that I can work with someone who has more expertise than I do.
I gave a speech at the 2006 Serious Games Summit about how to hire game developers. You can download my Powerpoint slides at https://www.cmpevents.com/GDsg06/a.asp?option=C&V=1&PV=2. I think that will give you some insights into what's involved. And of course, I'm knowledgeable in that topic, and my services are available - but I have to warn you, I don't work for future speculative royalties.
I am finishing up a second
> semester of Java now.
Wow, good for you. Personally, I think Flash would be better. That's what I would study. And that's what I should study so I can try my hand at making my own games!
is there an online mah jongg version anymore?
Yes. See mah-jongg FAQ 5. If you play American mah-jongg, there are two options.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
February 4, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
SCAM ALERT
Please ship floor tiles to me in West Africa Ghana, part 3
X-Originating-IP: [69.147.74.239]
>From: garry hasla
>Sent: Sunday, February 03, 2008 5:40 AM
>Subject: advice now to proceed
>Tom,
>Thank you for your mail and would like to Order 2500 square feet of that so advice me with the Total cost for that and also for the shipping this is the delivery address is
>441 High street
>Accra-Ghana
>00233
>Also i would like you to contact this shipping company below and get me the freight cost
>westcoast_shippers2@graffiti.net
>Contact them now and get me the shipping cost so that i can make payments as soon as possible.
>Regards
>Garry
中&西: Dear Garry,
Thanks for your order. 2,500 sq' of white Domino tile 3cmx5cm comes to US$3,500.00. There's no state tax since it's being shipped internationally, but we do have to add a preparation surcharge of $55.
And depending on whether or not your shipper will pick up the shipment we may have to add shipping charges as well.
We don't contact shippers on behalf of customers. Please have your shipping agent contact us.
The Domino tiles are good sellers, but to ensure that you get what you want, we'll set your order aside in reserve for seven calendar days (we're closed on Sundays).
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper
The Tile Exchange
Tiles For Your Home Or Business
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
February 4, 2008
What is pictured on my flower tiles?
From: "Stella Pethick"
Sent: Sunday, February 03, 2008 4:04 PM
Subject: Mahjongg Q+A Identifying bonus tiles
> Dear Tom,
> Please find attach a scan of the bonus tiles from my set of Mah-jongg that I
> inherited from my grandfather. He brought it back from Hong Kong in the
> 1930s. It is in a rosewood case with four drawers. I guess these are the
> flowers and seasons, but the Chinese symbols don't seem to match the usual
> ones and I would like to know what the pictures are actually showing. Hope
> you can help on this.
> Regards,
> Stella Pethick
中&西: Hi Stella,
Yes, you're right, they're your flower tiles. I guess you could call them seasons if you want, but obviously they don't have season names on them - personally, I just call all non-joker bonus tiles "flowers" even when they don't depict flowers. I don't know what they all depict. The red 2 looks like a gong or drum - the red 4 is, of course, a flower. The blue 1 looks like a musical instrument. The blue 2 looks like a board game, and of course the blue 3 looks like a book. This sounds familiar to me - I didn't have this in FAQ 7e, but I've seen these symbols before because I have some flowers like your blue flowers in one of my sets.
I do know that the writing usually constitutes a poetic saying of some kind. Our best way to proceed next is to look up the writing and see if we can figure anything out that way.
I don't read Chinese myself, but I know a couple of websites that are very good for identifying Chinese characters. But sometimes those old tiles have writing that isn't used any more in China. You can try it yourself too.
At http://www.zhongwen.com/ you can look up characters by stroke count, which is the only one of several options Zhongwen offers that you and I can actually make use of. Guoyu (http://140.111.34.46/newDict/dict/index.html) can also be useful, but it's much harder to use so let's forget that one and stick with Zhongwen.
Your top row:
1. The first character (the #1 tile) is "yī" (pronounced "ee") and it means "one." Easy.
2. I count six brushstrokes. On Zhongwen we look it up by stroke count, and we click the Chinese character for six (六) and look for 年 on the next page. I found it down near the bottom. It's pronounced móu and it seems to maybe mean "seek." But I thought it looked like the character "year" (from my knowledge of Japanese) and when I looked it up in my Japanese book I found that I was right.
3. 四 - If you're familiar with mah-jongg, you know this one means "four." The Chinese pronunciation is "sì" (sih).
4. I count eight strokes - but it might possibly be written with fewer strokes. On Zhongwen I start looking for eight. I found it about halfway down on the right side. It's pronounced jì and Zhongwen seems to be saying that it has to do with seasons of the year. I looked it up in my Japanese book and in Japanese this same character does indeed mean "season."
So the writing across the four red-numbered flowers says "yī móu sì jì" - "one year, four seasons."
Your second row is harder. The characters are more complex and I couldn't find any of them on Zhongwen. So I don't know what your flower tiles are trying to tell us. Sorry!
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
February 3, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
SCAM ALERT
Please ship floor tiles to me in West Africa Ghana, part 2
X-Originating-IP: [69.147.74.253]
>From: garry hasla - garryoffice@yahoo.com
>Sent: Saturday, February 02, 2008 12:13 PM
>Subject: Re: Tiles Order
>Tom,
> Thank you for getting back to me ,i would like to know the the price for Domino 3cmx5cm and the color i need is white.Advice me with the price for each square feet so that i can let you know how many sq feet that i need.Thank you and looking forward to hear from you soon.
>Regards
>Garry
中&西: Dear Garry,
That type of tile runs $1.77 per square foot if you're buying less than 1,000 square feet. There's a price break for buying in quantity. Above 1,000 square feet the price is $1.40 per square foot. We have 4,800 square feet of that tile in stock.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper
The Tile Exchange
Tiles For Your Lifestyle
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
Groundhog Day, 2008
Will Superglue fix my catalin tiles?
>From: Fran Beckerman
>Sent: Friday, February 01, 2008 8:42 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>My mom sent me her Mah-Jongg set from Cleveland, OH. It was made by Cardinal Industries. Unfortunately, it didn't occur to her that the tiles would crack and break. I have 6 tiles that have broken/chipped and I do have the pieces. Would it be possible to repair them using superglue? Is it safe to play with the tiles that are cracked but are intact? I've looked on the Museum webpage, but didn't see any Cardinal tiles that matched my set.
>Fran Beckerman,
>Lancaster, CA
中&西: Hi Fran,
Sorry those tiles broke. You wrote:
It was made by Cardinal Industries.
The tiles are probably catalin, then. Read FAQs 7c & 7c3 (above left).
Would it be possible to repair them using superglue?
I don't know for sure. But why don't you take a look in FAQ 7o? There are lots of repair tips in there (I haven't committed it to memory).
Is it safe to play with the tiles that are cracked but are intact?
I would share your hesitancy in that regard.
I've looked on the Museum webpage, but didn't see any Cardinal tiles that matched my set.
I don't know where you were going with that thought...? But maybe CHarli's website would have such pictures (not that I know what good those pictures would be to you). See FAQ 4a. If you want to get replacement tiles, see the Tiles For Sale bulletin board and the Tiles Wanted bulletin board (above left).
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
February 1, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
SCAM ALERT
Please ship floor tiles to me in West Africa Ghana
>X-Apparently-To: tomster©sloperama.com
>X-Originating-IP: [69.147.74.244]
>From: garry hasla - garryoffice@yahoo.com
>To: info@koppersarch.co.nz
>Sent: Friday, February 01, 2008 6:56 PM
>Subject: Tiles Order
>Hello,
>Am Garry and would like to make an Order of floor tiles from your store and would like to know the types and sizes you have in stock as well as the prices and the types of credit cards that you accept.More over would like it to be shipped to West Africa Ghana.Thank you and waiting to hear from you soon.
>Regards
>Garry
中&西: Dear Garry,
We carry a large variety of tiles in a variety of sizes, including:
Faux naugahyde 1'x1', 2'x2', 3'x3' - your choice of color: brown, gray, white, red.
Mahjong 1"x2", 2"x3", 3"x4".
Domino 3cmx5cm, 4cmx6cm, 5cmx8cm.
Ceramic 6"x6" - yellow, pastel blue, lime green, floral, coral, doral.
Ceiling 1'x1' - white, beige, offwhite, pearl, ivory.
Roofer Madness - standard flat, curved, shingle.
Octagonal - 2" or 3" on a side. Red, white only.
Hexagonal 3" or 4" on a side. Black, orange only.
Driveway - standard gray or jazzy brick, various interlocking shapes, specify area size.
We accept Visa, MC, AmEx only. No Discover, Club, or Spade cards. Please advise products you require, quantity, shipping address, and shipping method.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper
The Tile Exchange
Tiles For All Your Needs
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
February 1, 2008
What's the proper pinyin for the 9 tiles warning in HKOS?
From: "Lev"
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2008 5:24 PM
Subject: Nine tiles
> When I was taught mah jong (classical Chinese style, though I play
> Hong Kong now), I was told that when you call nine tiles, you say
> something like "gow jung." I've seen another website transliterate it
> "kau tseung."
> Can you tell me what it means, and what the proper pinyin might be? Or
> at least a reasonably accurate transliteration...
> Thanks
> Lev
中&西: Oy vey, Lev! I don't know pinyin, and I don't speak Cantonese (except some words that my ex taught me that would get me slapped if I said them to a woman I wasn't married to). But I do know that "nine" is "kow" or "kau" in Cantonese (you've heard of "Kowloon," the peninsula across the harbor from Hong Kong island? That means "Nine Dragons.") and nine is "jiu" or "joh" in Mandarin.
I have 3 books and 2 computer games that describe HKOS rules, so let's see what those say.
Benny Constantino: "Kau Cheung"
Perlmen & Chan: "Nine-Tile Pao"
Amy Lo: "Bao Kau Jeung"
Nine Dragons Software's Hong Kong Mahjong: "Nine Pieces Penalty."
Lagarto's Four Winds: "Insurance penalty for One Suit Only (also known as 'Nine-tile error')."
So it would seem that the best I can do is either (A) show you that spellings of Cantonese words can vary, and that that's OK, or (B) just confuse you further! I suppose you could search for a website that gives a pinyin dictionary or something...
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 31, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Those confusing joker redemption rules!
From: "Jill Abel" (dreamflower)
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2008 1:30 PM
Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
> My mah-jongg question or comment is:
> When a person wants to exchange a tile for a joker in another's exposed
> hand do you pick a tile from the pile first or do you exchange the
> tile first??
> Thank you Jill Abel
中&西: Hi Jill,
You have asked Frequently
Asked
Question #19M. Please click the FAQ 19 link, above left. Then bookmark the page for future reference. Then scroll down to question M, and you'll find your answer.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 31, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
I am not sure of its worth or age, etc.
>From: KDeVega1
>Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2008 3:00 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>
>Hello, I recently obtained a MahJongg set from my grandmother and I am not sure of its worth or age, etc. and was hoping you could help. I have done some research online but would really appreciate your expert opinion. I have done the checklist below as requested:
>
>1. 152 tile pieces, 5 racks, 1 die and a brown trumpet case type suitcase
>2. All tiles seem to be in very good condition, nice butterscotch color, some paint missing on some tiles, and 1 tile (a #4) has a small chip in it)
>3. I belive all tiles are made of bakelite from all I read online.
>4. My grandma had set for a long time and she is not really sure what family member had previously owend it. It has been in a closet for longer than she can remember at this point.
>5. 150 tiles measure at 3.1 cm long, 2.1 cm wide & 1 cm deep. There are 2 tiles that are not the same deep butterscotch as the others and do not seem to belong to original set. The first one is 3 flower tile at 3.1 cm long, 2.2 cm wide & 1 cm deep. The second tile is a #4 with a flower in a vase (and the number is on the right top corner of tile rather than the left top like the others in the set) at 3.1 cm long, 2.1 cm wide & 1.2 cm deep.
>6. Set includes: 16 #1 tiles
> 14 each of the #2, #3 and #5 tiles
> 15 #4 tiles
> 12 each of the #6, #7, #8 and #9 tiles
> 4 each of the E,S, N, & W tiles
> 4 red dragons tiles
> 4 green dragons tiles
> 4 picture frame/mirror tiles (not sure what it is actually)
> 2 joker tiles (1 blue & 1 red and they say Mah Lowe at the top of tiles)
> 1 tile with no numbers but 3 flowers or bamboo shoots (not sure actually)
>7. Set has 5 mustard colored marble racks most likely made of bakelite (1 rack has a chip on the bottom). It also has 1 clear green die.
>8. The case it comes in is like a trumpet travel case, it is brown alligaor faux looking material. It has two trays inside to hold tile and seem to be made of some type of hard cardboard with a coating.
>9. The handle on the case is broken but the latches work and the metal seems to be brass but would need to be cleaned. The corners of the case are pretty beat and you can see some type of wood material underneath the faux material covering it. Overall the case looks pretty rough from the outside but the inside is decent.
>10. No paper material was included or inside of this case.
>11-15. I have attached pictures for your review, I hope they are sufficient for you to submit an estimate.
>
>Thanks for any information you can give me pertaining to this set.
>Sincerely,
>Kara DeVega
中&西: Hello Kara, you asked:
I am not sure of its worth
It's a little hard to tell. Your breakdown of the set was by number, not by suit - you didn't look at FAQ 7b to find out what the suits are, and you lumped the flowers in with the suit tiles.
So I think maybe there aren't any missing. Maybe. You made up names for tiles when you didn't know what they were, and I might be able to make sense of exactly what tiles your set contains, but I don't want to have to work harder than you did at this. Let's assume that the set was supposed to have those 150 tiles. That's probably the 136 tiles of the basic set, the 2 jokers, and the other 12 tiles must be flowers.
But I saw that a lot of the tiles have lost their paint. You said the case is beat-up on the outside, with a broken handle, and there are no paper materials. You said a rack is chipped.
Based on that information I'd say you won't get a very good price for this set. It's worth less than $100. It's most likely only got value to someone who'll cannibalize it to fix up other sets, or to sell off the individual tiles to folks who'll make tchotchkes out of them. Maybe worth more than $30. Hard to tell. The most valuable part of this set is probably the two joker tiles - both of which need restorative paint.
or age,
That one's easy. The two jokers are the clue. See my column 311 (click purple banner above) and you'll know for certain the 6-year range during which your set was manufactured. Don't ignore the 2 non-matching flowers. It was a common practice to "Frankenstein" mah-jongg sets to have enough flowers.
etc.
(^_^) That's Frequently Asked Question #7p. If there's anything else you want to know about your set, please ask me a specific question.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 30, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
I feel like I read that somewhere, part 2
>From: PenniPal
>Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2008 11:14 AM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My question was nuts since even I know it makes no sense! I guess I didn't read somewhere that after declaring mah jong you could potentially get rid of your jokers to have a more valuable jokerless hand. I have no idea why I thought I was missing something...Sorry!
中&西: Hi Penni,
Well, I don't even know what mechanism could be used to do that. You can't just take the jokers out and say "look, no jokers," because now the hand doesn't have 14 tiles anymore. You can't take the jokers and swap them for natural tiles, either (either from someone else's exposures or from the discard floor), since there's no such thing as "reverse redemption" as I wrote in FAQ 19AL (above left). So I'm still struggling to picture the steps someone might take to make his hand jokerless after declaring mah-jongg.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 29, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
I feel like I read that somewhere, but I can't find it?!?
>From: PenniPal
>Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2008 9:37 AM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>Hi Tom,
>I hopefully haven't missed your answer to this already. I really did look...! I'd like to know if there's a rule pertaining to making your hand jokerless after you've declared "mahj" and exposed your whole hand. I feel like I read that somewhere, but I can't find it?!?
>Thanks again!
>Penni Nadel
>Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape in the new year.
中&西: Hi Penni,
I don't understand. How could someone magically become jokerless after she's declared mah-jongg? Can you describe such an event for me?
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 29, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
fill me in on my mom's set
>From: Richard
>Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2008 5:32 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is: Dear Tom, Just uncovered my moms mah-jongg set from the 50's I don't think I have all the pieces... looks like I am missing an 8 bam and I don't have any jokers. Not sure what other tiled cause I no nothing about her set.. can you possibly fill me in on the missing tiles? Thank you Richard K.
中&西: Hi Richard,
Did you read FAQs 7b & 7e yet? The FAQs are above left. If you still have questions after reading those, please ask again (I'm not sure what you're looking for when you say "fill me in"). Also it'd be a good idea to take a look at the Tiles For Sale and Tiles Wanted bulletin boards. And lastly, why did you send two photos - are the tiles in the 2nd photo ones that you forgot to put in front of the camera with the rest, or are they examples of ones you had a question about? Why not just put all the tiles you have into one big rectangle in one easy-to-view photo? Take a look at how I line up tiles in FAQ 7a. (All the flowers can just be bunched together - the various flower designs are not important).
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 27, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Columns 345 and 347
>From: Jeanette
>Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2008 3:45 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is: Needing whatever Strategy Tips I can get
>
>Jan 6, 2008 Strategy Column:
>Exercise #3--369 #5:wouldn't it be better to discard 9D & keep 3B?
>Exercise #4--Did you mean Consec. #3 (instead of #2) would be the best hand?
>
>Dec 23, 2007 Column:
>The exercises are numbered from 1 through 9 but the "possibilities" are numbered from 1 though 10. #7 is really #6. #8 should be #7 and so on.
>
>When asked by my niece what I wanted for Christmas this year: My answer was your book which I did receive from her and I love it! Your MJ site is the best!
>Jeanette
中&西: Hi Jeanette,
Good eyes! Thanks for spotting those. I've fixed both columns and added a thank-you to you. So glad you like my book! (^_^)
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 27, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Anything I can do to make my extra Bakelite tiles match? (part 2)
>From: Jeanette
>Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2008 3:17 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is: Re: Darkening Bakelite Tiles
>Joan Krimstein wrote on December 19, 2007 :
>Can bakelite tiles be darken to match the rest of the tiles. I have extra flowers, that will be
>needed for Jokers, but they seem a bit lighter in color. Anything I can do?
>I purchased 4 Jokers on Ebay several years ago to match my other 4 Jokers as well as the rest of my Bakelite set which does have some variation in the shading. They were an exact match in every way except they were "lighter". I made a "STRONG" pot of coffee and soaked the 4 tiles in this for about an hour. I noticed that they did get a little darker. I wound up soaking them overnight in the (now-cold) coffee and was very pleased with the result.
>Hope Joan sees this, tries it and it works for her.
>Jeanette
中&西: Hi Jeanette,
Great tip! I'll add that to the FAQ.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 27, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
All the patch servers are no longer working!
>From: Ruud Snoep, tiscali.nl
>Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2008 8:10 AM
>Subject: xp patch mahjong second dynasty
>hello tom, do you know a site where to download the windows xp patch for mahjong second dynasty; i have the cd but up to now it is only working on my windows 98 and on google all the servers i found with the patch are no longer working; thank you; ruud snoep.
中&西: Hello Ruud,
I respectfully request that you please do not ask me any technical support questions for any computer games, including the Shanghai games that I designed and produced when I was an employee of Activision.
But to answer your question, you shouldn't be using Google. You should just be going directly to http://www.activision.com/support/. The patch is right there.
Greetz,
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 27, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
To all my beloved readers: Please never ask me technical support questions for any computer games, including the Shanghai games I made when I was employed by Activision eight years ago. Read FAQ 24 (above left) to learn how to get your technical support questions answered.
Flower strategy (American maj)
>From: Susan
>Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2008 1:28 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>Flower Strategy Question for American MJ
>After the Charleston if you have flowers you don't need, is it better to throw them out as soon as you can? Sometimes, I find you can take a joker from a flower exposure a little later in the game. What is the best strategy?
中&西: Hi Susan, you wrote:
What is the best [flower] strategy?
It depends on the card. Prior to the 2007 card, it was the best strategy to hold onto flowers at first, in case you needed to switch to a flower hand (and then if you didn't need them, let them go before they got too dangerous). But in the 2007 card (and maybe the 2006 card too, I don't remember offhand) flowers just aren't all that useful, and it often makes sense to just get rid of'em whenever.
Sometimes, I find you can take a joker from a flower exposure a little later in the game.
Yes. And if you have TWO flowers, you should hang onto those as long as you can, and around the halfway mark on the wall, throw one out there as joker bait. I wrote about that in my book. And there's more American strategy in FAQ 8 (above left). And of course my weekly column (purple banner, above).
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 26, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Got the basics down thanks to FAQ 10 - now how's the scoring really supposed to work?
From: Alice Wood
Sent: Friday, January 25, 2008 5:51 PM
Subject: MJ scoring jury-rig
>To Mr. Sloper,
>I recently turned 21 and I received a lovely gift: a green-backed Chinese-export MJ set. I'd been hankering for one for months beforehand and I'd scoured your website to get an idea of the game - it's brilliant, and I'm sure you've been told that!!
>Now I understand what's going on when I have a set to actually play with, and I'm thinking of getting some of my gaming/roleplay group to learn it too so we can play. I used your extremely helpful FAQ 10 to get the rules myself, but since we're UK-based I know nobody else who knows that MJ isn't the tile-matching game (freaked out my housemate when I told her...) and I've no idea how scoring is really supposed to work.
