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Origin of Mahjong

The traditional game of Mahjong originated in China, specifically in the Shanghai province. Some believe that Mahjong was developed more than 2,500 years ago, yet the earliest evidence of the game dates back to the nineteenth century. The name ‘Mahjong’ roughly translates to “cluttering birds.” It is believed that this name came from the sound the tiles make when they are shuffled.

Game Sets and Tiles

There are a total of 136 to 152 tiles in a full set; this number depends on how many stacks each player is dealt. Chinese characters and symbols of different suits are engraved on the tiles (similar to dominoes). Tiles were originally made of ivory or bone, but during the 1920s there was a shortage of ivory to produce the pieces. Eventually, ivory tiles were banned by a worldwide trade embargo in the 1970s. Modern tiles are made of plastic, ceramic, or wood. A Mahjong set also includes a pair of dice, tokens or chips used for score keeping, and a rack (imagine a longer scrabble game rack) used to hold each players tiles upright and the tile faces hidden from other players.

Rules & Strategy

Mahjong is played by a maximum of four players; the game begins with each player drawing 13 tiles. One player draws an extra tile and begins the game by discarding one tile. Player rotation is always counterclockwise. During each player’s turn, they can take 1 tile each or loose a tile from the “wall” (similar to rummy). Any player can pick the previous discard to complete a set. The winner is the first player to hold a complete hand-a total of 14 tiles (four sets and a pair of like tiles). Player strategy in Mahjong is to complete a winning hand with these three things in mind:

1. to be as quick as possible
2. to prevent other players from winning by not discarding tiles useful to them
3. to build a high-scoring hand

There are three kinds of sets:

1. chow: a run or sequence of three of the same suit in numerical order
2. pung: a sequence of three tiles of the same suit and rank
3. kong: a pung plus the fourth matching tile

Game Variations

In different countries, the spelling and pronunciation of the Mahjong game varies slightly. Spelling variations include; Mahjong, Mahjongg, Mah-jong and Mah-jongg. Game rules also differ among countries (China, Japan, UK, US) to accommodate cultural taste. The most common form of Mahjong played today is Hong Kong (Cantonese) Mahjong. Differentiating factors between game types may include the number and type of sets, tiles and scoring. American Mahjong was first simplified by Joseph P. Babcock. He was an American resident of Shanghai, who is credited with introducing Mahjong to the West after World War I.

Mahjong Solitaire

Since the international popularity of Mahjong has risen, computerized versions with different rules have been created for individual play. Mahjong Solitaire is the correct name for computer Mahjong games. It is very different from traditional Mahjong. Mahjong Solitaire is a matching game where you try to match tiles with the same face design. In the Solitaire version of Mahjong 144 tiles are arranged in a four layer pyramid shape. Tiles can only be matched if they are “open”, meaning they are not blocked from above or left and right. As tile pairs are removed new tiles are exposed for play. The object of Mahjong Solitaire is to clear the entire board of tiles. This is not an easy task and most games end when the player simply runs out of possible tile matches. To successfully clear all of the tiles in a Mahjong Solitaire a player needs to be able to plan ahead and remove pairs strategically to reveals as many new opportunities as possible.

Play Mahjong Solitaire

Just like traditional card Solitaire, Mahjong Solitaire has become a very popular computer game. Have you ever tested your Mahjong Solitaire skills? Play our new Mahjong Solitaire game and see how you score. Good luck!