BI-WEEKLY MAH JONGG

American Mah Jongg (2010 NMJL card). Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving, and uneventful travels. Continuing defense by the numbers.

1. 369 #6 is supposed to be concealed; she's dead.

2. 369 #6 again; still dead.

3. No such hand; you should call her dead.

4. 369 #2; the hot tiles are 6C 6D.

5. The quints section has no 369 hands; she's dead.

6. Flower pungs do not exist on this card; she's dead.

7. Consec. #3 or Like Nos. #2. Hot: 2's, 3's, 4's, and dragons in dots and bams. Look for dead dragons to get clues.

8. This year's card has no hand that uses a dragon pung and a pung of threes in an opposite suit. Dead.

9. This combination won't fly. Call her dead.

10. Dragon kongs are scarce on this year's card; this combination doesn't fit. Dead.

11. No wind kong hand can use a pung of any number.

12. No flower kong hand can use a pung of any number either.

13. No dragon quint hand can use a number pung.

14. No wind quint hand goes with a number pung.

15. There are no flower quint hands on this card.

16. 13579 #2; hot tiles are 3C 5C 3B 5B.

17. Consec. has no such hand, nor 13579 neither.

18. Consec. #5; 2D and F are hot.

Click the entries in the header frame, above, to read other columns.

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

October 2010 article on American mah jongg's rise in popularity, from the WALL STREET JOURNAL: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703631704575552683266650568.html ?mod=WSJ_hpp_RIGHTTopCarousel_2.
There's a movie of the WSJ story too -- just click the Video tab on the above page, or go to http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703631704575552683266650568.html ?mod=WSJ_hpp_RIGHTTopCarousel_2#articleTabs%3Dvideo.

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

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

© 2010 Tom Sloper. All rights reserved.