>I've tried to rig a system for myself, putting points from 1 to 7 for getting different things, but I like the vague idea of 'fans' although I don't quite think I get them. I also like the Japanese idea of giving a lot of points at the start and swapping them throughout the game. If there's nothing that's easy enough then I'd like to make up a working system but to be honest it's tricky: should any player with his own Flowers/Winds get points? Does getting a Kong get a couple? Should I include those random chance hands for loads of points? Um, yeah. It probably sounds really strange, but could you point me in a vaguely right direction?
>Yours,
>Alice
>Ad Astra Per Aspera
>(A rough road leads to the stars)
>She said what? About who? Shameful celebrity quotes on Search Star!
中&西: Hi Alice, you wrote:
it's brilliant, and I'm sure you've been told that!!
Not nearly enough. (^_^) Cheers, Alice.
I've no idea how scoring is really supposed to work.
It depends. There are 40 known different scoring systems. See FAQ 2b. So how it's "really supposed to work" depends on which one you use.
I'd like to make up a working system but to be honest it's tricky
Yes, it is. I don't recommend making up a new system when there are so many to choose from.
could you point me in a vaguely right direction?
Use the questionnaire in FAQ 2a - then come back if you still have questions.
Ad Astra Per Aspera
(A rough road leads to the stars)
That's not my understanding of what the saying means. Isn't it "to the stars, with hope" or IOW "hope will take us to the stars"?
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 25, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Can one not only have one's cake, but eat it too? (Japanese riichi/dora majan)
From: "Richard W Emrich"
Sent: Friday, January 25, 2008 2:07 PM
Subject: Mah-Jongg Q A
> My mah-jongg question or comment is:
> At our weekly Japanese MJ game, one player went Ron with 7 pairs (we were
> taught to call it Niko-Niko). With his 7 pairs, he had 2x1 crack, 2x2
> crack & 2x3 crack. (2 identical chows or Iipeikou) Can he claim a Fan for
> Iipeikou as well as 2 Fan for the 7 pair ?
> I have not had much exposure to the 'correct' terms of Mah-jongg so I hope
> this is OK
> Thanks
> Richard W. Emrich
> Chino Hills, CA
中&西: Hi Richard,
Let me draw you a picture to show you why the answer is no.
This shows "2 sets and 4 pairs." There's no such hand structure! You can only make "4 sets and 1 pair" or "7 pairs" or "12 singles and 1 pair" (kokushimusou).
The answer is no. Those 6 tiles are either 2 chows OR 3 pairs - they cannot be both at the same time. And as you can see by the illustration above, the 2 chows option is not a valid option. They can only be 3 pairs in this case.
I think I'll tack this onto FAQ 20.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 25, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
requently sked uestion #
>From: Joshua Simpson
>Sent: Friday, January 25, 2008 9:37 AM
>Subject: Mah Jong
>Hey Tom,
>I saw your website and found in very helpful. I have an old Mah Jong set and am looking for a new set. Do you know where I would be able to find a new set to buy. I currently live in orange county. If you could give me any info that would be great.
>Thanks Again
>Joshua
中&西: Hi Joshua,
You will find the answer in FAQ 7k. It doesn't even matter which of the eight Orange Counties (in alphabetical order: California, Florida, Indiana, New York, North Carolina, Texas, Vermont, or Virginia) you live in! That FAQ applies to all of them. The FAQs are above left.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 25, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Seeking valuation of jade set to be sold on eBay, part 4
>From: J NEWTON
>Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2008 11:15 AM
>Subject: Re: Jade Mahjongg set
>Thank you for your reply jeweler did not give an evaluation but I paid £900.00 for it.
>Mandy
中&西: Hi Mandy,
Well, according to x-rates.com, in May 2005, the British pound was worth 1.9 USD, so you paid $1,710 for the set. I've never seen a mahjong set go for that high a price on eBay. So I can't give you a valuation other than to guess that it's worth what you paid for it, plus a bit for 3 years' worth of inflation.
May the sale be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 24, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
My set was stolen and I need a photo of a similar one for insurance purposes
>From: John Anderson
>Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2008 5:00 PM
>Subject: Brenda Cleave-stolen mah jongg set
>Hello Tom
>My Mah Jongg set has been stolen.
>This set was left to me by my father. During the second world war in New Guinea my father, part of an advance party entered a recently deserted Japanese camp and found, still set out in play, a Mah Jongg set. He collected the pieces, put them into a medical chest and they came home with him at the end of the war.
>
>My father said because of the trappings in the tent, the set would have belonged to an officer.
>For insurance purposes I need a photograph of a similar set.
>Following is a description of the set:
>
> the set was complete with 4 extra tiles.
> the colour of the tiles was creamy/yellow.
> the back of the tiles were jade coloured.
> the flower tiles were beautifully coloured and detailed.
> the motif on the number tiles were bamboo shaped.
>
>I would be grateful for any information. If you are unable to help me, it would be appreciated if you could guide me in the right direction.
>I look forward to your response,
>Sincerely
>Brenda Cleave - wal(at)iinet.net.au
中&西: Sorry to hear it, Brenda.
I don't have a set that fits that description, but maybe a reader will see your post and contact you.
By the way, "complete" is not a number. You have to actually state a number ("complete" is a variable - see FAQ 7a).
Good luck! May the photo be with you. (Assuming that the insurance company will fully understand that this is not an actual photo of the stolen set itself, of course.)
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 23, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
An etiquette question
>From: Broschofsky Galleries
>Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 1:24 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>What is the feeling about a player who announces (correctly or incorrectly) the hand her opponent is going for based on an exposure she has just made?
>I know there is not a “rule” about this, but is there any listing “guidelines” of what may or may not be polite in a Maj game?
>Thanks
>Minxx
中&西: Hi Minxx,
That is so bizarre! If she did that in my game, the first thing out of my mouth would be "oh my god, why did you say that?"
Has anybody in your group ever said that to her? Just curious, how do you folks respond when she says "aha, so you're making Consecutive Runs #2"?
I have written about mah-jongg etiquette - see FAQ 9 above left. But this one isn't listed there - I've never in my life encountered someone who did this, and nobody until now has ever mentioned that someone has ever even thought of doing that. It's more than just bad etiquette. It's also incredibly bad strategy. Sharp-witted players keep their thoughts to themselves in hopes that others may not have realized what the other player is doing. It's part of the game to guess (not to tell) what others are doing. I've also written about mah-jongg etiquette in my book. As far as I know, this site and my book are the only sources of detailed information about the etiquette of modern American mah-jongg.
So let's see if we can psychoanalyze her. Maybe she's very insecure, and is hoping others will respect her braininess because of her uncanny ability to read exposures? Or maybe it's her little way of learning the game? Or maybe she just doesn't have that little valve in her head that stops selected thoughts from just spilling out her mouth. Anyway, I think it's totally weird that she does that.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 22, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Seeking valuation of jade set, part 3
>From: J NEWTON
>Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 8:12 AM
>Subject: Re: Jade Mahjongg set
>Thank you for your email I forgot to mention that it was confirmed by a jeweller, that it is jade, I will try it on your site to see if I can sell it. thanks for your help will keep you informed
>Mandy
中&西: Hi Mandy,
So the jeweler should have told you the value of the set (just by its weight). If I knew how much you'd paid for it in China, and how much the jeweler said the jade is worth, I could guess at how much the set's value might be to a mahjong collector.
May the sale be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 22, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Mahjong clubs in the Los Angeles area?
>From: dorayaki107
>Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 7:05 pm
>Subject: hi!
>I'm from LA as well and I was wondering if there were any mahjong clubs or places I could possibly go in the area to play, Monterey Park, El Monte, Chinatown, Arcadia, etc? I'm live in the WLA area, but I'm really into this game so as long as I don't have to go to Riverside or Corona, I'm cool. I know I could google something, but I wanted to know if there was somewhere you recommend? Reading books and playing w/my one roommate doesn't really do much for me, not that we've actually played a real game yet anyway. Any suggestions would help. Thanks in advance ^^
中&西: Hello Dora,
I'm going out on a limb and guessing that you play Japanese mahjong (not Hong Kong style or Taiwanese or Shanghai style...)? This guess is based on a couple of things: (1) Your moniker is based on Japanese majan terms, and (2) you sent me this question via Yakitori Online.
If you played any other kind of mahjong, I'd have just told you to read FAQ 15 (above left). But you don't, so I won't. (But if you did read FAQ 15, you'd find the answer.)
Since you're in West Los Angeles near me, I could take you downtown to my friend's club (click "Mah Jongg Friends," above left, then click "Little Tokyo no tomodachi"). But we should really talk first to make sure you know what you'd be getting into. Like for instance, how much money can you stand to lose in an evening? I hope you're a really good majan player? If not, maybe we can get together and play a little. Just email me directly (rather than using YO's PM, I really dislike PM's - my email address is plastered all over this BB).
If you ever shopped at the little grocery on Sawtelle near Olympic or at Mitsuwa over here near me, you've seen those Japanese Yellow Pages books that get stacked there for free. That's how I originally found my friend's place.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 21, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Fracture lines in apple-juice Bakelite tiles
>From: charlescordelia
>Sent: Monday, January 21, 2008 4:09 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>Hi Tom,
>I'm interested in a hand-carved Chinese Apple-juice Bakelite set on Ebay. The set has not been used as most of it is stilll under celephane (the seller says is decades old.) It has these little 'stress fractures" only on the front of the tile the seller says is caused by the carving. They look beautiful and somewhat add to the beauty. Can I assume those stress fractures will not break through the tile in time? They look beautiful. The seller says it's about the 1930's but when I go on Mahontiles, it looks as if it could also be from the 50's and 60's. If it is from the 50's and 60's do you know of any manufacturers defects at that time-not in the carving but in the making of the bakelite. (I already got stung on a nice looking Cardinal set from the 50's that literally had chips throughout the box and some kind of plastic coating that looked like it was wrapped around the tile during the manufacturing process. (The bakelite racks and carry-case were fine.)
>Any enlightenment on the subject of the applejuice color of carved Chinese bakelite tiles with surface fractures would be appreciated.
>Thank you,
>Cordelia Christopher
中&西: Hi Cordelia,
I don't have any apple-juice Bakelite tiles in my collection, but if I was considering buying one, I'd have the same concern as you about the fracture lines. The "apple juice" look is caused by intentional discrepancies between the liquids used to make the tiles. And with age (for all I know) the tiles might well fracture. Perhaps a collector who reads this board will come back in the next week or two and offer a better-informed opinion. If I acquired a set for my collection, and if it was suitable for actually playing with, and if it had fracture lines of any kind, I'd limit the use of the set, and when using it, I'd ask the players to use extra care in the shuffling of the tiles just to be on the safe side.
As for aging the set, you can get an idea of the manufacture date just by counting the flower tiles (and jokers, if any). See column #311 (click the purple banner atop this page).
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 21, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Change of heart (FAQ 19M)
>From: FarrylD
>Sent: Sunday, January 20, 2008 9:50 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>First, I read your column and love it! Thanks.
>Question: If someone calls a tile, puts the tile on the rack with their own, exposes. then, BEFORE THE DISCARD, they say, "woops," I really don't want to call that...IS IT TOO LATE?? Once it is racked, isn't that a done deal?
>Thanks,
>From an occasional mah jongg player!
中&西: Hi Farryl,
This "change of heart" question is answered in FAQ 19M (above left).
Glad you liked the column! May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 20, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
What's the etiquette for dealing with a painfully slow player?
>From: Robert Betty Ward
>Sent: Sunday, January 20, 2008 8:17 AM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>My question concerns etiquette. We have a player who stops the flow of play by drawing a tile and then 'playing the piano', moving tiles around, looking at her card, laughing, talking and after a couple of minutes she finally discards. This is every time she draws. Is there anything in writing concerning this? If she were in a tournament, would she be penalized? I know you speak of being courteous, patient, etc. But this is driving the other players wild. If this is not in writing, how would you address this problem? Betty W.
中&西: Hi Betty,
Etiquette doesn't mean "you can never open your mouth and say anything to her." She is being inconsiderate - it's not inconsiderate to tell her your desires. As Marge Simpson said, "this can be fixed with a little gentle nagging."
The next time she's futzing instead of playing, just say (kindly and gently), "Make your play, please, dear."
Then the next time she futzes instead of making a move, just repeat: "Make your play, please, dear."
Maybe after she's heard you say "Make your play, please, dear" about ten times in one evening she'll say something like, "oh dear, I'm slowing down the game, sorry!" When she says that, you've got your opening. "Yes, we'd like the game to move a bit faster, please, dear. Am I right, ladies?" And now you've given the others a chance to help with the gentle nagging.
Oh. You asked if there's anything in writing about this. Yes, there is. For one thing, there's this page you're reading right now (now that you've asked this question in writing). And it's in FAQ 9 (above left) - see "Making Everybody Wait." And I also wrote about this in my book, on pages 85 and 110.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 20, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Need someone to run our tournament
From: "Marcia Schulman"
Sent: Saturday, January 19, 2008 11:29 PM
Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
> My mah-jongg question or comment is:
> I belong to a country club in Los Angeles CA. We are having a Mah
> Jongg tournament at the end of March. How can I find someone who can
> run a tournament? There are tons of teachers but I can't seem to find
> anyone qualified to run the tournament. It will be just one afternoon
> with prizes. We have the room, the tables, chairs, sets and food.
> If you can give me some suggestions or have some names of qualified
> teachers on the west side of LA I would really appreciate it.
> Thank you
> Marcia Schulman
> mks519溌verizon.net
中&西: Hi Marcia,
Bill & Judi Nachenberg are the most qualified tournament runners here in L.A. - you can find their contact information in FAQ 21 (above left). In fact, I just came from one of their local tournaments today. If you aren't flexible with your tournament's date, and they can't run it for you, then I can run it for you. You know how to reach me.
I'm a little confused by something else you wrote:
"There are tons of teachers... If you can give me ... some names of qualified teachers on the west side of LA."
There are tons of teachers. Judi, me, Elaine (we're all listed in FAQ 4a)... OK, so 3 isn't exactly "tons." But you said you didn't want teachers, you wanted a tournament organizer...?
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 20, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Has anyone ever heard 1 Bamboo called The Filley-Lou Bird?
>From: **** Gaudynite
>Sent: Sunday, January 20, 2008 8:33 AM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>Has anyone ever heard 1 Bamboo called The Filley-Lou Bird?
>Gaudynite
中&西: O Gaud, you asked:
Has anyone ever heard 1 Bamboo called The Filley-Lou Bird?
Yes. You have.
What is a "Filley-Lou bird"? Google never heard of it. Is that some kind of Cajun term or something? "Filly Loo" is apparently a place in England...?
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 20, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
How Do We Resolve A Disagreement About Our Table Rule?
From: Natalie Schacter
Sent: Saturday, January 19, 2008 6:06 PM
Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
My mah-jongg question or comment is: We play that the last twelve tiles are the hot wall. If I throw the winning tile and cannot account for three out of the four tiles or if there are three exposures, then I pay for everyone. One of our group says that you have to play defensively at this time. If I am one away from Maj and think that I have a chance of picking the tile from the wall or from a discard, I am willing to take this chance. We do not have a table rule about this. We feel that this is our choice to play either defensively or to take a chance. This is an ongoing confrontation with just one person. Please help us if you can.
I have your book, which is quite perfect. Thank you for writing it, it is very helpful.
Natalie Schacter
中&西: Hi Natalie,
I'm so glad you like my book. I addressed this question on page 118 of my book - it's item A under Table Rules.
You have a harmonious table rule only if all players agree. I don't have any way for the rest of you to force her to agree. She wants to change your "hot wall" table rule to a "cold wall" table rule, and that's that. She wants what she wants. You want what you want. The only possible solutions I see are:
1. "Let's call the whole thing off." Boot her out of your game and find someone who'll go along with the rest of you;
2. Stick resolutely to your guns. Keep on arguing this argument every week until your group blows up over it;
3. Drop the table rule that's causing so much trouble, and play harmoniously by the official rules instead. Under the official rules, a player is permitted to take any risk she wants at any time (no matter the length of the wall). And when a player wins by discard, the discarder pays double and all others pay single value (just like it says on the back of the card).
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 19, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
"Stealing," part 2
>From: PenniPal
>Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2008 12:45 PM
>Subject: Re: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>Hi again,
>I just want to thank you! I didn't want to write "Thanks, Tom!!! on the board, but I appreciate your getting back to me, and so fast also. What you wrote makes such perfect sense: "The reason why you're not supposed to peek at the tiles is simple: they're not your tiles. You've chosen not to take them, so they're not yours to look at."
>Thanks from a future mahj addict...!!
>;-) Penni Nadel
中&西: You're very welcome, Penni.
Seeing my own answer again made me realize another reason why "stealing" is a bad term - you've chosen not to take them - so how can anybody call that "stealing?" Your neighbor was giving those tiles to you (how can you steal something someone's handing you as a gift?), and you've chosen to "regift" them to your other neighbor. That's definitely not "stealing," under anybody's definition of stealing.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 17, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Frequently Asked Question #19AI
>From: David and Paula Friedman
>Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2008 8:53 AM
>Subject: Set For Sale
>Sorry to bother you again as I just saw your update to my posting [on the Sets For Sale BB, above left]. The information came from the person who inspected the set but, as you know yourself, not everyone is correct when they inspect items. I will take your information as correct and appreciate the input. She called it a 'haystack' I thought because of the pineapple bamboo sprout as you refer. And, a question from me, how can you use the other 12-tiles to make an American game when they aren't exactly the same quality (color and shape). Won't that be a give away in a game as to what the tiles are? Thanks.
>Paula
>Set For Sale:
># of tiles:
>Color of tiles:
>Material the tiles are made of:
>Description of case:
>Accessories included:
>Overall condition of set:
>URL where you can see pictures:
中&西: Hi Paula,
Read FAQ 19AI, above left.
May the sale be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 17, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
"Stealing"
(Nonstandard terminology and why it's bad, exhibit 2)
>From: PenniPal
>Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2008 10:41 AM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>Hi! I'm definitely a brand new newbie and have a question about "stealing," which is allowed on the first left and the 2nd right. When you take 1, 2, or 3 of the tiles that are being passed to you to pass on to the player you're supposed to pass to, you are never allowed to look at the tiles you are "stealing," right?
>Thank you! Your FAQ's and strategies are so much help to us!
>Penni Nadel
>Columbia, SC
中&西: Hi Penni,
I'm willing to bet that if you knew that the actual official term for this practice is not "stealing," that it's actually "blind passing," you'd already know the answer without having to ask.
When you pass tiles from one player to another blind, it should be self-evident that you pass them without looking at them. If you ever look at your blind pass tiles in a tournament setting, you will be called dead faster than you can blink! I've seen it happen. "Oh in our group we 'peek pass' and it's hard to break the habit!" "Yeah well you're dead."
Wanna hear something funny? The word "stealing" is used to mean at least 3 different things - and not one of those things is called "stealing" in the official rulebook. I've encountered people who used the term "stealing" for:
- Blind passing
- Redeeming a joker
- Claiming someone else's discard for exposure
Sorry for going off on you there. I answered a question on Monday (below) and a lady used another nonstandard term that can be confusing. Actually, she used a standard term, but in a nonstandard (but, unfortunately, not uncommon) sense.
One more thing - see how I mentioned above about how some folks "peek pass"? I hope you've read FAQ 14.
Last thing - whatever you do, don't go back to your mah-jongg teacher and tell her "the word isn't 'stealing,' you taught me all wrong!" She'll get indignant and storm off in a huff (or if she doesn't move so quickly anymore, a minute and a huff). A more tactful way to say it would be "I hear that the official term is 'blind pass' because you're not supposed to peek at them, isn't that interesting?" The reason why you're not supposed to peek at the tiles is simple: they're not your tiles. You've chosen not to take them, so they're not yours to look at.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 17, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Frequently Asked Question #19P
>From: barbara katz
>Sent: Wednesday, January 16, 2008 10:51 AM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>Can Jokers be redeemed from dead hand?
>One player says the hand is dead and no jokers can be claimed. the other player says that a joker exposed before the hand went dead should still be eligible. Which is right?
中&西: Hello Barbara,
Same answer I gave Fran on January 10. And somebody else asked this question on January 1, too. The answer is given in FAQ 19P (the FAQ links are above left).I recommend you bookmark FAQ 19P for future questions, and when an answer is absent or unclear, ask me and I'll gladly answer or clarify.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 16, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
What can we do to prevent tie scores?
>From: Doug and Marti Johns
>Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2008 4:37 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is: I am running a mah-jongg tournament. When tallying up the final scores, what do you do if you have a tie for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place? The prizes we have are not splittable. Any advice appreciated. Thank you.
>Marti Johns :-)
中&西: Hello Marti,
Well, you didn't tell me what kind of mah-jongg your competitors will play, or what scoring system you're using, so all I can do is respond in vague general terms. The usual things to do are:
Have a scoring system that makes tie scores impossible;
If a tie occurs, have the tied players play a short "sudden death" playoff.
That's all I got. If I get any other thoughts, I'll post'em here.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 15, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Claiming a discard to complete a pair, for mah-jongg
From: "Novanebula"
Sent: Monday, January 14, 2008 8:37 PM
Subject: Chinese Mahjong Technicality
> Hello Tom. I have recently begun playing Chinese Mahjong and there is one rule that I am not completely clear about.
> If a player is waiting for a winning tile needed to complete an eye/pair, can the player call it from a discard or must the player draw it from the wall?
> Thanks for your time!
中&西: Hello Mr. or Ms. Nebula,
You didn't mention which book or website you're using as your textbook. It would be good to know, so I could recommend people not use it. (^_^) You also didn't mention which Chinese variant you're learning. I'm just a curious kinda guy (no matter which variant you're learning, the answer is the same - even American mah-jongg, the oddball of the mah-jongg world).
This question is answered in FAQ 10. Click the FAQ 10 link, above left - then scroll down to the section entitled "TAKING A DISCARD TO WIN THE HAND (MAH-JONGG)" - see the 2nd paragraph. (This question is also answered in my book, on page 169.)
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
The Ides of January, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Seeking valuation of jade set, part 2
>From: Sylvain Malbec
>Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2008 5:05 AM
>Subject: Seeking valuation of jade set to be sold on eBay
>Hello Tom,
>I've read the message about (supposed) jade set and made some calculs:
>A pound weight 453.59237 grammes (Wikipedia dixit).
>So the 19 pounds' set weight 8600 g, for a volume of 34mm x 17mm x 17mm x 136 tiles = 1336000 mm cubes = 1336 ml.
>The set's density is : 8600 / 1336 = 6.4
>Jade have a density of 3.34 (Wikipedia dixit).
>Four possiblities:
>- I've made a big error in my calculs.
>- The "19 pounds" include 4 kg (9 pounds) carring case.
>- The set weights 10 pounds and not 19.
>- This set is definitivly NOT jade.
>May the jade be with you ^^
>--
>Sylvain MALBEC
中&西: Bonjour, Sylvain.
Wow, what a scientific analysis! So Mandy's set weighs too much, unless she's included the carrying case (and packing materials?) in her statement of its weight, AND the case (and packing materials?) weigh a whopping 9 pounds. Real jade ought to weigh less. Unless your calculations are off. I checked and yes, density = mass/volume (I'd initially been confused by your mention of milliliters). Hopefully Mandy will see your post (when I notify new correspondents that their Q has been A'd, I always suggest they come back now and then to check for follow-up posts).
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
The ides of January, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Want to learn, but confused
From: "lynxx"
Sent: Monday, January 14, 2008 2:58 PM
Subject: Maj Jong Beginner wants to learn
> Hello, I would like to learn how to play Maj Jong, and I found your
> contact information online.
> Is Mah Jong hard to learn? I am confused about different Chinese/
> American styles.
> I live in Upland, CA. Are groups or lessons available in Inland
> Empire/San Gabriel Valley area? Thanks for information.
> Carol Constantine
中&西: Hi Carol, you wrote:
Is Mah Jong hard to learn?
I don't know. It depends on you. If I teach it to 10 people, there is usually 1 who doesn't get it.
I am confused about different Chinese/
> American styles.
Don't worry about it. Use FAQ 2a to determine which kind you should learn. Or... should I say it? ... Read my book. I explain the difference clearly.
Are groups or lessons available in Inland
> Empire/San Gabriel Valley area?
There are teachers listed in FAQ 4a. If none are listed in your area, use the Find Players Bulletin Board and FAQ 15. Links above left.
Good luck!
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 1, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
A sticky simultaneous maj call situation
(Nonstandard terminology and why it's bad, exhibit 1)
>From: Bmills0213
>Sent: Monday, January 14, 2008 1:07 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>Friday's game I had called [named] and discarded my tile. Player to the right picked up a tile [from the wall] and said Mah Jongg.........but at the same time player to my left called my discarded tile for Mah Jongg..Player on my right did not rack her tile but had picked....Who should of won that hand????
>Thank you,
>Billie
中&西: Hi Billie,
I wish you'd mentioned how your group resolved this. But anyway. I inserted the italicized words in your email above, for the sake of readers of this board.
The NMJL rulebook can't anticipate every possible weird thing that might happen, so you won't find this answer there (nor in my book). This isn't exactly answered in FAQ 19i either, and it's not exactly answered in Column 331 (http://www.sloperama.com/mahjongg/column331a.htm).
Let's run the videotape back and watch this play again, in slow motion:
Billie discards tile.
Leeanne doesn't do anything.
Regina reaches for the wall. (Leeanne does nothing.)
Regina picks tile from wall. (Leeanne does nothing.)
Regina looks at tile while her hand is in motion, bringing the tile closer to her rack. (Leeanne does nothing.)
Regina sees that it's her maj tile.
Regina's mouth opens to speak, and Leeanne's mouth also opens to speak.
Both ladies say "maj" simultaneously.
OK, so what's the key moment above? In my opinion, it's frames 2 through 6. Leeanne let her chance to call the tile for maj slip away by not acting quickly enough. Regina wins on her picked tile, because Leeanne gave her the time to do it.
I can hear the dissenters now. "But Tom, you always say it's not a race." Or "But Regina picked really quickly after Billie discarded the tile - Leeanne didn't have enough time to react because Regina is an aggressive player." Well, I can only work with the description I got. Leeanne didn't do anything while Regina was playing the game, as Regina has every right to do. Yes, it's not a race. But when a sticky conflicting claim occurs, with no clear rule, then common sense has to be used to find a logical solution. One player may feel that she was treated unfairly sometimes, and sometimes that's unavoidable. I discussed this principle in FAQ 9 (above left).
On the other hand, if Regina was playing aggressively fast, that might change my opinion - but only if the players had spoken to Regina about this before this event occurred. (I expressed my opinion of aggressive play in my book, and the NMJL quoted it in the January 2008 bulletin.) But it doesn't do for everyone to wait until a high-tension moment to bring up the delicate issue of one player's aggressive playing style. Harmony above all!
And this is why I always recommend that players pause a beat after a discard before reaching for the wall. To avoid situations like the above, which can blow up into unpleasantness. If Regina paused a beat before reaching, then it would be clear to all observers that Leeanne had acted too slowly, thus should lose out.
**
By the way, I find it confusing if the word "call" is used to mean both "say the name of the tile I'm discarding" and "speak my wish to take the current live discard." Example: "I called my discard, and Alice called it for exposure."
So I use "call" only for claiming someone else's discard. For speaking the name of one's own discard, I use the term "name." Example: "I named my discard, and Betty called it for maj."
May the tiles be with you, Billie.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 14, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
About the writing on the red ribbons of the hanafuda deck
From: "Jeroen Ruigrok van der Werven"
Sent: Monday, January 14, 2008 7:20 AM
Subject: Hanafuda
> Hi Tom,
> (this email is sent in UTF-8 format)
> I encountered your page @ http://sloperama.com/hanafuda/koikoi.html and I
> wanted to correct something that some people are telling wrongly.
>
> The 'akayoroshi' has no 'no' (の), Sam Kim has it completely wrong, it does
> not read 'aka no yoroshi' (あかのよろし) at all. The 'no' (の) that you see is
> in fact a character like の but with an additional stroke above it like 'u'
> (う) has. If you look at the 'matsu' (まつ) collection you can see this
> character more clearly than the one from the 'ume' (うめ) series.
>
> This character is in fact an old-style 'sousho' (そうしょ - cursive written)
> form of the kanji 可. An example is documented by the Mojikyo project as
> http://www.mojikyo.gr.jp/gif96/069/069371.gif And if you realize that the
> 'onyomi' (おにょみ) of this kanji is 'ka' and subsequently of this
> 'hentaigana' (変体仮名) is also 'ka', then 'akayoroshi' makes a lot of sense.
> ('onyomi' (音読み) is the reading of a kanji in Chinese.) Just to clarify,
> 'hentaigana' (変体仮名) are 'sousho' characters like 'hiragana' (ひらがな),
> but were left out when every sound was mapped to one 'hiragana' character.
> Previous almost every sound had multiple 'hiragana' or 'sousho' variants.
> These left out characters are now known as 'hentaigana'.
>
> Some extra information: the writing in the sake cup card reads: 'kotobuki' and
> is a 'sousho' form of the kanji 寿. 'kotobuki' is a 'kunyomi' (訓読み,
> Japanese reading) of this kanji.
> Hope this clarifies some misunderstanding,
> kind regards,
> --
> Jeroen Ruigrok van der Werven <asmodai(-at-)in-nomine.org> / asmodai
> イェルーン ラウフロック ヴァン デル ウェルヴェン
> http://www.in-nomine.org/ | http://www.rangaku.org/
> Don't let your curiosity take you beyond the world where you belong...
中&西: Hello Jeroen,
Well, I'm in over my head now! (^_^) I can read modern katakana and hiragana and a few kanji, and that's about the extent of my Japanese reading ability. You offer a convincing case, and I'll add that to the hanafuda page right away. I hope "sam kim" (s3v3nx3) will come back and see it.
May the cards be with you. Greetz and dewa mata!
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
GoStop♠Sloperama♥com
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 14, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Seeking valuation of jade set to be sold on eBay
>From: J NEWTON
>Sent: Monday, January 14, 2008 7:13 AM
>Subject: Jade Mahjongg set
>Dear Tom,
>I have a jade set bought in China May 2005.
>I am enclosing photographs. As my circumstances have changed I would like a valuation that I can sell on ebay.
>Weight 19 pounds
>In its own carrying case leather look
>Certificate of gems and jewelry National gemstone testing centre
>No jokers
>Mint condition never been used
>Height 34mm
>Width 17mm
>Depth 17mm
>136 tiles
>two blank
>two dices
>Colour black
>I understand that you will publish findings on bulletin board
>I look forward to your answer
>Thank you Mandy
中&西: Hi Mandy,
I'm not going to be able to give you the answer - just a guess. Please bear with me as I go through this.
Firstly, I don't know for certain that it's jade. Several reasons:
That it has a certificate from the "National gemstone testing centre" means nothing to me.
I've seen Chinese sellers on eBay offer to provide certificates of authenticity for obviously artificially-aged mahjong sets that they purported to have been made in the Qing Dynasty.
I never heard of the National Gemstone Testing Centre. I have no idea if it's legit.
And even if it is legit, how do we know that the certificate is legit? Chinese mahjong sellers on eBay are evidence that you have to have a high degree of skepticism when dealing with merchandise of value.
I myself bought a "jade" set on eBay but I don't think it's jade. Your photo shows a shine and a hint of translucency that my set doesn't have. I think my set is stone, painted black.
Regarding 1.c above, I did two very brief searches on the Internet just now and I saw a lot of mentions of this company. The first search made me doubtful because I found lots of mentions of the NGTC but I didn't find its actual website. I did find an address, though: 15, Yang Rou Hu Tong,XI SI , Beijing , China Telephone: 0841-6168335. The second search brought up a page that makes me think it probably is for real. (The company, not necessarily your certificate.)
I don't know how much jade things go for, because I've never shopped for jade except that one set. And I don't remember how much I paid for my set - I remember the shipping was expensive because it's heavy. I've never seen a true jade set sold on eBay and don't have the faintest idea how much one might go for.
So you have to write a convincing sales pitch - you have skepticism to overcome. Your prospective buyers have to be given (by you) descriptions and photographs as evidence that the tiles are really jade. The certificate isn't nearly enough. You have to do research on jade identification and share the applicable findings.
As for the price, all you need to know are two numbers:
What the starting price is to be. I suggest $100 might be appropriate. Buyers need to know that you put some value on this thing (you shouldn't start it at $10).
What minimum amount you'll settle for. I suggest you set that at the amount you paid for it, certainly no less.
Which raises the question - since you bought this yourself just a little over 2 years ago, in better times, isn't it reasonable to assume that the price you paid for it is pretty much its actual worth?
Will you come back and let us know how it goes?
May the sale be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 14, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Curiosity about mahjong in America
>From: Martin Rep
>To: 苏 潘
>Cc: Tom Sloper
>Sent: Monday, January 14, 2008 9:16 AM
>Subject: Re: Please give me some information
>Dear Pan Su
>Thank you for your e-mail.
>It is so good to hear from someone from China. I am very proud that my website is read, even in your beautiful country! I have visited China three times. The last time was last November, for the World Mahjong Championship in Chengdu.
>I do know something about mahjong in America, but since I live in Europe myself, I think it is better if Tom Sloper replies your mail. I have sent a copy of this mail to him (see the CC-field). You can be sure that he will answer you very soon.
>Best regards, and please do not hesitate to ask me if you want to know anything about mahjong in Europe!
>
>Op 14 jan 2008, om 17:41 heeft 苏 潘 het volgende geschreven:
>Dear sir,
>I am a Chinese student, my family likes playing mahjong, i wanna know some information about Mahjong in America,,How many people in America play mahjong?Which style of mahjong do American play?
>Are there any international Mahjong online games?
> Waiting for your answer! :)
> Pan Su
>雅虎邮箱传递新年祝福，个性贺卡送亲朋！
>| Martin Rep
>| The Independent Internet Mahjong Newspaper
>| http://www.mahjongnews.com
中&西: Thanks, Martin. Hello, Pan Su.
I don't know if you can view my website from China. I just got an email yesterday from a friend there, and he said he couldn't access it. But when I was in E Mei Shan in November, I could access my site from the hotel there. So since I'm not sure if you can get to my site or not, I'm emailing you this reply in entirety and won't just expect you to read the FAQs (answers to Frequently Asked Questions) as I do with most correspondents. You asked:
Q: How many people in America play mahjong?
A: Nobody knows for sure, but the National Mah Jongg League claims around 300,000 players. The League's members only play American-style mahjong, so their membership does not include Asian Americans, who don't play American-style mahjong. I discuss the difficulties of estimating the number of players in America in FAQ 23.
Q: Which style of mahjong do American play?
A: All kinds. American style, British style, Hong Kong style, Vietnamese style (both 8 jokers and 24 jokers), Japanese style, Filipino style, Wright-Patterson rules, Taiwanese style, Classic Chinese style, Mahjong Competition Rules... Americans are also fond of mahjong solitaire (tile-matching) computer games, and lots of Americans think that's "mahjong."
Q: Are there any international Mahjong online games?
A: Yes, quite a lot. I have a list in FAQ 5.
Please try to access my website: http://www.sloperama.com/mjfaq.html
And let me know if you can access it. May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 14, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
How to find mah-jongg teachers?
>From: Sue Kaufman
>Sent: Sunday, January 13, 2008 12:30 PM
>Subject: How do I find beginner classes in my area
>Zip code 91436------encino, Sherman oaks, Tarazana---
中&西: Hi Sue,
FAQ 4a and The Find Players Bulletin Board (see links above left) both contain lots of listings for mah-jongg teachers. One of the teachers listed in the L.A. area is me!
If you have a group who wants to learn (any kind of mah-jongg), I'm the guy. You'll all have fun and you'll learn lots of fun stuff about the game. But if you want lessons for yourself only, and you want to learn American mah-jongg, the other teachers keep waiting lists and call lessons when they have enough students. (I don't keep a waiting list.)
Those teachers only know American mah-jongg, so if you want to learn a different type, I'm the only teacher I know of here. (If you don't know what kind of mah-jongg you want to learn, read FAQ 2a.)
May the lessons be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 13, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Discarding flowers?!?!
>From: Andrew Camacho
>Sent: Friday, January 11, 2008 12:23 AM
>Subject: Discard flowers in CO?
>Hey Tom,
>In Chinese Official rules, I was under the impression that flower tiles were always immediately revealed and replacement tiles were immediately taken. However, m y colleague read in the 2007 OEMC Regulations (mahjong-europe.org/filer/regulationOEMC2007.pdf, page 4, section 4.2) that a player can keep and discard flower tiles. Does the World Mahjong Championship have this rule also?
>Thanks,
>Andrew
中&西: Hey Andrew,
Sure. The Europeans wouldn't go making up rules willy-nilly! I assume you must have the green official rulebook from www.chinamajiang.com (not my book). The problem is that the green book's translation wasn't finished yet when the WMCC rushed the book into print.
Look on page 23 at the bottom. The rule about discarding flowers is right there in black and white:
"... it not Flower replacement can discard."
OK, so it's inscrutable black and white. (^_^) This rule is stated less inscrutably in my book on page 157 (rule 81.d.), page 170, and on page 192 (top).
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆 斯洛珀 时同梦 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 11, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Frequently Asked Question #19P
>From: Fran
>Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2008 7:02 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>Hi. Today a player was called dead & the question came up can you take her jokers? I said yes, because they were up before the hand was declared dead. Another player said no, I play on the net & that is not allowed. A dead hand has the tiles turned over so no one can see them. Are the rules different for playing on the net ? Thanks Fran.
> franel@███████████.███
中&西: Hi Fran,
So I guess none of you have received the annual newsletter from the National Mah Jongg League. (This question was answered in there.) And somebody else asked this question just recently (January 1, below). Read FAQ 19P (the FAQs are above left).
I don't know how this is handled on the NMJL's online game or on Mahjong Time (you didn't say which one your friend plays on). It doesn't matter. The NMJL's rule is very clear on this.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 10, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
English rules for Japanese mahjong!
From: "Tina Christensen"
Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2008 1:18 AM
Subject: Riichi rules in English
> Dear Tom,
> Riichi (modern Japanese mahjong) has been introduced independently in
> several European countries, and consequently slight differences in the
> rules exist across the continent. With the scheduling of the first
> European Riichi Championship in 2008, the need arose to standardize the
> riichi rules in the context of the European Mahjong Association. A booklet
> has been made which describes the standard riichi rules of the European
> Mahjong Association.
> http://mahjong-europe.org/rules/
> Direct links to the 24 page booklet and the 2 page summary:
> http://mahjong-europe.org/filer/riichirules.pdf
> http://mahjong-europe.org/filer/riichisheet.pdf
> Of course typos or misunderstandings may still exist, so let me know
> if you find anything.
> I hope you will post this message on your bulletin board and put links in
> relevant places in your wonderful FAQ. (FAQ 2 and FAQ 25, I suppose).
> Tina
> --
> Tina Christensen
> Vice President of European Mahjong Association
> Vice President of Mahjong Denmark
> tina中mahjong.dk
> http://mahjong.dk/
中&西: Hi Tina,
You got it! An excellent resource like that is definitely welcome, and I'll absolutely add those links. I'll also put them in all future columns about riichi/dora majan.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 10, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Blind passing in the Charleston
>From: Carol Stanton
>Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2008 7:02 AM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>Is there such a thing as passing blind in the Charleston and if so, how is it done.
>Thanks,
>Carol
>
>From: Carol Stanton
>Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2008 7:05 AM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>Sorry I found my answer about blind passing in the Charleston on the card! I apologize...
>Thanks
>Carol
中&西: Good job, Carol!
You can also read about the blind pass in FAQ 19AG (above left). I recommend you bookmark FAQ 19 to supplement the back of the card.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 10, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
The clacking sound of the tiles
>From: Patricia Dumas
>Sent: Wednesday, January 09, 2008 8:58 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>Hey Tom..
>Just stopping by to say I enjoy your site and your pure devotion to this game.
>I don't know why I read so much of your stuff... but...........
>... I don't know squat about playing Mahjong..I just have a need to buy one of those old yellow bakelite sets and "clak away' with the tiles because it reminds me so much of my Aunt Jean playing with all her fellow Jewish lady friends down at the swanky "Deal Casino' beach club in Deal NJ on the shore... A well known haven for Jewish families in the summer.
>That clacking sound of the tiles will always be part of my childhood. We swam in the pool, and heaven knows how we stayed alive-- cause the ladies who were watching us were all playing Mah jong and smokin'.. ;-)
>Thanks for the memories.. I'll be clackin' away soon like Capt. Queeg with his handful of steel marbles. A pleasure..
>Patricia
>at the jersey shore
中&西: Hey Patricia! (^_^)
Thanks for writing! Interesting that you wrote about the sound the tiles make while being mixed. Because that sound is likely the basis for the game's name. Back in the early part of the twentieth century, when the game was really widening its base of popularity, tiles were made of cowbone and bamboo. Those tiles make a distinctive, higher-pitched sound than the Bakelite tiles. The Chinese said that the bone and bamboo tiles being mixed sounded like the "squabbling of clattering sparrows."
The name "mahjong" means "sparrow."
Now I tell this story all the time to my students, and none of them ever hear sparrows in the sound. But we're usually using plastic tiles, and we're sitting right at the table making the sound. I have a theory. I think it sounds more like sparrows if you're outside a house where the sound is being made, and there are birds chirping up in the trees. So if you want to hear the sound yourself, use bone and bamboo tiles, have other people mix them while you stick your fingers in your ears (to simulate distance) and whistle like a bird. Then I think you'll be able to hear sparrows. (^_^)
Queeg was sick, he couldn't help himself. But you, you're real healthy.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 10, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
May the dead speak? - part 2
>From: Drs24942
>Sent: Tuesday, January 08, 2008 12:10 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>Sorry about not putting my name on the questions. You can call me Darlene.
>I am really happy I found your site. Your answers have solved many problems and the Q & A's are just fun to read. Please keep up the good work!
>Darlene
中&西: Darlene! Great, now all I have to do is remember that, the next time you write me. (^_^)
I'm glad you're enjoying my site.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 8, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
May the dead speak?
>From: Drs24942
>Sent: Monday, January 07, 2008 11:32 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>I don't know how my friends come up with these questions, but I said I would ask. When your hand is declared dead and you continue to sit at your position at the table, do you have a right to call another players hand dead or are you completely out of the game until the next hand? One thought is that since you still have to pay the winner you still have a say. Another says, dead is dead, so go have a drink. (I saw that suggestion in the comments)
>Thank you .
中&西: Hello, Doctors,
In American mah-jongg, a player who's been declared dead (and acknowledges the fact) may continue to sit at the table if she wishes, and she may laugh at jokes and tell jokes (if the table rules permit joke-telling), but she may absolutely not give information about the game. She's not playing - nobody who's not in a game is permitted to give information about the game.
By the way, I suppose you never sign your name because of privacy concerns, but just someday you might slip and then I won't have to call you "Doctors" any more. (^_^)
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 8, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Where can I get engraved jokers?
>From: TravelinSandi
>Sent: Monday, January 07, 2008 9:08 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>Where can I buy an American Maj Jong set where the jokers have my name printed on them???
>Thanks
>Sandi Glade
>Travelinsandi
中&西: Hi Sandi,
Those jokers can be engraved, not just printed. Check FAQ 4a (above left) - most of the featured vendors there can help you if you want an American set with personalized engraved jokers. Visit their websites, find their phone numbers, give'em a call. FAQ 4a also lists someone who can engrave jokers for you if you send him blank tiles.
May the personalized jokers be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 7, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Oops, part 2
>From: Stephanie Walters
>Sent: Monday, January 07, 2008 1:01 PM
>Subject: Black Mahjong Set
>Thank you for the response to my last e-mail. I did see a mistake I had made in the last e-mail. It is the Season tiles that I believe I don't have. Although, I had a question. You said that I do have the White Dragon tiles. Which ones are they? I'm thinking the blank tiles possibly. I'm used to my grandmother's set, and finally got one of my own. Last question, what are the four red 5 tiles for? Are they wilds? It is a very beautiful set, and at least now I know what it is made of. Thanks for the help.
>Stephanie
中&西: Hi Stephanie,
You're welcome. You wrote:
It is the Season tiles that I believe I don't have.
中&西: Flowers, seasons, animals, trades, whatever. They're all the same thing functionally. I call them all "flowers." You have 4 flowers, that's the norm with Japanese sets, and you are seeking 4 more.
You said I do have the White Dragon tiles. Which ones are they? I'm thinking the blank tiles possibly. ... what are the four red 5 tiles for? Are they wilds?
中&西: Please read FAQ 7e to learn about your set's "mystery tiles." I'm glad the Plastics FAQ helped you. FAQ 7e will help you too.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 1, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
I need some strategy help, part 2
>From: Joe DiMaggio
>Sent: Monday, January 07, 2008 9:25 AM
>Subject: RE: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>Mr. Sloper,
>Thank you for your help! I will most likely purchase the Amy Lo book you recommended (Thank you, Amazon.com!), but I wanted to make a quick clarification. When I mentioned that I was invited to play with my wife’s grandmother and her favorite uncle I didn’t mean to imply that we only played with the 3 of us. We play 4-player games with a friend of her grandmother’s, usually, or one of the other uncles or aunts on occasion.
>Does this change your recommendation about a good strategy book for 16-tile Taiwan Mah-Jongg?
>Thanks again,
>- Joe
中&西 Mr. DiMaggio,
I never thought you were playing 3-player. But I see why you thought that - I mistakenly directed you to FAQ 13b when I meant to direct you to FAQ 8. Sorry about that! There's no appreciable difference between 3-player strategy and 4-player strategy. I recommend you read FAQ 8, not FAQ 13b.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 7, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Oops, I bought the wrong kind of set. Need info & tiles.
>From: Stephanie Walters
>Sent: Sunday, January 06, 2008 10:09 PM
>Subject: Announcement for Tiles Wanted
>
>Dimentions: 1 1/16 x 3/4 x 1/2"
>Color: Black
>Material: I believe they are made of granite, but as long as they are the right size it doesn't really matter to me.
>Tiles needed: All flower and white dragon tiles
>E-mail: falonius@hotmail.com
>
>I bought this beautiful set on ebay, but I did not know about all of the different types of sets. This set came with four red 5's and no white dragons or flowers. I cannot find a rulebook for this type of set. If anyone has information about this set please e-mail me at falonius@hotmail.com. I would appreciate either information and/or tiles. Thank you.
>
>http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEBTOX:IT&item=190185216166
>&_trksid=p3984.cTODAY.m238.lVI
中&西 Hello Stephanie,
Your "Tiles Wanted" announcement posed questions, so it's been posted here on the Q&A board instead of the Tiles Wanted board. You wrote:
I believe they are made of granite
中&西 No, they're plastic. See FAQ 7c3 (above left).
Tiles needed: All flower and white dragon tiles
中&西 Your set has 4 flower tiles. It's going to be EXTREMELY difficult to find someone who's broken up a similar set and is willing to sell you their 4 flower tiles.
And your set already HAS the white dragons. See FAQ 7e.
This set came with four red 5's and no white dragons or flowers.
中&西 Wrong. This photo shows your 4 flowers and your 4 white dragons:
I cannot find a rulebook for this type of set.
中&西 And you won't. Nobody has yet written an English-language book about Japanese mahjong. But you can find websites about it (FAQ 4b) and you can learn the basics of Asian forms of mahjong in FAQ 10 and specifics about Japanese mahjong in FAQ 25.
If anyone has information about this set please e-mail me
中&西 Hello...! I'm the information guy. And I don't email free private information. I give the information here on this bulletin board.
I see that you've sent me another email. I'll answer that one now:
>From: Stephanie Walters
>To: tomster at sloperama.com
>Sent: Sunday, January 06, 2008 10:27 PM
>Subject: Please help finding black Mahjong tiles
>Hello,
>I'm trying to find some rare black Mahjong tiles. I bought my set on ebay, but I was not aware of the many different types of sets. This set did not come with the White Dragon tiles or the Season tiles. It did come with four red 5 tiles though. I cannot find any rulebooks for this type of set either. If you could help me with either of these I would appreciate it. I have enclosed the URL for where I bought this set. It does not tell me what they are made from, but the dimensions are on it along with pictures. Thank you in advance if you any information.
>http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEBTOX:IT&item=
>190185216166&_trksid=p3984.cTODAY.m238.lVI
>Thanks you for your time,
>Stephanie
中&西 Okay, so it's just stating the same question, directly to me this time. Good for you for finding me! (^_^)
It's a Japanese set, of a type that is not exactly "rare" (I have one, too - I bought it in Tokyo, and I love it) but certainly not common enough that folks are breaking them up and selling the loose tiles. You could try Matthew Shim or the NMJL but it's very unlikely they'll be able to help you. (You saw Matthew's and the NMJL's information at the top of the Tiles Wanted bulletin board, I assume.) Or you could contact the seller - maybe buy a second set. Then you could sell the extra tiles to others! (^_^)
May the tiles be with you. But they probably won't be. Maybe get a regular set - they're cheaper. If you want to post on the Tiles Wanted board, send me a rewritten announcement (one that doesn't contain questions).
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 6, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
How old is it and where was it made?
>From: Howard & Arlene
>Sent: Sunday, January 06, 2008 8:28 PM
>Subject: maj jong set
>Dear Tom,
>
>I have an old Maj Jong set and am interested in finding out how old it is and, if possible, where it was made.
>I have read your website and have gone down your age determination checklist.
>
>1) The set includes 148 bone and bamboo tiles, 2 bone dice w/o box, bone cylinder w/ 4 bone wind discs, bone sticks, as follows: 39 2 pts., 32 10 pts., 35 100 pts., and 8 500 pts.
>2) Direction booklet reads: Directions for "MAH JANG" 2nd Edition, Specially translated and compiled by The Washing Trading Co., Printed by Chun Se Printing Co. Shanghai, China.
>3) Tiles are apparently bone and bamboo.
>4) The set was from my husband's aunt's estate. We suspect that she aquired it while stationed in Japan in the early 1950s.
>5) The tiles measure 3 cm long, 2 cm wide and 1.2 cm deep.
>6) There are 36 Bams, 36 Dots, 36 Craks, 16 Winds, 12 Dragons (including 4 white Dragons), 8 Flowers (2 sets of 1-4, red and green) and 4 spare blanks.
>7) The box is dark wood, possibly mahogany with brass doodads. It has a slide-up front w/ 5 drawers, the bottom being a bit deeper than the top 4.
>8) The Craks are the simpler-style.
>9) One Bam pic attached.
>10) Dragons pic attached.
>11) Flowers pic attached.
>12) There are no jokers.
>
>Thank you so much for your time.
> Sincerely,
> Arlene Freeman
中&西 Hi Arlene,
It was made in the 1920s, in China. Probably the region around Shanghai (based on the printed manual). Very typical 1920s set, made for export to the West (America or England). The one thing that's interesting is the red 8 Dot tiles (the blue standard hadn't set in yet).
May the sale be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 6, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
I think I found an error?
From: "Edward Livingston-Blade"
Sent: Saturday, January 05, 2008 11:38 AM
Subject: Possible Red Dragon/West Wind Errata
>I searched sloperama.com for an errata list for your book The Red Dragon & The
> West Wind but was unable to find one. I've run across something I believe
> may be errata, and would like a clarification. I'm using the first edition.
> Page 131 item 17 reads:
> The dealer himself takes 4 tiles (two stacks) after (counterclockwise from)
> the break in the wall, and places them in front of himself.
> I suspect that "counterclockwise" was intended to read "clockwise", unless I'm
> very confused (which is certainly a possibility).
> Thank you!
Hi Edward,
Yep, you caught one fer sure. Actually, two. Because the exact same error exists in the chapter on American mah-jongg. Thanks for pointing that out so I can fix it in the second edition.
And yes, I should post an errata list one of these days.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 5, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
>From: Lew, Dyana (CMS/WC)
>Sent: Friday, January 04, 2008 2:01 PM
>Subject: RE: Where to buy mah jong set with animal tiles
>Thanks Tom. I did try e-bay, shipping is expensive, but I couldn’t find anything with animal flower tiles, only the traditional flower tiles, some with jokers. I’ll try Chinatown. Gung hei fa choi to you too.
Where to buy a mah jong set with animal flowers?
>From: Lew, Dyana (CMS/WC)
>Sent: Friday, January 04, 2008 1:24 PM
>Subject: Where to buy mah jong set with animal tiles
>Hi:
>I live in SF, CA, I have been looking all over including the internet, where can I buy a set of mah jong tiles with the animal tiles of cat, rat, fish, etc?
>Thanks for your help.
>Dyana Lew
>Budget Analyst
Hi Dyana,
Have you been to Chinatown? Addresses and phone numbers you can try are listed in FAQ 7k.
http://www.sloperama.com/mjfaq/whereg.htm
Unscrupulous Chinese sellers who'll swear that their sets were made a hundred years ago have lots of animal flower sets on eBay, too. Usually artificially aged, of course. And the shipping's expensive.
Good luck and gung hei fa choi
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 4, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Mahjong Competition Rules (was "The Red Dragon & The West Wind"), vol. IV
>From: James, Keith
>Sent: Friday, January 04, 2008 6:59 AM
>Subject: RE: Mahjong Competition Rules
>Hi Tom
>The reaching for the wall rule that I was referring to in my post is the rule mentioned in section 11 of MCR and rule 82 in your book. Tina has stated in her reply that this rule will not now be enforced unless the the next player actually touches the the next tile in the wall.
>
>My group of players are very freindly players really. I was just trying to tie up some loose ends in my understanding of MCR rules, just in case this was a common situation in international competitions.
>Thanks for your help.
>Keith
OK, all clear now. Cheers, Keith!
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 4, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Where to buy mahjonggy knick-knacks in L.A. -- Follow-up
Liz,
I had another thought. Everybody knows mah-jongg comes from China, right? So if you can't get mahjonggy tchotchkes, you can just go to Chinatown and get her something cute there. They have little coin purses, little "jade" dragons and Buddhas, all kinds of neat little thingamabobs. I especially recommend Wing Hop Fung and the little shops just south (towards City Hall) from there. See FAQ 7k (above left), or Google "Wing Hop Fung." Gin Ling Way, the little old Chinatown street with the wishing fountain also has good shops for that kind of stuff. It's just a few blocks' schlep north from Wing Hop Fung.
May the doodads be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 3, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Why five racks?
>From: jloischild
>Sent: Thursday, January 03, 2008 6:18 PM
>Subject: Why Five
>Good Evening Tom, please tell me why there are five racks in most American Mah Jongg sets? I've never found a reason anywhere. It's not likely one would get lost. What do you think? Thanks, Judith Loischild
Hi Judith,
It isn't "most American Mah Jongg sets" that have five racks - it's "many OLD American sets" that have them. The reason they have five is so that five people can play.
If you've ever played with five, you know that one player rotates out (it's always four at the table).
So why is a rack needed for a player who's sitting out? Because her rack holds her chips. See those prongy thingies at the left? Players used to use chips rather than just forking over coins at the end of every hand. So if you get up from the table to let another player have your seat, you want to keep your chips, right? So just take the rack.
May the tiles be with you in 2008!
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 3, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Where to buy mahjonggy knick-knacks in L.A.? I need it in the next 2 days.
>From: ERBURRELL
>Sent: Thursday, January 03, 2008 5:58 PM
>Subject: MJ Question
>I just checked out your website (very nice, by the way) but I have another question.
>
>We play Mah Jongg when we are on cruises, and just returned from one yesterday. We are meeting some friends in Las Vegas Sunday and it is her birthday -- she loves MJ and we taught her to play several years ago.
>
>Do you have an idea where I can purchase some sort of purse or trinket or something with a MJ theme in Los Angeles or the area, Friday or Saturday (since we leave early Sunday)? Many thanks if you have an idea.
>Liz Burrell
>La Habra Heights
Hi Liz,
There are NO brick-and-mortar stores that sell mahjonggy doodads/thingamabobs/tchotchkes in North America (much less here in L.A.) that I know of. There are lots of places on the Internet, though. If you act fast and check FAQ 4a (above left) right now, send emails tonight, and phone them first thing in the morning, maybe somebody can send you something via express mail so you can have it on Saturday.
May the trinket be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 3, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Misnamed but not yet touched to the table. What now?
>From: Drs24942
>Sent: Thursday, January 03, 2008 4:54 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>I know that somewhere there is an answer to this question, I just can't find it. I have to discard and take a tile from my rack and, while the tile is still in my hand I say 4 dot. The tile is still in my hand, it never touches the table, when I realize that it is a 4 bam. Can I take the tile back and throw the 4 dot or is the tile on the table and I have to call it correctly?
>Thank you
Hi Doctors, long time no see. You wrote:
I know that somewhere there is an answer to this question
Nope. My site doesn't have an answer to every conceivable error that might be made at every conceivable juncture in the game. And neither do the official rules.
I say 4 dot. The tile is still in my hand, it never touches the table, when I realize that it is a 4 bam. Can I take the tile back and throw the 4 dot or is the tile on the table and I have to call it correctly?
OK, so you probably already read FAQ 19A and you know that when you say "four dot" the tile is considered "down." And you probably know that if you discard a tile and say its name incorrectly, that you have to say its name correctly before the game can go on (rule 95, page 61, of my book, and rule 7 on page 18 of the official NMJL rulebook).
In this case you've said the name of a tile that happens to be sitting on the sloping front of your rack, rather than the tile you're holding in your fingers. In such a case, it's not unreasonable to think that if you actually have the tile whose name you said, that you ought to throw it -- but what if you said the name of a tile you didn't actually have in your rack? Let's pretend you said "West" instead of "four dot." And you don't have a W in your possession at all.
The rule given in FAQ 19A (rule 53 on p. 51 of my book) specifically says that "the" tile is down when it is either named or touched to the table, whichever occurs first. Since the tile on your rack (or the tile not even in your possession at all) is not "the" tile being discussed, the intention clearly is that the tile in your fingers must be placed on the discard floor. It's already "down" according to the rule. And of course you have to say its correct name.
Now, if you were holding a 4 bam, and said "soap," and you didn't have a soap in your rack or your fingers, you'd know what you had to do. If you had a soap in your rack, you are not obligated to throw that instead of the one you were holding in your fingers - and you're also not allowed to. You have to do two things: (1) put the tile down and (2) say "four bam."
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 3, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
In the interest of promoting Mah-jong in Britain, continued
[Note: although dated January 1, these emails are from January 3 - Webmaster]
From: "trevor denniss"
Sent: Tuesday, January 01, 2008 12:18 AM
Subject: Re: BB discussion on mahjong in the UK
> Hi Tom
> Many thanks for your mail and the interest you have in promoting mah-jong in
> this country.
>
> I look forward to corresponding with the others as I'm very concerned about
> the seemingly 'phantom' nature of the BMJA. I know. as Gwynn says, the Know
> the Game book is being re-published in May and although the book itself is
> an excellent introduction to the British game it is not sufficient to create
> interest in the general public.
>
> I would like to see several articles appearing in national magazines with
> photos of groups and comments by players. Also we need something more
> comprehensive - I believe I used the word 'definitive' in my recent
> communication to you but, of course, any book on mah-jong could never be
> definitive!! I'm attempting to write something at the moment which I'm
> hoping will develop into a work similar to Millington's 'Complete Book of
> Mah-jongg', Noss Whitney's handbook or your own 'The Red Dragon & The West
> Wind" (just acquired it - I found it excellent even though I'm not into
> American MJ!) But I haven't approached a publisher yet as I'm not up-to-date
> with this kind of thing (I used to do a lot of freelance work but my last
> article was published about 5/6 years ago!) and although I work on it
> regularly it's progressing very slowly. In addition to the rules and
> illustrative play I've included quite a substantial section on strategy and
> some extras such as setting up a local group and running friendly
> tournaments. But I digress ...............
>
> I think it is a shame that we do not have a body representing us on the
> European scene, for example, and it's a pity that Britain hasn't taken part
> in the organisation of any of the major European and World events. Everyone
> else seems to get a mention except us. I would like to see an active BMJA or
> its equivalent and not just a spurious organisation that has been set up
> with the sole purpose of increasing book sales. This, believe it or not, was
> what I was told when I tried to contact the BMJA when it was first set up
> about 20 years ago!
>
> I hope these comments are useful and constructive without being too negative
> and I look forward to hearing of further developments on the British scene
> as I'm sure the interest would be there given the appropriate coverage from
> the right people.
> Best wishes and a Happy New Year!
> Trevor Denniss
From: "trevor denniss"
Sent: Tuesday, January 01, 2008 12:58 AM
Subject: Re: BB discussion on mahjong in the UK
>I neglected to answer the comments from
>Keith James. Sorry about that Keith!
>
> Regarding the type of mah-jong we play - as all my groups have been set up
> with my local U3A's (all oldies - 50+!!) we stick to a set of rules that are
> firmly based on the Know the Game book. I produce my own 18-page, A4 booklet
> which I distribute to all our members + a laminated card listing and
> illustrating our special hands. Over the years I have gleaned many ideas
> from most of the books that are available on the market and in the library
> and, of course, I have used many of the resources from the Net. So I suppose
> our 'house rules' will differ from any others that stick to the rule books.
> All I can say is that over the years I have introduced many newcomers to our
> brand of mah-jong and it has always proved very popular. About 98% of our
> members are quickly motivated into buying their own sets (one of my current
> group members has recently purchased his third set and they are all good
> quality sets not wood or cheap plastic!).
>
> I would like to set up another group using MCR but it isn't practical at the
> moment. My own experience of this is confined to Mahjongtime and 4 Winds and
> I have never played the Competition Rules with any of our groups.
>
> I'm afraid I can't tell you what happened to my first group who spread their
> wings (I don't know whether they are still in existence). My last contact
> with members of that group was about 10 years ago and that was when I was
> informed that they had travelled to various parts of the country to play
> other groups. I don't think they played in national tournaments as such but
> they probably heard of other U3A groups who were playing and arranged some
> friendly games.
>
> Hope these comments are of some help and I'd be pleased to hear from anyone
> on the British MJ scene who is interested in promoting the game or who just
> wants to make contact with a query or suggestions to help improve the
> situation in our country.
> Trevor Denniss
I need some strategy help
>From: Joe DiMaggio
>Sent: Thursday, January 03, 2008 1:11 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>Mr. Sloper,
>I have recently discovered your website, and I have found it to be greatly helpful. I recently married a woman of Taiwanese decent, and at all the holiday gatherings her family plays the 16-tile Taiwan variant of Mah Jongg. I have found it to be a wonderful game, and a great way to connect to family who may speak very little English especially considering that I barely speak any Chinese. This game wonderfully breaks the speech barrier for all of us.
>
>Most of the time we simply “play to win” and don’t keep score. Recently, however, they have brought me into their “for-money” games including my wife’s Grandmother and her favorite Uncle. Of course, I was honored to be asked into their small table. However, I have quickly learned how ignorant I am of the strategy of the game. Since we play the Taiwan version, I was hoping you could recommend some websites or books that specifically deal with strategy.
>
>I find myself often times as the person who discards tiles that are in high demand. I need to learn more defensive playing. Also, I find that I am usually one tile away from winning, but can’t seem to find that last one. This leads me to believe I am going for either too difficult of a hand, or I am not going for the most efficient hand possible (more likely) and therefore could benefit from learning some offensive strategies as well.
>
>What books (and/or websites) would you recommend on strategy for 16-tile Taiwan Mah Jongg?
>Thank you so much.
>- Joe
Mr. DiMaggio,
Start with FAQ 13b (the FAQs are above left). And get the book by Amy Lo (see FAQ 3). There's very little about Taiwanese majong in English. But most strategy that applies to other Asian variants applies to Taiwanese as well.
Good luck! May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 3, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Thank you for the wealth of information you have on your website
>From: Nickjr41
>Sent: Thursday, January 03, 2008 9:19 AM
>Subject: Thank You
>Just want to thank you for the wealth of information you have on your website. We had some questions about a couple of mahjongg sets and found the answers and a lot more on your site.
>Appreciatively,
>Toni & Nick
Hi Toni & Nick,
I'm glad you found it helpful! (^_^)
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 3, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
In the interest of promoting Mah-jong in Britain, part... something-or-other
From: "Tina Christensen"
Sent: Thursday, January 03, 2008 4:09 AM
Subject: B&B MCR
> Hi Tom
> In answer to Keith James:
> Chris lives in Germany, but he's British and prefers to play for the UK in
> international competitions.
>
> I have contact info for two UK players who showed an interest in the OEMC
> 2007, but who didn't sign up in the end. I can put Keith into contact with
> them; Keith is most welcome to email me, and Tom you're welcome to post my
> email address.
> Tina
> --
> Tina Christensen
> tina中mahjong.dk
Great, Tina!
It would be brillyunt to see mahjong's popularity grow in the UK.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 3, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Column #346
From: "Tina Christensen"
Sent: Wednesday, January 02, 2008 4:34 AM
Subject: column #346
> Hi Tom,
> It's good to have you column back!
> I have comments for the first two examples. Don't underestimate the power
> of concealed chow hands. Always remember: men-tan-pin (Concealed, All
> Simples, All Chows) is 6 points on discard, 8 on selfdraw, while Fully
> Concealed + All Chows is 6 points. Remember that, and you only need to
> find two more points, typically Voided Suit, Mixed/Pure Double Chow, Short
> Straight, Terminal Chows or Single/Closed/Edge Wait.
>
> 1. A dream of a hand: Your waiting 1-4-7D on selfdraw and 7D on discard.
> On 7D (discard) you have: Concealed, All Simples, All Chows (men-tan-pin)
> and two times Short Straight, one in each suit.
> On 1D you have: Fully Concealed, All Chows, 2 Short Straights
> On 4D you have: Fully Concealed, All Chows, All Simples, 1 Short Straight
>
> 2. Count the point for Voided Suit and say "hu" ;-)
>
> Happy New Year!
> Tina
Hi Tina,
It's good to have your commentary. In this case, you've taught me something extremely valuable and important. So in fixing the column, I've quoted you and put in as much of your email as I could (within my self-imposed space formatting guidelines which may not be apparent in the online format that everyone sees).
May the tiles be with you in 2008! The Year of the Rat begins next month so I'll hold off on saying "gung hei fa choi" until then.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 2, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Mahjong Competition Rules (was "The Red Dragon & The West Wind"), vol. III
>From: James, Keith
>To: Tom Sloper
>Sent: Wednesday, January 02, 2008 7:46 AM
>Subject: RE: Mahjong Competition Rules (was "The Red Dragon and The West Wind") + British Mahjong
>Wow Tom that’s great. Thanks to Tina for her clarifications and thanks for your further elaborations.
>
>As for the 3 second rule, yes, I was wondering if the window of opportunity would be cut short if a player quickly took the next tile, but you have now clarified that the 3 seconds still remains. I was thinking of how to prevent an aggressive tactic of trying to intimidate players from claiming the discard by drawing quickly. I had assumed that the reaching for the wall early rule went some way to prevent the next player from having their hand hovering over the next wall tile, ready to snatch this up as soon as the discard was down, but not so now that this rule is no longer to be enforced.
>
>Have you ever come across this form of intimidation in competitive play, or is 3 seconds short enough to prevent this being an issue? How can the offender be stopped, as if a player was to say “wait” followed by “Pung”, would this not contravene the rules also? If the offender had placed the tile into their hand, would they have a dead hand if the discard were then claimed? I can see lots of arguments ensuing about whether the 3 seconds were up or not!
>
>As for MCR in Britain, I would always be ready to get involved, but at the moment I only play with friends. Mahjong seems either to have gone underground in Britain or those that play it do not seem to use the Internet to publicise organisations or events. Chris Redmond is listed as a UK player and has done very well in Europe and the OEMC but I don’t know if he is based in the UK or if he has a website. Gareth Saunders has asked about resurrecting the British Mahjong Association but I don’t think anyone showed an interest. I have seen the recent post on your board from Trevor Denniss, but he would seem to want to pursue British or British Empire Mahjong. I used to play this based on a set of rules that my parents brought back with them from their stay in India, but I do not play this style anymore. I wonder if his group plays MCR as well. I see that one of his groups plays nationally but I can’t find any trace of British competitions on the Internet. I wonder where they play and when.
>Keith
Hi Keith, you wrote:
Wow Tom that’s great. Thanks to Tina
For other readers, you're replying to the discussion of December 14.
I had assumed that the reaching for the wall early rule went some way to prevent the next player from having their hand hovering over the next wall tile, ready to snatch this up as soon as the discard was down, but not so now that this rule is no longer to be enforced.
I'm not following. What rule is no longer enforced?
Have you ever come across this form of intimidation in competitive play
You mean a player in an international game picking so quickly as to make it impossible for others to claim an active discard? No, never. The 3-second rule makes it a useless behavior. I have seen that sort of behavior in American mah-jongg, though. Many competitive (meaning "I wanna win," not "in an important tournament") players think they should close the window quickly to gain an edge. Others think "that wall tile might be a joker, and I don't want to have it snatched out of my grasp." I encourage my American students to pause a beat before reaching for the wall, both to be nice to others and to reduce the chances of having to put a known joker pick back on the wall.
is 3 seconds short enough to prevent this being an issue?
Long enough, you mean? Yes, it is.
How can the offender be stopped
The 3-second rule makes this behavior futile in MCR.
if a player was to say “wait” followed by “Pung”, would this not contravene the rules also?
Yes. No saying "wait" in MCR.
If the offender had placed the tile into their hand, would they have a dead hand if the discard were then claimed?
No. If he can tell which tile it is, the player has to put it back. Other players should hopefully be able to know (from having seen him) that this is indeed the same tile he's putting back. He's only dead if the tile cannot be reliably put back.
I can see lots of arguments ensuing about whether the 3 seconds were up or not!
It doesn't happen a lot. You must be playing with a lot of highly aggressive players! Of course nobody is using a stopwatch, and in practice nobody ever says anything about 3 seconds. It's either "too slow" or "too fast," as determined by consensus and by the judge.
Chris Redmond is listed as a UK player and has done very well in Europe and the OEMC but I don’t know if he is based in the UK
I would assume that he is. I don't know why anyone would even think of it as a question...? I played Chris in Copenhagen, BTW.
or if he has a website.
Shouldn't be hard to find that out.
Gareth Saunders has asked about resurrecting the British Mahjong Association but I don’t think anyone showed an interest. I have seen the recent post on your board from Trevor Denniss, but he would seem to want to pursue British or British Empire Mahjong.
The BMJA espouses British-style mahjong. If anyone wants to resurrect the BMJA, I would think he'd want to do so in conjunction with Gwyn Headley, don't you think? If you guys all want to get in touch with one another (you, Gareth, Trevor, and Gwyn - even Chris), just let me know.
I wonder if his group plays MCR as well.
You mean Trevor? He didn't mention it in his post. People learn the kind of mahjong they learn, and it's normal to develop an affection for that kind and stay with it.
May the tiles be with you in 2008.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 2, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Questions about this set I'm supposed to sell for a friend (part 5)
>From: Mike Fine
>Sent: Tuesday, January 01, 2008 4:31 PM
>Subject: Re: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>Hi Tom,
>Its been a few months since you helped me with my set and I thought I would provide a followup. I gave my friend (and yes it was for a friend and not myself) your estimate of $35 to $65 but they said to still to go ahead and list it. I stripped out all the pieces (unfrankensteined it) that didn't belong and listed it with detailed pictures and with your help an accurate description.
>
>I knew something was up when half way through the auction I received an offer of $135 to end the auction early. I resisted.
>
>My friend was ecstatic when it finally sold for $227.50. Once the buyer received it they were happy with their purchase. It worked out great for all involved.
>Thanks again for your knowledge and advice.
>Mike
Hi Mike,
Wow, that's fantastic that it sold for so much. I'm frankly mystified as to why. The set was not in good condition. Yes, it's old (definitely 1920s) but still...!
I haven't been watching auctions on eBay recently. I was quite active there a few years ago, and noted a steep decline in prices for genuine 1920s sets (and even in genuine 1920s sets being offered). It was turning into all faux "Qing Dynasty" sets from China, which were selling for more than they should have.
If any readers are interested, our original conversation hasn't fallen off the bottom of the board yet. It's still there - September 22 you sent me the pictures, September 23 you gave me the information so I could make my valuation (which apparently was way out of step with the current buyer's market on eBay).
Congratulations, and thanks for coming back and letting me know how it went. You're the first to ever do that.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 1, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
Frequently Asked Question #19P
>From: RMINTZES
>Sent: Tuesday, January 01, 2008 2:47 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>When someone has an exposure which has a joker (ex 2 three dots and a joker) and later calls Mah-jong in error. They put away the error part back in their hand and they are out of the game. Can you still redeem the joker for a three dot after they are dead?
Happy New Year, Rmintz.
You've asked Frequently Asked Question #19P. You can find the answer by clicking the FAQ 19 link, above left. I recommend you bookmark the page for future questions, and when an answer is missing or unclear, ask me and I'll gladly answer or clarify.
May the tiles be with you in 2008!
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
January 1, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.
What does "Pr. Any Dragon" mean? - Part 2
From: Carol Stanton
Sent: Thursday, December 27, 2007 5:07 PM
Subject: RE: Mah-Jongg Q+A
Hi Tom,
Sorry but I am still learning and I don't understand.
Does (Pr. Any Dragon) mean you still have to have 3 suits? If you used Craks for the first two dragons, do you have to use Green and Red for the other dragons? Could you use the same suit and add a joker (2 green dragons and another two green dragons with a joker for the Pung)?
Thanks for your help!
Carol
Hi Carol, you wrote:
Does (Pr. Any Dragon) mean you still have to have 3 suits?
Of course not. The words "Pair any dragon" do not say anything about how many suits a hand must contain. (The number "three" isn't in that parenthetical.) That's a red herring question. Your real question is, "how does the color-coding on the card work?" The color-coding is explained on the back of the NMJL card -- but I grant you that beginners are often confused when they see a color-coded hand modified by a parenthetical which seems to contradict the color-coding.
In my previous reply I linked you to FAQ 19J in case you were still confused by my reply. I assume you read it? FAQ 19J concludes with the following:
For more on how to read the card, see answer AJ and answer AK.
You need to read FAQ 19AJ and FAQ 19AK, and re-read the back of the NMJL card. You need to understand how the color-coding works. All the "frequently asked questions" beginning players ask are answered in FAQ 19 - I wrote the FAQs so I wouldn't have to keep re-writing the same answers time and time again. I need you to look for your answer there - I'm always here to clarify. After you've read answers AJ and AK, if you still don't understand, quote my own words to me and tell me how they don't help you, and I'll give it another shot, using different words.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
December 27, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West. Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com
What does "Pr. Any Dragon" mean?
>From: Carol Stanton
>Sent: Thursday, December 27, 2007 3:27 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>On the NMJL card under Winds-Dragons - the last sequence states (Pr. Any Dragon). What does that mean?
>Thanks,
>Carol
Hi Carol,
It means "pair any dragon." The reason the NMJL wrote that on the card is that some players get confused by the color-coding - they think that the pair has to be green dragons only. The parenthetical means that the pair does not have to be green dragons.
For more about this concept (if you're at all still confused), read FAQ 19J (the FAQs are above left).
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
December 27, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West. Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com
At last! My photos of the 2007 World Mahjong Championship are up! See the world's best mahjong players playing, competing, and enjoying the Olympic-style camaraderie. See photos of the largest stone Buddha in the world, too.
http://www.sloperama.com/Chengdu/chengdu1.htm
Thanks for yesterday's column. Sure did miss it!
>From: M M
>Sent: Monday, December 24, 2007 8:23 AM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>Hi Tom,
>Just wanted to say thanks for your Weekly Columun posting of Dec 23. Sure did miss it! Glad to hear that you are feeling better and your computer problems are fixed.
>Wishing you and your family the very best for the Holiday Season!!!
>Best Regards,
>Maria
Ho, ho, ho! Thanks, Maria.
May the eggnog be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
Christmas Eve, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
So glad the column is back!
>From: Carol Douglas
>Sent: Sunday, December 23, 2007 8:55 AM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is: I don't have a question, just a personal comment: So glad you're feeling better. We really missed your column. Thanks so much.
>Carol Douglas - Texas
Thanks, Carol!
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
December 23, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
Are you (or anyone you know) teaching classes in the Southern California area any time soon???
>From: Scott Woodard
>Sent: Friday, December 21, 2007 10:09 PM
>Subject: Classes?
>Tom,
>I'm a Mah Jongg beginner (with great interest in the game), but there's so much more that I would like to learn. Are you (or anyone you know) teaching classes in the Southern California area any time soon???
>~Scott
Hi Scott,
I can teach a class anytime 4 people want me to teach them. Is it just you?
Which kind of mah-jongg do you want to learn? If you don't know, see FAQ 2b (http://www.sloperama.com/mjfaq/mjfaq02b.htm).
To find other teachers besides me, have you looked at FAQ 4a (http://www.sloperama.com/majexchange/links.htm) and http://www.sloperama.com/majexchange/findplayer.htm and FAQ 15 (http://www.sloperama.com/mjfaq/FAQfindplayer.htm)?
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
December 21, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
Mah-Jongg video on YouTube
From: "Firestone"
Sent: Friday, December 21, 2007 10:53 AM
Subject: Mah Jongg Video
>I thought you may be interested in this video for your website...its about
> a 23-year-old male learning mah-jongg
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ob5acSxD6PE
> Jay Firestone
> Editorial Department
> Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles
Great, thanks Jay!
For now, that link is available to the readers of my mah-jongg Q&A bulletin board (http://www.sloperama.com/majexchange/bulletinbd.htm) but soon I'll also put a permanent link in the FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) as well.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
December 21, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
P.S. I just remembered I haven't yet shared these other YouTube video links with the readers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2I0IlTIHf8 (my table at the OEMC 2007 in Copenhagen)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPQMHFEFQOY (Li Li winning the World Mahjong Championship 2007 in Emeishan, Sichuan, China)
I miss reading the column
>From: Lucy Hildebrand
>Sent: Thursday, December 20, 2007 5:14:44 AM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>Have you posted any new columns to your Weekly Mah Jongg column since Nov. 18? I have it bookmarked and check in every week but I haven't seen a new column since Nov. 18. Did something change then? I miss reading the column. Thanks
Hi Lucy,
A nasty cold drained my energy, so I wasn't writing any columns. I'm feeling much better now. And I was waiting to hear from readers, to see if anybody noticed and cared.
I'll resume writing columns very soon.
Another complication is that my cable service went out yesterday. No TV, no telephone, and no Internet. I have to use the Internet at McDonald's or Starbucks until the cable company completes their repairs. [Note: cable service restored - thanks (finally), Time Warner.]
Best regards,
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
McDonald's, Santa Monica, CA (USA)
December 20, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
Anything I can do to make my extra Bakelite tiles match?
From: "Joan Krimstein"
Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2007 10:39 AM
Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
> My mah-jongg question or comment is: Can bakelite tiles be darken to
> match the rest of the tiles. I have extra flowers, that will be
> needed for Jokers, but they seem a bit lighter in color. Anything I
> can do? Thanks
Hi Joan,
Nothing I know of offhand. Maybe there's something in FAQ 7o? If you want to get tiles that match better, try the links in FAQ 7r and try the Tiles For Sale bulletin board.
May the better-matching tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
December 19, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
Vietnamese Mah Jongg
From: "Jon Schild"
Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2007 9:45 PM
Subject: Vietnamese Mah Jongg
>A couple of years ago, I saw a very nice Mah Jongg set in a chinese
> import shop. It was marked half price because the case was a little
> damaged and the book was lost, so I bought it. When I got it home and
> examined it, it had 16 tiles I had never seen before. I eventually
> found out that it was a Vietnamese set, which solved part of my problems.
> Perusing your site, I came across a short description of the Vietnamese
> game, with the notation to contact you if I wanted to know more. Having
> failed to find anything already written, I guess I need ask you to send
> whatever information you have (in English) about Vietnamese Mah Jongg.
>
> Also, I have one question about what was included in your description.
> What are the 19 ways of Going Out? This may be included in the further
> information you promised to send.T
> Thanks in advance. I know this may take a while, so will be patient.
> Jon Schild
> Salt Lake City
Hi Jon, you wrote:
it had 16 tiles I had never seen before. I eventually
> found out that it was a Vietnamese set
So you found those 16 tiles in FAQ 7e? And you now know what those are, right?
I guess I need ask you to send
> whatever information you have (in English) about Vietnamese Mah Jongg. ... I know this may take a while, so will be patient.
I used to print it and ask for the cost of printing and mailing, but the heck with that. I'm posting it for download. See next paragraph.
What are the 19 ways of Going Out? This may be included in the further
> information you promised to send.
I'm not exactly sure, actually. I assume they're comparable to the special hands in Chinese Classical: you know, All Honors,
Heavenly Hand,
Earthly Hand,
Thirteen Orphans,
Big Three Dragons,
Big Four Winds,
All Green,
Gathering Plum Blossom From the Roof,
Moon from the Bottom of the Sea,
Buried Treasure...
I have a couple of different scoring sheets. One in English that I don't fully understand and suspect is incomplete, and one in Vietnamese that I can't read. Click here for the English document, and click here for the Vietnamese one (you need to use a program that displays the numerous layers of a TIFF file to use the Vietnamese one - I use ACDSee to view it myself, I just tried Photoshop and it didn't like the compression method used).
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
December 19, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
I do hope you'll post another column soon
>From: Benjamin Boas
>Sent: Monday, December 17, 2007 7:26 AM
>Subject: Column
>Tom,
>You haven't updated your column in a month. I do hope you'll post another column soon, I always look forward to them. In fact, I probably a good deal of my initial inspiration to enter tournaments to them. When Tom's not updating his column, something in the Mahjong world just doesn't seem right...
>--
>Benjamin W. Boas
>Fulbright Fellow
>Institute for Research in the Humanities
>Kyoto University
>ベンジャミン・ボアズ
>フルブライト・フェロー
>人文科学研究所
>京都大学
Hi Benjamin,
Thanks for writing. The cold I caught in Chengdu drained my energy and stuffed my left ear (it's still clearing), my USC students have their final exam tomorrow, and I have to mail Christmas gifts this week. I'm also in the thick of Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences award selection, which means I just got a box of 20 video games I need to play. All that has left me with little energy or inspiration for the column. I do have my pocket notepad full of notes from Chengdu.
I might leave the column alone until the New Year, or I might write more about the WMJC.
Dewa mata,
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
December 18, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
Promoting the popularity of Mah-jong in Britain, part 2
>From: trevor denniss
>Sent: Monday, December 17, 2007 11:03 AM
>Subject: Re: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>Hi Tom
>Many thanks for your very prompt reply to my mail and your comments in response to my queries.
>
>I will certainly look up those references you give as I haven't come across them. I've got about a dozen of the best books on the market (not yours yet I'm afraid although I will be purchasing it in the new year).
>
>I have been amazed at the friendliness and dedication of the Mah-jong community. I recently wrote to the WMO and pointed out an error in their English translation and not only did I have some very friendly and informative correspondence from May Hu she sent me a copy of the new competition rules (I only had a PDF which I had downloaded). So I'm very impressed.
>
>Good luck with your site. I think it's a great resource for mah-jong enthusiasts and I dip into it constantly, together with the Gareth & Jane Saunders site.
>I will no doubt be in touch again if we have any future queries.
>Best wishes - a Happy Xmas and prosperous New Year!
>Trevor Denniss
Cheers, Trevor.
Get in touch anytime. As you've already seen, we in America, China, and Europe are all interested in helping you promote the game's popularity in the U.K.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
December 17, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
We would like to promote the popularity of Mah-jong in Britain
>From: trevor denniss
>Sent: Sunday, December 16, 2007 2:54 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>I am a British player and have formed 4 mah-jong groups in the past.One of these groups now plays nationally. My present group has been running for about one year and consists of 11 members who are all very keen players.
>We would like to promote the popularity of Mah-jong in Britain but there is no definitive work dealing with the British variants (based on the Chinese traditional game).Does anyone who visits your site play the BMJA rules which are only presented in the very good, but very basic, 'Know the Game' book by Gwynn Headley and Yvonne Seeley? If so, do they have any suggestions for improving game play. It would be nice to see this included in your strategy columns. I am currently working on my own book of rules which has so far run into 40 A-4 pages and which I hope to eventually make available to encourage the British public to take to the game as I'm sure it has a wonderful, untapped potential in this country. Any suggestions please?
>Trevor Denniss
>Norfolk, England
Hello Trevor,
Nice to hear from you! You wrote:
there is no definitive work dealing with the British variants [other than] the very good, but very basic, 'Know the Game' book by Gwynn [sic] Headley and Yvonne Seeley
I don't think I agree with you. The Australian authors Thompson and Maloney have written some good ones too. And Tuttle recently re-released Strauser & Evans' book, with a new strategy chapter by me. See FAQ 3 for more. There are quite a few books on British-style ("Western") mah-jong -- but I don't know whether they'd meet your criteria for "definitiveness." (^_^)
Does anyone who visits your site play the BMJA rules
I've gotten very few visitors who ask questions about British rules (note that I'm not differentiating between Headley & Seeley and those other authors). Mostly, the questions I've gotten have been about (in descending order): American, MCR, Japanese, Chinese Classical, Hong Kong, Vietnamese, Malaysian. Then British.
any suggestions for improving game play. It would be nice to see this included in your strategy columns.
I wasn't sure what you meant by "improving game play" until I read your subsequent sentence. You mean strategy tips? See FAQ 8. You ought to find some useful tips in there. The tips for Asian variants apply to British rules. I have written a few columns on Western (British) mah-jong, but haven't had enough demand to increase them. Actually, I haven't written the column for the past few weeks. Maybe the creative spirit will infuse me again after the New Year.
I'm sure [mah-jong] has a wonderful, untapped potential in this country. Any suggestions please?
I agree with you, and I wish I did have some suggestions for how to promote the game there. You might want to check out Gareth Saunders' site (it's listed in FAQ 4b) - he's got the biggest British mah-jong website I know of. You could get in touch with him and join forces. I wish you success. By the way, you might want to scroll down and see what Tina Christensen, who organized this year's Open European Mahjong Championship (MCR, not British rules) had to say. See the thread entitled Mahjong Competition Rules (was "The Red Dragon & The West Wind"), dated December 14.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
December 16, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
What's my set worth?
From: "Susan McLaughlin"
Sent: Sunday, December 16, 2007 12:25 PM
Subject: Mah-Jongg Q A
> My mah-jongg question or comment is:
> Thanks for your great website-I've read some sections more than once, but still don't know what I'm dealing with. This set was my mother's, and I don't know where she got it from. What I do know after reading your website:
> --it's probably from the 1920's -1930's (because of the simpler-style crak character)
> --it's very possibly Chinese (because it has 4 blank tiles, that are in addition to the 4 blanks that are probably the white dragons)
> --there are 148 tiles
> --there is a round case with 4 disks inside with the characters for the 4 winds (the reverse of the winds have the N, E, S, W symbols)
> --there are 8 flowers
> --the money sticks appear to clearly be bone because of how they have cracked (see picture)
> --the box is a wooden, dovetailed, top slide (don't know what kind of wood), it is not lined, and there are no marks which help identify who made it, or where it was made (the box is pretty well scratched and nicked)
> --given the inconsistency of the symbols, I believe they are hand carved (see especially bamboo tiles-not just the lines, the numbers as well, and the birds--beaks are not consistent,
> and the eyes are not always in the same location)
> --some of the tiles (3 or 4) are stained
>
> I could not find on your website the number of money sticks that is standard, but I have:
> --4 dot sticks (35)
> --8 dot sticks (40)
> --16 dot sticks (36)
> --24 dot sticks (8)
>
> There are five die, and I cannot find on your website any mention of this type (may not even be from Mah Jongg), each dice has a king (as in playing cards); a queen; a jack; 10 hearts or spades (red); 9 hearts or spaces (black); and 1 spade (black).
> (see picture)
>
> It's clear from the pictures that the tiles are dovetailed, but I do not see any cross hatching so they are not ivory, but I believe they are bone, as opposed to plastic or any other material. The tiles are almost assuredly attached to bamboo.
>
> There is also a rule book, dated 1965-66 (probably purchased after the fact; again an assumption on my part)
>
> So, that's the background-and here are my questions:
>
> --Do you agree with my assessment of it being from the 1920-1930's, given the information on your site?
> --Have you ever seen these die in other Mah Jongg games?
> --Do I have the appropriate number of money sticks?
> --Do you agree with my assessment that they are hand carved, given the description on your site?
> --What price do you think I could fetch for this?
>
> I am planning to sell this set and am looking for verification of my assumptions. I can send you a tile if you would like closer examination. Thanks for your help
> Susan M. McLaughlin
Hi Susan, you asked:
Do you agree with my assessment of it being from the 1920-1930's
The tile designs are typical of the 1920s. Slide-top boxes usually contained smaller tiles, and may have been made in the 1930s. You didn't say what dimensions your tiles are, but if they're smaller than 1.25" x 7/8" then I'm guessing they're probably 1930s. I've not seen that type of slide-top box before. It's broader than the usual 1930s box, and it's partitioned. So that might still be 1920s, when everybody was experimenting with packaging formats and designs and such. My guess is 1920s.
Have you ever seen these die in other Mah Jongg games?
You mean "dice." (If you had just one, it would be a "die.") They're "poker dice." You might be able to sell them as a standalone item. You should buy a pair of regular dice for the set before you sell it.
Do I have the appropriate number of money sticks? I could not find on your website the number of money sticks that is standard
Did you read FAQ 7d? As long as they're all divisible by 4, they're probably okay.
Do you agree with my assessment that they are hand carved
Of course. You really need to trust your own good judgment, you clearly saw the individual differences.
What price do you think I could fetch for this?
It doesn't have the original dice, it doesn't have the original manual, the box is crappy, and some of the tiles are stained. You didn't say anything else about the condition of the tiles, but the photos indicate the tiles are in nice condition other than the stains. Given the other flaws of the set, it's definitely not going to sell for the $120+/- that it could have sold for if all had been complete and in much better condition. You might get $80-100 for it. You can leave the NMJL card in it - collectors are used to getting the occasional card in these old sets. You could also leave the poker dice in it, but I wouldn't.
May the sale be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
December 16, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
Artificially aged mystery tiles, part 4
>From: Newman, John
>Sent: Friday, December 14, 2007 5:04 PM
>Subject: RE: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>Well I only paid $100 from a small store in Spokane and the lady there didn’t know anything about it she did think it was old and so did I so thanks for letting me know. Next time I see a set I try to be more wary.
>Do you know if you can buy individual tiles, if I wanted to get the flowers? Artificially-aged of course.
Hi John, you wrote:
Well I only paid $100 from a small store in Spokane and the lady there didn’t know anything about it she did think it was old and so did I
OK, well you could easily have paid that much for it if you'd had it shipped from China anyway.
Do you know if you can buy individual tiles
Of course. Read FAQ 7r.
flowers? Artificially-aged of course.
Yeah, well, good luck with that. Read the FAQ.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
December 14, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
Mahjong Competition Rules (was "The Red Dragon & The West Wind")
>From: James, Keith
>To: Tom Sloper
>Sent: Friday, December 14, 2007 9:27 AM
>Subject: RE: The Red Dragon and The West Wind- The New Millington
>Thanks for the speedy answers Tom; this has made things a lot clearer. Only two follow-ups:
>
>Late call, situation B- if the next player takes the next tile an instant after the discard has been made, have the other 2 players lost the right to claim the last discard, even though they would still be within the 3 seconds time limit? If so, at what point does a player lose the right to claim a discard?
>
>Touching the wall early- my question was poorly worded. I was seeking to clarify if the tile must always be returned to the wall even if, in the extreme case, it was quickly taken into a player’s hand before the previous player had discarded. Your reply to the 10 second ruling would seem to suggest that it must be returned? It might be a bit tricky to identify the tile if it had been put into the offending player’s hand.
>Keith
Welcome back, Keith. Funny you wrote me today, right after I heard the following from Tina Christensen:
From: "Tina Christensen"
Sent: Friday, December 14, 2007 3:26 AM
Subject: Q&A BB: The Red Dragon & The West Wind
> Hi Tom,
> Nice post on your Q&A BB regarding The Red Dragon & The West Wind.
> It's good to know that your book is being read in the UK, 'cause we
> continental Europeans to our regret haven't had much success in making
> contacts with British MCR players.
>
> I'll elaborate on some of your answers based on the Referee Seminar at the
> World Mahjong Championship (WMC) in Emeishan last month
> http://mahjong.dk/aktiviteter/udlandet/wmc2007/
> For the record, I was an arbitrator at WMC 2007.
>
> Q: Reaches for the wall but then takes the discard- MCR 2006 rules state
> that not only can the player not now win, they cannot Chow Pung or Kong
> either. Has this been changed?
>
> A: This rule is not enforced. Referees and arbitrators at the WMC 2007
> agreed on this. Instead the rule is: touched tile is taken tile. So if you
> just reach out, okay, you can decide to take the discard instead, but if
> you've touched the wall tile, you have to take it, and cannot change your
> mind and take the discard, it would be considered "Empty call" and
> penalized with a warning/progressive penalty.
>
> Q: False Mahjong
>
> A: The 20 point penalty is given if the hand has an invalid structure (the
> hand is neither four set and a pair, nor one of the allowed irregular
> structures). One way this can happen is if you call a wrong tile, e.g.
> calling hu on 3C, thinking it was 2C. It doesn't matter if the hand was
> waiting or not. If the final 14 tiles doesn't make a valid hand, it's a
> 3x20 point penalty.
>
> Q: Touching Wall too Early- If the player sees the early taken tile does
> he keep it?
>
> A: The offending player must put the tile back, receive his penalty, and
> await his turn. There are two cases: 1. The penalty is a
> warning/progressing penalty if the tile is touched and even if it's seen.
> When it becomes his turn, maybe he gets to draw that tile, and then he can
> keep it. But maybe someone has in the meantime claimed a discard, so that
> the player gets to draw another tile. 2. If the player has taken a tile
> out of turn and placed it among his own tiles, he has a dead hand. In this
> case, if you can not tell for sure which tile it was, the only solution is
> to let the player keep it.
>
> Q: Progressive penalty- Is this increased when any foul incurring this is
> made or is it only progressed if the same foul reoccurs?
>
> A: Every foul adds up, doesn't matter if it's the same type of foul. In a
> tournament you're "reset" at each table, so it doesn't add up over all 8
> playing sessions.
>
> Q:Do you know if the WMO is intending to produce an updated English
> translation of MCR?
>
> A: Definitely, but it will take time. A WMO rules committee is being
> formed, but we know that discussing these things with China is a slow
> process. In the meantime Stéphane Parcollet, who was Vice Chief Referee at
> the WMC 2007, is finalizing a document which sums up the penalties in a
> table. I've seen the draft, and it is very useful. When it's finalized we
> will make it available through the website of the European Mahjong
> Association: http://mahjong-europe.org/
> If you speak French it's already available:
> http://magicmahjong.free.fr/Documents/Arbitrage%2020071129.pdf
> Tina Christensen
Thanks very much, Tina! So it looks like you clarified Keith's new question on touching the wall too early (plus wonderfully detailed clarifications on the other matters as well).
As for Keith's new question on "late call, situation B" -- Keith, in MCR (as opposed to American rules), the "window of opportunity" (during which other players are permitted to call the current discard) does not necessarily close when the next player puts a picked tile into his hand. The 3-second rule means that the window is not closed until 3 seconds have expired. Your question suggests that the window closes when 3 seconds have expired OR the next player "racks the tile" (that's the term we use in American mah-jongg, I think it might be workable for other variants in the absence of a better term), whichever happens first. But no. The 3-second rule states that other players have a full 3 seconds in which to claim the tile. If it was the way you were thinking, I would have mentioned that in rule 40.a. on page 134 of the book. Because of the 3-second window of opportunity, it behooves players to pause a beat after someone discards before picking from the wall. Trying to make the game go faster can cause little disgruntlements to erupt.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
December 14, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
Followup to my latest post to John, directly below.
Your mystery tiles between R and Wh are Chinese "100 uses" jokers. The rectangular outline on your jokers is different from the usual Chinese joker design (with objects in opposite corners, as depicted in FAQ 7e). Usually, a tile with a rectangular outline is a white dragon - but not when anything other than a Roman B or P (or the English word "white") is written inside the rectangle.
In your image of the bams, the tiles are (L to R): flowers, 1B, 2B, 4B, 3B, 5B, 7B, 6B, 8B, 9B.
Still curious what you paid for the set...
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
December 14, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
Artificially aged mystery tiles, part 3
>From: Newman, John
>Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2007 10:54 PM
>Subject: RE: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>The white tiles are extra and I’m missing four “flowers” right?
>How much should I have paid for the set if it’s a fake? Or how much would you have paid? I really only want to be able to play the game.
Hi John, you wrote:
The white tiles are extra
No. FAQ 7e clearly says that those are your white dragons. And FAQ 7e clearly shows what those tiles between the red dragons and white dragons are.
and I’m missing four “flowers” right?
Yes. Your set has just the 4 animal flowers. If you choose to play a variant that wants 8 flower tiles, you can use the other 4 tiles (the ones between your R and Wh dragons) as flowers. Just tell the other players, "for tonight, these tiles are flowers."
How much should I have paid for the set if it’s a fake?
It's not fake. It's a real mahjong set. It can be used to play the game.
Or how much would you have paid?
I imagine that the bulk of the cost, if you bought this on eBay from a Chinese seller, was for the postage. At least I hope so. So let's not talk about the total cost including postage - let's only talk about the price of the set itself. Personally, I wouldn't pay $20 for this set, but that doesn't mean you got ripped off if you paid that much. It's a nice box, and it's rather artful how the tiles were aged. So how much did you pay?
I really only want to be able to play the game.
Then I hope you and your friends who'll play the game with you can read the Chinese numbers on the craks, and the names of the winds. Or that you (and they) don't mind the challenge of learning how to read those tiles. The set can be used to play most Asian variants, but it can't be used to play American or Vietnamese rules (not enough tiles, as described in FAQ 7a). Have you chosen which variant you want to learn yet? FAQ 2a can help you with that, if you haven't. FAQ 3 lists books, and FAQ 4b lists websites.
So have you figured out how to correctly line up the bams in your set? They're shown out of order in your photo. The craks are lined up correctly (I didn't post the craks photo or any of your other photos, just the necessary photos for your original question).
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
December 13, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
How can you tell it's artificially aged? (Was: What are my mystery tiles)
>From: Newman, John
>Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2007 3:49 PM
>Subject: RE: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>How can you tell that it’s artificially-aged just from the photo
Hi John,
Several ways:
I've seen scores of those sets on eBay - they all have the same washed out colors and the same lusterless, slightly sepia-tone bone.
The tile designs are those used in latter-day sets. Never saw one of these with genuine antique pre-1920s designs (I assume the seller of this said it's Qing Dynasty, which is an obvious lie). I don't want to go into much detail, lest the information go to the makers. Best if they keep making their obvious forgeries.
The set includes tiles that are never seen in genuine antique sets (1920s and earlier).
So, let me ask you. Did you identify your mystery tiles from FAQ 7e and 7b? Hint: your bams are shown out of order. If you still need help with that, just say the word.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
December 13, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
What are my mystery tiles?
>From: Newman, John
>Sent: Wednesday, December 12, 2007 10:31 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is: OK, I got this set and I can’t figure out what some of the tiles are I think there some sort of flower tile but all four tiles look the same and four of the tiles are the cat, the rat, the rich man ,and the pot of gold. I can’t tell what the other four are. Maybe the four blank tiles are extra and the ones with the rectangles are the white dragons and I’m missing four flowers? Here are some photos of my set.
>Thanks, John
Hi John,
You can identify your mystery tiles if you check out Frequently
Asked
Question #7e (above left). Look closely at all the images (one time I had a guy who couldn't find his mystery tiles - turned out he was viewing the page as text only, on his cell phone). Also check FAQ 7b. After you've checked out those FAQs, you're welcome to come back with any follow-up questions.
By the way, I see that you have one of those modern, artificially-aged sets. And one of those modern antique-looking boxes. It's amazing how those inventive Chinese do that!
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
December 12, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
The Red Dragon & The West Wind
>From: James, Keith
>Sent: Wednesday, December 12, 2007 3:15 AM
>Subject: The Red Dragon and The West Wind- The New Millington
>Hi Tom
>Bought your book in Foyles in London recently and it was the last one left, so your book seems to be selling well in the UK too. What an excellent book! Definitely the new standard reference, although I doubt if many of us Brits will delve too deeply into the American Mahjong sections. The book is an absolute goldmine and at a price that everyone can afford.
>The MCR section is just what English speaking players must have been waiting for ever since CMOIR was published. Full playing procedures and clarification of previous controversies and omissions.
>I wonder however if you could clear up a few points that I came across when I was updating my own playing notes. I did check on your web resource but couldn’t find much mention of your new book or any updates that are of course inevitable after a first edition.
>Could you comment on whether the following are something that I have missed, are too obvious to mention, translation errors, errata in your book, or are areas that have yet to be finalised please:
>The Fan:
>Fan 73 Pung of Terminals and Honours- Previous advice has been that this cannot combine with a pung of Seat Wind, Prevalent Wind or Dragon as they are a special form of honour pung. Has this now changed?
>Fan 66 - Two Concealed Pungs- If one set is a Kong points for Fan 67 Concealed Kong could be added?
>Fan 59 Dragon Pung- in your expanded listing, you have left out combine with a concealed Kong.
>Fan 45 Last Tile Claim- MCR 2006 rules state that this is the last tile of the game, whereas your book states it is the last tile in the wall?
>Fan 8 All Terminals- by implication; this also cannot be combined with Fan 73 Pung of Terminals and Honours?
>Errors:
>The handling of errors as stated in the MCR 2006 rules is at first very hard to decipher and a grouping such as yours is very useful. Again, I have some queries
>Reaches for the wall but then takes the discard- MCR 2006 rules state that not only can the player not now win, they cannot Chow Pung or Kong either. Has this been changed?
>Late call- your book states in the expanded section that the penalty is ‘as above’ whereas in your statement of the rules this is a progressive penalty. By the way, what happens after a late call? Is the player still allowed to take the tile? If so, until when? 3 seconds sounds a short time, but I have read that many experts play almost in a continuous flow. Can a player still claim a discard even after the game has moved on, if it is still within 3 seconds?
>Time Limits- I couldn’t find rule 3.6.4 in your book which covers a player having to make a discard within 10 seconds of starting their turn. If this rule still stands, what happens if the discard is not made within 10 seconds? Is there any penalty or is it just that the other players can now insist that a discard is made immediately? Can the next player begin their turn even though this would normally contravene Touching Wall too Early?
>False Mahjong- MCR 2006 rules differs from your book in that the 10 point penalty is incurred if the hand is completed but does not achieve the 8 point minimum and the 20 point penalty is only for a hand that is waiting and goes out on a wrong discard, (although calling for a tile with a dead hand is also mentioned, which obviously cant be a waiting hand). Is your description based on a subsequent clarification, (it seems more sensible as a non waitng hand is not mentioned in MCR 2006)?
>Touching Wall too Early- If the player sees the early taken tile does he keep it?
>Progressive penalty- Is this increased when any foul incurring this is made or is it only progressed if the same foul re occurs?
>I would be grateful for your reply and I appologise if you have covered these points elsewhere on your website.
>Do you know if the WMO is intending to produce an updated English translation of MCR?
>I can only use my work email address at the moment, so please do not publish it.
>Thanks
>Keith James
>London, England
Hello Keith,
Thanks for writing:
The Red Dragon and The West Wind- The New Millington
Wow, thank you. In terms of mahjong history and analysis, though, I have to bow to Millington.
couldn’t find much mention of your new book or any updates that are of course inevitable after a first edition.
The book has been out for six months, and I haven't collected many errata yet. Maybe 2 or 3 is all. Hadn't thought to put them online. When I have quantity and/or important errata, I'll probably do that.
Fan 73 Pung of Terminals and Honours- Previous advice has been that this cannot combine with a pung of Seat Wind, Prevalent Wind or Dragon as they are a special form of honour pung. Has this now changed?
Wow, looks like you caught an oopsy on my part. Draw a line through that line of text on page 190 and 156.
Fan 66 - Two Concealed Pungs- If one set is a Kong points for Fan 67 Concealed Kong could be added?
Yes. See rule 63 (p. 139). It's not inevitable that one of your two concealed pungs would be a kong. Therefore you may add it.
Fan 59 Dragon Pung- in your expanded listing, you have left out combine with a concealed Kong.
Omission noted in my markup copy of the book.
Fan 45 Last Tile Claim- MCR 2006 rules state that this is the last tile of the game, whereas your book states it is the last tile in the wall?
Right. The only possible distinction would be when the last player discards a tile other than the one he picked from the wall. I'll add that to the errata.
Fan 8 All Terminals- by implication; this also cannot be combined with Fan 73 Pung of Terminals and Honours?
Of course. It's inevitable that all the pungs in your fan 8 hand are terminal pungs. Therefore fan 73 is implied and may not be added. I didn't list every possible inevitable inclusion in the book.
Reaches for the wall but then takes the discard- MCR 2006 rules state that not only can the player not now win, they cannot Chow Pung or Kong either. Has this been changed?
I said the same thing in rule 82 in my book. I've marked my book on page 199 to indicate that additional wording (to this effect) might be in order. Perhaps the absence of such wording on p. 199 is the reason for your question?
If that rule has been changed in the past few months, I haven't heard it. I wasn't present at the judges' training session in November, and there may be recent changes that I don't know about.
Late call- your book states in the expanded section that the penalty is ‘as above’ whereas in your statement of the rules this is a progressive penalty.
OK, I've now circled the phrase "as above" in my markup copy.
By the way, what happens after a late call? Is the player still allowed to take the tile? If so, until when? 3 seconds sounds a short time, but I have read that many experts play almost in a continuous flow. Can a player still claim a discard even after the game has moved on, if it is still within 3 seconds?
It depends. There are two possible cases to consider. Either the caller [A] is the player to the right of the discarder or [B] he is not.
A. So everybody was waiting for him anyway, and he was pretty slow to call the tile. Most likely there would be no big fuss raised in the first place. He would be allowed to take the tile but he'd receive a warning to play faster going forward.
B. For the game to "move on," the caller would have to be someone other than the player whose turn follows the discarder's. By the time 3 seconds have passed in such a case, the next player has picked from the wall and does not have to put it back. Thus, the caller does not get the discard.
Time Limits- I couldn’t find rule 3.6.4 in your book which covers a player having to make a discard within 10 seconds of starting their turn.
You're referring to MCR'06 rule 3.6.4. Look on page 134 of my book - rule 37.
If this rule still stands, what happens if the discard is not made within 10 seconds? Is there any penalty or is it just that the other players can now insist that a discard is made immediately?
This is mostly a question of what happens with real live people, rather than a question of rules. Players will usually be fairly patient, up to a point. Someone will probably say "please play" before calling a judge to the table. The escalating penalty of (1) warning, (2) small points, (3) more points... and so on will likely be incurred, if the players call a judge over to the table in the face of a slow player multiple times.
Can the next player begin their turn even though this would normally contravene Touching Wall too Early?
No, absolutely not.
False Mahjong- MCR 2006 rules differs from your book in that the 10 point penalty is incurred if the hand is completed but does not achieve the 8 point minimum and the 20 point penalty is only for a hand that is waiting and goes out on a wrong discard, (although calling for a tile with a dead hand is also mentioned, which obviously cant be a waiting hand). Is your description based on a subsequent clarification, (it seems more sensible as a non waitng hand is not mentioned in MCR 2006)?
MCR'06 has many errata, and this may be one of them. I hope I'm not missing the point of your question, but essentially on page 28 of MCR'06 they're making a distinction between waiting hands (valid) and non-waiting (invalid) hands. I did have subsequent clarification from the WMCC for my book - gained at the judges' training session of 2006 in Tianjin.
Touching Wall too Early- If the player sees the early taken tile does he keep it?
There are two ways to "see" a tile: with one's eyes and with one's fingers. Neither of them has any effect on this rule. How could it be enforced? Other players cannot verify conclusively whether or not the picker has seen the tile. He gets the same penalty regardless.
Progressive penalty- Is this increased when any foul incurring this is made or is it only progressed if the same foul re occurs?
That would probably be at the judge's discretion, but most likely only for the same foul. Imaginary example: "hey, aren't you the same guy I just penalized for being too slow to discard? Minus five points for this first time that you called a discard too late." Hmm. Then again, both penalties are for slowness - which could arguably be considered different aspects of the same foul.
Do you know if the WMO is intending to produce an updated English translation of MCR?
I haven't heard anything conclusive, but the WMCC is constantly refining the rules, and I've reported the existing errata to the committee. At some point they're bound to issue a revision.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
December 12, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
Feeling the tile
From: "Linda Fisher"
Sent: Monday, December 10, 2007 8:28 AM
Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
> My mah-jongg question or comment is:
> Hi, Tom - hope you are doing well. Wanted to tell you about a fellow who
> came to our Mahjongg meetup last night. He was from Burma and we taught him
> NMJL. Every time he picked a tile he rubbed it with his thumb and could
> tell what tile it was without even looking. He just lifted up the tile,
> rubbed it, made a face and discarded. Very impressive! Have you ever heard
> of such a thing? Is it kosher? :)
> Happy mahj.
> Linda
Hi Linda, long time no see. You wrote:
Have you ever heard
> of such a thing?
Of course. You forget, I've played in China and Japan. I feel the tile I pick every time too - and I can often tell what it is. But I never discard without looking to be sure.
Is it kosher?
What do you mean? Please explain what could be wrong with the practice.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
December 21, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
Frequently Asked Question #19M
>From: Robert Betty Ward
>Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2007 12:36 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>We play the National MJ Card; Player #1 exposed two 7 bams with a joker...Player #2 picked and discarded a West Wind...Player #3 had a 7 bam on her tray and one West Wind....she needed three West winds..Question: could she claim the West wind as her draw, swap the 7 bam for the joker and then expose two West winds and a joker before she discarded and completed her turn? Thank you. B.Ward
Hello B.,
I just looked at what I wrote in Frequently Asked Question 19M, and I don't think that quite tells what you need to know clearly enough (so I'll rewrite it ASAP).
Here's the deal. Player 3 cannot take the discard, because she doesn't have enough tiles in her hand to do it. What she would have to do is:
1. Say "I'll take that."
2. Take that.
3. Put it atop her rack.
4. Add at least 2 more tiles to make a legal pung.
5. Then, having 14 tiles in her hand, she could redeem jokers if she's got redeemable tiles.
6. Discard if she isn't mah-jongg.
She can't do step 4 because she only has one West, and no joker. She can't put up a W and a 7B atop her rack, then exchange the 7B.
Step 4 is the problem - because she can't do step 4, she cannot take the W.
FIRST you have to make the exposure (the complete exposure).
THEN (and ONLY then) can you redeem jokers.
You can't go to the store and say "I'll buy this, then I'll go to the bank and come back and pay you." You have to have the cash on hand. Same thing with making an exposure.
There's no such thing as a "future joker."
Since she cannot take the W, she can do the next best thing - she can sigh or moan or kvetch or shoot daggers with her eyes at the W discarder. That's pretty much all she's able to do at that point. But hey, kvetching is part of the fun of mah-jongg, right? (^_^)
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
December 6, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
Frequently Asked Question #19Y
>From: schawarml@███████
.net
>Sent: Monday, December 03, 2007 7:40 AM
>Subject: maj jong question
>If a player has 3 exposures and I throw them their maj tile, am I responsible for paying for the table? If so, do I pay double for everyone?
>My e-mail address is schawarml@███████
.net
>Thank you,
>G. Schwartz
Hello G.,
I can tell that you play American mah-jongg (you said "maj"). So this is Frequently Asked Question #19Y. Scroll up to the FAQ links above left, click FAQ 19, and when you get to the FAQ 19 page, scroll down to question Y and click it to read your answer.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
December 3, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
Please delete my listing, part 2
>From: ████Spiritus
>Sent: Sunday, December 02, 2007 10:35 AM
>Subject: Re: Mah Jongg Teacher
>Tom,
>Thank you so much for your prompt attention to this.
>The CACHE update is done by your "Webster" I am told. That
>is whoever has your original list of people.
>Thanks again.
>Sonya S█████
Hi Sonya,
I am the webmaster of my website, and I've done everything I believe that I can to remove the listing that you originally asked me to put online.
May the utmost security be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
December 2, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
Please delete my listing
>From: ████Spiritus
>Sent: Saturday, December 01, 2007 3:25 PM
>Subject: Mah Jongg Teacher
>It has come to my attention that Google has
>put my name, city and telephone number on
>their site under my name as a Mah Jongg
>teacher..
>I am not certain, but at the suggestion of
>████industries, and to be absolutely
>thorough, I am asking you to take my
>name off any Mah Jongg lists you may have.
>I am also no longer teaching.
>I have been told by Google that the way to
>get me off almost immediately is for you
>to update your CACHE, after taking me off,
>otherwise it will take about 6 weeks.
>I appreciate your cooperation and know that
>you can understand my concern.
>Sonya S█████ - P███████
Hi Sonya,
I am deleting the information that you asked me to put on my website on August 2, 2007.
If you go to http://www.sloperama.com/majexchange/findplayer.htm and scroll down to August 2 you will see that your listing has been deleted.
I do not know how to "update my cache," but if it's easy and you provide me instructions, I will do so. Perhaps they only meant for YOU to update your browser's cache ("refresh" the website view) to see the listing cleared.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
December 1, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
Frequently Asked Question #19E
>From: The Tomers
>Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2007 1:58:15 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is: If you are working on a 2007 hand can you call a soap for mah jongg. Also, if you are working on a NEWS, and you need an E, can you call an E for Mah Jongg.
>Thanks
>Arlene
>thetomers
Hi Arlene,
This is Frequently Asked Question #19E. Go to http://www.sloperama.com/mjfaq/mjfaq19.htm and click question E to find your answer.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
November 29, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
Frequently Asked Question #19AF
>From: The Tomers
>Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2007 1:40:39 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is: Can you change an exposure? Say you put up 4-flowers and 1-joker to make 5. Then you realize you made a mistake, you only need 4 flowers can you take the joker back.
>Thank you
>Arlene Tomer
>thetomers
Hi Arlene,
This is Frequently Asked Question #19AF. Go to http://www.sloperama.com/mjfaq/mjfaq19.htm and click question AF to find your answer.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
November 29, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
Pickandrack
>From: Ruthie Stevenson
>Sent: Tuesday, November 27, 2007 5:33 AM
>Subject: mahjj
>I have a question. When we play most players pick and rack immediately to prevent others from calling before it's racked. Is this fair?
>We have voted it's o.k. I find it bad sportsmanship but am overruled.....R. Stevens
Hi Ruthie,
The answer is here, but your question goes much deeper than just what you asked. It's not for me to judge whether your group is "fair." Please read FAQ 14 & FAQ 9 first. I think you know where the FAQs are? (Hint: above left.)
Then after you've read those, you can read about "pickandrack" in FAQ19AD - but don't forget what you read in FAQ 14 & FAQ 9 too. My philosophies do not exist as islands in a vacuous void - they exist in harmony with one another.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
November 27, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
Eddie Cantor's song "Since Ma is Playing Mah Jong"
>From: Mary J. Wright
>Sent: Sunday, November 25, 2007 7:29 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>http://www.mahjongmuseum.com/mj176.htm
>Here is a link to the Mah Jong Museum and the Eddie Cantor song "Since Ma is Playing Mah Jong." Do you know the date of this hit song? I have searched the Eddie Cantor sites and do not find anything. I was able to read most of the words on the Museum copy but some of it does not make sense. For example "...her finger nails were like tacks. So papa clipped them off with an axe." It rhymes with the previous line but other than that it does not make much sense to me.
Hi Mary, you wrote:
Here is a link to the Mah Jong Museum and the Eddie Cantor song "Since Ma is Playing Mah Jong."
OK, well, it just happens that I have a copy of the sheet music for that...
Do you know the date of this hit song?
Yes, I do. (~_^)
I have searched the Eddie Cantor sites and do not find anything.
There may be other places where that information can be found. In other words: I wouldn't limit the search to just Cantor sites.
I was able to read most of the words on the Museum copy but some of it does not make sense.
Okay, your point being...? I can name lots of song lyrics that make no sense! (^_^)
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
November 25, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
When did the Charleston originate?
>From: Mary J. Wright
>Sent: Sunday, November 25, 2007 11:33 AM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is: In what year was the Charleston added to the Mah Jongg game? When was it first required on the NMJL card?
>Mary Wright
Hi Mary,
Wow, what a great question! The Charleston was a feature of the NMJL game right from the start. Between the mid-1920's when the mah-jongg fad died out, and the formation of the NMJL in 1937, there is a dark period - that is to say, a period that is not well documented, if at all.
Sometime during that dark decade, women started playing with the rules, making up their own hands. I believe the Western game originated during this time, but there is no supporting evidence. Only circumstantial evidence, in that the Western game includes made-up hands like "Lucky Lindy" most notably. And the Western game includes the "goulash," which involves the Charleston.
So I can't give you a definite answer, but I still like the question! (^_^)
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
November 25, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
Error - what now? (part 2)
>From: Juliet Feeley
>Sent: Sunday, November 25, 2007 6:51 AM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>RDWW page 100 Taking a discard
>If you decide to put a discard back even after you have placed it on your rack, does that constitute your turn or can you then pick from the wall?
>
>If you call for a discard, place it on your rack and begin to expose but find that you have made an error. The discarded tile you picked in addtion to your hand is dead. But suppose another player wanted the discarded tile you can't use for an exposure. Would it be given to them as a courtesy even though your hand is dead?
Hi Juliet, you wrote:
does that constitute your turn or can you then pick from the wall?
In your turn, you must take a 14th tile into the hand, and (if not mah-jongg) discard. But you haven't done that. You started to take a 14th tile into the hand but changed your mind (in a manner allowed by the NMJL rules). Since you have not taken your turn yet, you are required to take your turn. Pick from the wall.
Would it be given to them as a courtesy even though your hand is dead?
This "courtesy" is not permitted under the NMJL rules. The tile stays in the dead hand, as I said yesterday. This other angle on the question doesn't change my answer.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
November 25, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
Accessories For Sale - Actually, no. Just seeking information.
>From: sistillio
>To: AS@Sloperama
>Sent: Saturday, November 24, 2007 2:31 PM
>Subject: 4 boards
>I was doing some cleaning today and ran across 4 (four) black ma jong scoring boards. At least that what I will call them.
>They are 16" long x 3" wide. There is a tilt space for tiles and a flip down scoring calculator. All in English. Copyright is 1923.
>Time doubled 2-98 for 1-6 items. Also lists Wining hand, East Doubles, Doubling and Prevailing wind computations.
>There is also a small brass bar with 4 yellow, 2 green and 1 red indicators, they slide.
>I can not find a makers name. Just a rather intricate trade mark.
>If this is enough info and you are in the Holiday frame of mind, could you tell me what I have.
>Thanks.
>David DiSalvo
Hi David,
These bulletin boards are specialized. The one you meant to post to is only for where people are selling their mah-jongg accessories. THIS one is where you post to ask for information. You can find out what your items are if you click FAQ 7d. The Frequently Asked Question links are above left.
After you've read the FAQ, I'm always here to answer more mah-jongg questions anytime.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
November 24, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
Error - what now?
>From: Juliet Feeley
>Sent: Saturday, November 24, 2007 4:51 AM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>American Mah Jongg:
>Two players call for a tile to make an exposure. The player closest to the discarder gets the tile. She places the tile on her rack and begins to complete her exposure but realizes her exposure will be incorrect.
>Does the discarded tile she picked up for an exposure die with her hand and she is out of the game or does the discarded tile she called for but cannot use go to the next player in turn who wanted it for an exposure?
>Thank you for your reply.
Hi Juliet,
FAQ 19AM.2 is the operative rule here. I'll wait while you go read it. It's okay, I'll still be here when you get back.
[Whistling with finger drumming.]
So you see that the fact that she'd exposed some of her tiles commits her to the call. She is required to go through with it, and put the exposure on the rack. You didn't specify what is incorrect about her exposure, but if it results in her being called dead, well, so it goes.
And once someone is dead because of a tile in her hand, there is nothing in the rules that says that tile is now fair game for anyone else. How could it be? It's in her hand. So what if the hand is dead, how could that make the tile available for anybody else? It stays in the hand that it's in.
By the way, my book has a fairly comprehensive discussion about the "change of heart" rules (when one may, and when one may not, change one's mind about an action that's underway)
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
November 24, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
Frequently Asked Question #13a
From: "Laurel Bean"
Sent: Thursday, November 22, 2007 1:55 PM
Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
> My mah-jongg question or comment is can Mah Jong be played with 3
> players? If so, do the players draw from the wall during the
> Charleston? If so, may they keep drawn jokers from the wall? At
> some time do the players switch seats?
> I know that I asked more than one question, but I would be VERY
> THANKFUL if you could help settle this problem for our group. Happy
> Thanksgiving to YOU!
> Laurel Bean
> Nokomis, FL
Hi Laurel, please read FAQ 13a, above left. And have a happy turkey day to you, too.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
November 22, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
The Red Dragon & The West Wind
>From: Juliet Feeley
>To: Tom Sloper
>Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2007 12:10 AM
>Subject: Re: Re:
>Tom,
>Thank you for writing your book. It's right on the mark. Also, although I have never played the Chinese game, it was very interesting to read about it.
Cool, thanks Juliet! (^_^)
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
November 21, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
Playing Four Winds online
>From: "peter lee"
>Sent: Monday, November 19, 2007 7:38 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>> Hello Tom,
>> Thanks for hosting the Maj Exchange.
>> I'm interested in playing online mahjong with other users
>> who use the mahjong software from Four Winds.
>> Is there an Internet mahjong server that caters to users
>> of Four Winds mahjong?
>> Thank you very much,
>> Peter
Hi Peter,
It's pretty tricky to make Four Winds' online feature work. As I wrote in FAQ 5, Andrew Feist has written about his experience with making the game's online feature work, at http://members.cox.net/tabstop/2007/07/proof-of-concept.html.
May the winds be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
November 19, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
The seventh stack?
From: "Andrew Camacho"
Sent: Monday, November 19, 2007 10:19 AM
Subject: Mah Jong Q&A
> Hi Tom,
> I want to learn the World Series of Mah Jong rules (which I found at
> http://www.world-series-mahjong.com/rules.htm), but the following
> passage in "The Dead Wall and the Seabed Tile" section confuses me:
>
> "2. Late in a hand, any player may request that the "wall breaker"
> pushes the 14-tile Dead Wall slightly to the left, separate from the
> live wall, so that it is easier to tell how many tiles are left to
> play. If, due to a supplement tile having been taken, a lone tile
> stands as "half a stack" in the kong box, the 7th stack from the end
> should be broken up, with the lower tile in the stack placed with the
> Deal [sic] Wall, and the upper tile in the stack placed at the end of the
> live wall, as the seabed tile."
>
> Does this mean that the dead wall should be continually replenished
> when players get replacement tiles? What does it mean when it says
> "7th stack from the end?" 7th stack from the dead wall, live wall, or
> both?
> Thanks in advance.
> = Andrew
Hi Andrew,
The author's intent is clear - he wants exactly 14 tiles in the dead wall, no more and no less. So if (counting from the back end of the entire wall), you see that the dead wall contains just six and a half stacks, he's saying to take the bottom tile from the 7th stack (from the back end of the entire wall, i.e. count through the dead wall until you're at the live wall to get to the 7th stack) and make that tile part of the dead wall.
As long as you remember that the intent is to have exactly 14 tiles in the dead wall, I think you'll have no trouble remembering what to do. Also note, though, that the author says that this happens if any player so requests, especially late in the hand. So it doesn't necessarily happen constantly, from the beginning of the hand. Sounds to me like the dead wall is not broken loose from the live wall until late in the hand (when it becomes desirable to begin counting how many picks one has remaining).
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
November 19, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
How do we tactfully speed up a slow player, part 3
>From: jackie.berman
>Sent: Monday, November 19, 2007 5:31 AM
>Subject: RE: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>I read it, you are hysterical thanks for the humor!!
May the tiles be with you, Jackie.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
November 19, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
How do we tactfully speed up a slow player, part 2
>From: jackie.berman
>Sent: Friday, November 16, 2007 10:45 AM
>Subject: RE: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>Thank you so much, but no wants to say anything
Hi Jackie,
Well, if nobody is willing to say anything to her, I don't know why you bothered asking me what to do. There's no magical joker tile to rub and have her suddenly change her ways. How about these:
Dearie, we love you to pieces, but we need you to play a bit faster.
Sweetie, we think you're the bee's knees, but if you could spend a teensy bit less time thinking what to discard each time, it would make the game so much more fun for the rest of us.
Honeybunch, we couldn't help but notice that you spend some time thinking about each discard. Maybe this book would help.
Bunchkins, the other day you seemed to be struggling a little with strategy. Maybe this column would help.
Beyond that, I got nothin' for you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
November 18, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
How do we tactfully speed up a slow player?
>From: jackie.berman
>Sent: Friday, November 16, 2007 5:22 AM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>I play with one woman who is making me crazy. Every time she picks a
>tile she spends at least 20 seconds deciding if she might need it for
>later in the game. She keeps tiles that have nothing to do with her
>hand. When I am the bettor I see how she plays and I don't want to
>insult her or piss her off because she is a lovely person and my
>neighbor.
>We also need her for the game. How can I tactfully tell her she is
>slowing down the game and making it really boring.
>The other players agree but no one wants to say anything in fear thay
>will hurt her feelings.
Hi Jackie,
She's guilty of the #1 novice players' error that I discussed in my book on page 110. She's so worried about winning (so she doesn't look like a fool to you all), that she's alienating you all by holding up the game.
You need to present a united front. Everyone needs to have the guts to speak honestly to her, the tact to do it gently, and patience when she backslides once in a while.
She needs help with her strategy. Maybe buy her my book, or point her to my column (above). You need to let her know you'd all like a quicker game. This can be done without alienating her.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
November 16, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
What's the most popular style of Mahjong in China today?
>From: Willems, David
>Sent: Friday, November 16, 2007 5:31 AM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>Congrats on the WMCC, hope you had a great time! I was just curious about what the most popular "style" of Mahjong is in China today? If one were to see people on the street or in the parlors playing, what sort of rules are they using? Do folks still use the Hong Kong Old Style (Cantonese in Amy Lo's book), or is is mostly the more complicated (Shanghai in Amy Lo) rule set? Or does it just depend on region etc..
>Keep up the excellent work,
>David
Hi David,
It depends on the region. It would take a tremendous amount of time and resources to make a scientific poll to get an answer to this question, but even if we had a definitive "most popular" variant, the adherents to that variant might still turn out to be a minority among Chinese players.
In Chengdu, the region where the WMC was held, the popular style is a 108-tile variant with no winds or dragons or flowers. Danish player Morten Andersen reported on it on the mahjong newsgroup last week. (LINK)
For my part, all I can do is catalogue all the variants I learn of. As of now, fully half of all 40 known variants are Chinese. Twenty kinds of Chinese mahjong - and I sure don't know how anybody could call any one of them "the most popular."
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
November 16, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
Thanks. "Any" chance of Charleston exercises in the next column?
>From: Tomer, Arlene E.
>Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2007 6:35 AM
>Subject: RE: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>Thank you. I do enjoy the exercise that you produce regarding which tiles to discard when doing the Charleston. Can you do more of them.
>Arlene
You're welcome, Arlene. I certainly will do more Charleston exercises. I had to focus on Mahjong Competition Rules because of the recent World Mahjong Competition, but I can get back to American now.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
November 14, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
Frequently Asked Question #19AK
>From: Tomer, Arlene E.
>Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2007 5:31 AM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is: Can you use any suit even when the hand is shown in 3 colors. In other words, you don't need 3 suits especially if you have a lot of jokers.
>Arlene Tomer
>thetomers@███████.net
>atomer@████.net
Hi Arlene,
Read FAQ 19AK, above left.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
November 21, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
Frequently Asked Question #19P
>From: desertdweller323
>Sent: Sunday, November 11, 2007 6:49 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>When a player is declared dead can their exposed jokers be claimed?
>Madelyn
That's Frequently Asked Question #19P, Madelyn. See the FAQs, above left.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
11/11/2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
Do kongs count as pungs, and how do I score prevailing wind plus seat wind?
>From: Colin Bisasky
>Sent: Sunday, November 11, 2007 5:36 AM
>Subject: HKOS "pungs" vs "kongs"
>Amy Lo in her book covers HKOS and shows that "terminal triplets with honor tiles" earns one fan and "all triplets" earns 3 fan. Can this include kongs? Also, where she says "prevailing wind" (meaning if you're east and it's the east round, for example, and you have a pung or kong of east) she gives 2 fan. Is this 2 fan in addition to the fan you'd already get for having it as your seat wind and the wind of the round (really, 4 fan in other words)?
Hi Colin, you asked:
Can ["terminal triplets with honor tiles" and "all triplets"] include kongs?
Yes. No matter what author, no matter what Asian (un-American) style of mahjong, kongs count as pungs when scoring a pung hand.
"prevailing wind" ... gives 2 fan. Is this 2 fan in addition to the fan you'd already get for having it as your seat wind and the wind of the round (really, 4 fan in other words)?
If you're East, and it's the East round, then you're "double East" because you'd earn twice the fan (2, rather than 1) if you pung East. I imagine that's what she means on whatever page you're looking at. I'm looking on pages 32 and 33 of her book; you score 1 fan for it being prevailing wind, and you score 1 fan for it being your wind. 2 fan total, not 4.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
11/11/2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
Do you have any knowledge of this particular set, part 2
>From: LARRY SCHULTZ
>Sent: Saturday, November 10, 2007 7:58 PM
>Subject: Re: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>Thanks for your response. My very best to you!!
>Larry
Okay. Well, then. If you don't have a question for me, I can only assume you were just asking anything, so that folks could know that you have a set for sale on eBay. I don't know if this will get more eyeballs for your auction or not, but hey. Good luck.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
November 21, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
Do you have any knowledge of this particular set.
>From: LARRY SCHULTZ
>Sent: Saturday, November 10, 2007 7:10 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>I just posted an mj set on e-bay. The set is called "the national game of china". The set was manufactured by the j.g. williams company of boston. copyright date is 1924. The tiles are made of a pressed board. The set is original, complete, and in very good condition. My e-bay seller name is basil432 if you care to check this unique mj set out. Do you have any knowledge of this particular set. Any insight would be very much appreciated!!
>Best regards,
>Larry
Hi Larry,
To get the answer to your question, please read FAQ 7p. The FAQs are above left.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
November 10, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
Can the bettor call a player dead?
From: "Fran Diamond" [franabanana]
Sent: Friday, November 09, 2007 8:16 AM
Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
> My mah-jongg question or comment is:
> Greetings Tom! Hope you are well. Once again, I turn to you for sage
> advice on mahjongg intricacies.
> In American mahjongg, can the fifth player (the bettor) call someone
> dead? I would assume that she can, as the fifth player is technically
> "in" the game, but I can't find any rule to support/contradict it.
> Thank you!
> -Fran
Hi Fran,
Do you have either my book or the NMJL rulebook? The answer to your question is in there.
RDWW (my book) - p. 66, rule 126
NMJL rulebook - p. 20, rule 3
If you don't have either of those books, the answer is "no."
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
November 9, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
When you want to redeem [a] joker, part 2
>Mah-Jongg Q+A...
>"Drs24942@a0l:c0m"
>Tuesday, November 6, 2007 7:51:14 AM
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>Thank you - I read FAQ 19 before sending the e-mail and thought that might be the right answer.
>Thanks again for being here.
Hi Doctors,
I don't get it. You had already read FAQ 19, so you already knew about the "down is dead" rule. But you thought that somehow the "down is dead" rule didn't apply when the discarder belatedly realized that the tile could be redeemed for a joker? How could a rule possibly nullify another unrelated rule, ever? Down is dead. Period. And dead is dead. Period.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Seoul, Republic of Korea
November 7, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
When you want to redeem [a] joker, what is the proper way to do it?
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A...
>From: "Drs24942@***.com"
>Date: Tuesday, November 6, 2007 12:41:28 AM
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>When you want to redeem at joker, what is the proper way to do it? If the person who wants to redeem a joker from another players exposure, puts the tile on the table without saying she is redeeming the joker is the tile considered a discard? We have a player who consistently does this rather than saying something or placing the tile on the other players rack and taking the joker. If she puts the tile on the table and says nothing, can another player call that tile if she needs it or does she have to wait for the tile to be properly called? I hope this is not as confusing to you as it is to me.
>Thank you
Hello Doctors, you asked:
When you want to redeem at joker, what is the proper way to do it?
Have you read FAQ 19 yet? There's lots of stuff in there about jokers and joker redemption. I recommend you bookmark it and/or print it for your group.
If the person ... puts the tile on the table without saying [anything] is the tile considered a discard?
See, now, this is what you REALLY needed to know, not that question you thought you were asking! You and your group need to understand when a tile is "down" and what "down" implies. FAQ 19 might not go into quite as much depth on this as my book does, but I think you'll EASILY find the information you need if you just look in FAQ 19. You've been here before. You should know where the FAQs are.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Seoul, Republic of Korea
November 6, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
The right way to use sticks or chips?
>Date: Sun, 4 Nov 2007 09:48:53 -0500
>From: "Colin Bisasky" = cbisasky
>Subject: Scoring denominations for HK and CO
>Dear Tom,
>I have a question of my own, now...what are the denominations the players start out with of the scoring sticks (or chips, as I have seen in some sets) in Hong Kong/Old Style? I'm only familiar with the denominations in Chinese Classical (10 twos, 8 tens, 9 hundreds, 2 five hundreds). Interestingly enough, it seems, I have noticed that some Hong Kong sets on eBay come with only three color chips...
>Which leads me to the next question: What are the denominations for Chinese Official?
>Thanks Tom,
>Colin Bisasky
Hi Colin,
Read FAQ 7d. There is no "one and only one right way" to use sticks and chips. The answer is: it depends on how much you're gambling for, and how many chips/sticks you have, of what denominations. There is no right answer!
And I think I may have written about the denominations of the scoring cards they tried at the 2003 CMOC in Hainan - maybe that's in FAQ 7d, or maybe it isn't, I'm not sure. But nobody uses sticks or chips in MCR, they just write the score on paper.
Niihau from the World Mahjong Championship!
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
E Mei Mountain, Sichuan Province, China
November 5, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
I noticed that their is a hand card for the American style of Mahjong , now my question is the Hands that you have in your book for the Chinese's rules do they make hand cards for those also
>From: "sebastian chavez" = srjkdc6
>Subject: help info
>Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2007 22:18:41 -0800
>Thanks for your website , it has been very much a help , I just had a question to ask and I hope you can help , awhile a go I was given a Chinese Mahjong set for christmas and it has all the English numbers on the BAMS and CRACKS and DOTS and it is complete , I just went out and got your book "The Red dragon and West wind" (that has helped a lot) and went through the whole set , now I noticed that their is a hand card for the American style of Mahjong , now my question is the Hands that you have in your book for the Chinese's rules do they make hand cards for those also thanks again and well be playing our 1st play on Monday with a game group I have in my school , I'm a Vice Principle and also have a game board club and the kids had their thrill with "GO" last year and now we are starting a new adventure with "Mahjong" should be fun. we also play all types of Euro Game Boards WEll thanks and my God Bless sebastian
Hello Sebastian, you wrote:
Thanks for your website , it has been very much a help , I just went out and got your book "The Red dragon and West wind" (that has helped a lot)
Great! \(^_^)/
I noticed that their is a hand card for the American style of Mahjong , now my question is the Hands that you have in your book for the Chinese's rules do they make hand cards for those also
Well, sort of. Several players here at the World Mahjong Championship have made their own. My intent in including Appendix 7 in the book is that you can photocopy that, and use that as your MCR "card." You can make your own if you need it to include more detail.
Niihau from the World Mahjong Championship!
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
E Mei Mountain, Sichuan Province, China
November 4, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
What does "like" mean on the NMJL card?
>Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2007 16:18:32 -0700 (PDT)
>From: "Maria Mascarenas" = tinker992
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q+A
>Hi Tom,
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>I am a newbie. I just received the 2007 NMJL card and need some clarification on some combinations, specifically on Like Pungs.
>
>13579#4
>111 33 555 111 111 (Any 2 Suits, Like Pungs 1,3, or 5) ... x 30
>For the Like Pungs 1,3,5.....is it referring to the last 2 pungs or all the pungs? Which combinations below are allowable? or are all combinations allowable?
>all pungs interpretation
>111 33 555 111 111 allowable, of course, coz it is on the card.
>333 33 555 333 333
>555 33 555 555 555
>
>last 2 pungs interpretation
>111 33 555 111 111 allowable, of course, coz it is on the card.
>111 33 555 333 333
>111 33 555 555 555
>
>Similarly for 13579#5
>555 77 999 555 555 (Any 2 Suits, Like Pungs 5,7, or 9) ... x 30
>all pungs interpretation
>777 77 999 777 777
>999 77 999 999 999
>
>last 2 pungs interpretation
>555 77 999 777 777
>555 77 999 999 999
>
>Based on your reply on your Weekly Mah-Jonng column for April 15, 2007 exercise #3, it seems you interpret it as the last 2 pungs. If so, why wouldn't the first pung be included in the parenthetical?
>
>You definitely need to be lucky and have Jokers for these hands. Seems like it should be worth more than just 30.
>The 13579#4 and #5 like pung combinations is not as clear as the 369#5 like kong combinations.
>
>33 66 99 3333 3333 (Any 3 Suits, Like Kongs 3, 6 or 5) ... x 30
>
>Here it is obvious what other combinations are allowable.
>33 66 99 3333 3333
>33 66 99 6666 6666
>33 66 99 9999 9999
>
>There is no mistaking it because the first (in green) groups are pairs but in the 13579 case, the first grouping (in green) has a like pung same as the last two pungs. So I am not sure that the like pung of 111 in the example 111 33 555 is intended to be included in the parenthetical explanation.
>
>Am I making any sense? or am I reading too much into it?
>Thanks for your help.
Hello Maria,
I see that I never defined what the word "like" means in FAQ 19. I did explain what this word means in my book, though. "Like" means "alike," of course - you probably knew that. But consider these tiles:
Snap quiz #1: how many "like tiles" are there in the above image?
While you're pondering that question, consider this symbolism from the NMJL card:
1 1 1 1
Snap quiz #2: how many "like tiles" are represented in the above color-coded representation?
Answer: If you answered any number except "two," you answered wrong. In the tile image above (snap quiz #1), there are just two like tiles - the first 1B is identical to the second 1B (they are "like tiles"). And in the color-coded representation (snap quiz #2), there are just two like tiles - the first red 1 is identical to the other red 1. The red ones represent "like tiles." The green 1 and the blue 1 are not "like" the red 1s or one another.
Do you get it now, what "like tiles" means? A 1B is not "like" a 1C or a 1D. A blue 1 is not "like" a green 1 or a red 1. To be alike, tiles must be of the same suit (color) AND the same numerical value.
Niihau from the World Mahjong Championship!
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
E Mei Mountain, Sichuan Province, China
November 3, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
The writing on the red ribbons on hanafuda/go-stop cards
>Date: Thu, 1 Nov 2007 19:00:33 -0800
>From: "sam kim" (s3v3nx3)
>Subject: red ribbons
>Hi Tom,
>I enjoyed your site. I just wanted to add that the script on the red ribbons reads "aka no yoroshi," not "aka yoroshi." It's likely that people might force themselves to believe the "no" is a "ka" because otherwise you couldn't read it "aka." But the "ka" in fact is the little tail that slightly twists out from the very bottom of the "a." This is a common practice in some of the more cursive-y japanese script.
>Keep fighting the good fight,
>s3v
Hi Sam,
Anyeong haseyo, and thanks for the tip. I'll add that to the FAQ as soon as I get a chance.
Niihau from the World Mahjong Championship! And I'll be in Seoul in a few days.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
MJ♥Sloperama♠com
E Mei Mountain, Sichuan Province, China
November 3, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
Mac user looking for a game in Oakland
>Date: Thu, 1 Nov 2007 19:16:47 -0700 (PDT)
>From: "Nancy Soo"
>Subject: Macintosh Version of a Traditonal Mahjong Off line game.
>Hi Tom,
>I am sharing a new website for Mac Mahjong Software
>using traditonal Mahjong play. It is not a matching
>game. I have looked for about 4 years since I have
>been playing Mahjong for a Mac based version of
>Mahjong. All I could find was the matching tiles.
>
>I downloaded the Mahjong Tradition game and it seems
>to work okay.
> It is a bit fast for me but it is the first Mahjong
>tile set that is not a matching tiles game.
>
>Mahjong Tradition game is actually playing against 3
>other opponent like a traditional Mahjong game. I am
>not sure if the game is following the international
>Mahjong rules. thee lpage claims they follow the
>"Official Rues of Mahjong". They still do not clarify
>what that means????
>If you can help me to determine this fact, I would be
>grateful.
>
>I still cannot tell what rules they are following. I
>tried to figure it out but I am not fast enough yet to
>find out how thye win.
>
>The website for Mahjong Tradition is:
>http://www.xixsoftware.com/mahjong.html
>You can play the game for 19 times as a free trial.
>Let me know your evaluation.
>
>Since the Pasadena Pacific Asian Museum closed
>Friday's Mahjong classes, I am looking to play in the
>Los Angeles area.
>
>I am also living part time in Oakland, CA. Is there
>a group that meets to play Mahjong like the Pasadena
>group????
>
>I do not want to play for money but to practice the
>Mahjong rules that Iearned from you.
>Thanks,
>Nancy Soo
Hi Nancy,
So you were one of my Pacific Asia Museum students? It's great to hear from you! I'll be glad to add this link to FAQ 5 in the Mac section. Since I'm in China right now, it's not likely I'll be able to go check the game and spend time with it to determine which variant it uses. Have you checked FAQ 5 for more Mac games?
As for finding players, see FAQ 15 and my Find Players bulletin board. All the links are above left.
Niihau from the World Mahjong Championship!
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
E Mei Mountain, Sichuan Province, China
November 2, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
could this be as early as we think, part 2
Followup to Nancy of Stadium Antiques
Niihau from China, Nancy. It's morning here, and the Internet connection is faster now (fewer people using it). But still, it's impossible to download all your photos. They're very large, and there are a lot of them, and this place isn't exactly bandwidthville.
I did get one so far, though.
Your tiles definitely are not ivory. As for your age question, I still need the info requested in FAQ 7g. Maybe the torn and taped rulebook has a date in it?
Standing by...
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
E Mei Mountain, Sichuan Province, China
November 2, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
could this be as early as we think
>Subject: very old set???mah-jongg
>From: "Stadiumantiques中aol.com"
>Sent:Wednesday, October 31, 2007 7:33:21 PM
>tom sloper , HI! I oun a shop in ct. ihave this set complete , with 3 draw case , according to the lady i received it from it belonged to her grandfather, she is in her mid 80tys, the family is historic in this aria, It is ivory & I beleive ebony peices, have curved backs , and each playingpeice has a hefty feel ... could this be as early as we think, and have you interest ,
> thanks NANCY ZOPPI
> STADIUMANTIQUES溌AOL.COM
> 860-###-#### PHOTOS ATTACHED
>Attachments: Picture 1136.jpg (386KB); Picture 1140.jpg (373KB); Picture 1143.jpg (385KB); Picture 1144.jpg (372KB); Picture 1147.jpg (378KB); Picture 1153.jpg (371KB); Picture 1156.jpg (396KB); Picture 1159.jpg (394KB); Picture 1162.jpg (378KB); Picture 1163.jpg (378KB)
Hello Nancy,
I'm in China at the moment, with a very slow Internet connection. So I'm writing this without the benefit of having yet seen your photos.
First, you should know that 99% of the time, a set that the owner thinks is made of ivory is not. Read FAQ 7c (above left) very thoroughly, and be sure to follow the "Is It Ivory" link and do the magnifying lens and bright light test that I recommend in FAQ 7c2. (Don't do the "hot pin" test, I've never known that to be effective.)
Second, if you want me to help you determine the age of a mah-jongg set, you need to read FAQ 7g, and send me the information requested there. I can't help you age a set without complete information. Photos alone don't tell the tale.
I'll post a follow-up when the photos are finished downloading. I see that one of them is at about the 10% mark...
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Chengdu, China
November 1, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
I think that was me!
Subject: 18 discards
From: Mah-jong Montréal
Sent:Tuesday, October 30, 2007 7:16:33 AM
>Hi Tom,
>Regarding the post
>>From: "Robert Lozyniak"
>>Sent: Wednesday, September 26, 2007 8:47 PM
>>Subject: Japanese 2-player mahjong
>I might be the originator of that way of playing; maybe not the first inventor in all Mahjong history, but there is a big chance I am responsible for its recent popularity this side of the globe. I can only honestly say I never seen it described anywhere, even on Japanese Web sites.
>Before knowing the rules for 3-player Japanese Mahjong, when I started my Mahjong club several years ago, I improvised this simplified way of playing when short of one player. We still use it frequently at our club. It's our favorite 3-player variant because it's less hassle than the more complicated conventional 3-player Japanese rules. I also come up with a way of playing when there is one player too much. On a 5-player table, every participant receives 25000 points in chips as usual. A first player is chosen randomly to sit out (the one who draws the blank/white tile, while others E, S, W and, N). Then, at every oya change, the player standing up takes the place of the leaving dealer.
>Recently, one of my pupil has mentioned it on Yakitori Online And, I received several e-mail asking questions about it. So I've written a Web page explaining that by having rules for 3, 4 and 5-player Mahjong, no matter how many players show up at your meeting, you can arrange tables so nobody is left out.
>Have a nice day,
>Walter
Hi Walter,
Aha! So you're the guy. Very cool. Thanks for the link to your 3, 4, and 5-player rules. I'll add the link to the FAQ when I get the chance. Gotta go for now, though. There's sightseeing to be done.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper / トム·スローパー
/
湯姆·斯洛珀 /
탐 슬로퍼
Chengdu, China
November 1, 2007
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," available at bookstores and Amazon.com
[Webmaster note: Before 2008, older Q&A posts were regularly cleaned off the site. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.]
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