FAQ 16. Frequently-Asked Questions about the 2013 National Mah Jongg League card
(American-style mah-jongg)
N EE WWW SSSS 2013
(2013 #1)
Does the 2013 have to be made in the suit of dots?
No, of course not. Read the card: zeroes are suitless. That means the zero can be used with any suit. Also read FAQ 19AE (click here).
Can I use a joker in a 2013 since the tiles are bunched together like a kong?
No, of course not. 2013 is not a kong. It's four singles. A kong is four identical tiles. Read FAQ 19E (click here) and read the back of your NMJL card.
Can I claim a tile to expose a 2013?
Not unless it's for mah-jongg. Read FAQ 19E (click here) or click FAQ 19 in the nav frame at left.
FF
2013
1111
3333
(Any 3 Suits)
(2013 #2)
Does the 2013 have to be in bams, since it's green?
No. Read the parenthetical. It says "Any 3 Suits." That's the League's way of saying that the 2013 can be from any suit, and the kong of 1s must be any second suit, and the kong of 3s must be the third suit.
Does that all-green 2013 mean I can use a green dragon as zero?
No. Read the card. Zero is white dragon ("soap"), always.
Does the 2013 have to be made in the suit of dots, to go with the soap?
No, of course not. Read the card: zeroes are suitless. That means the zero (the white dragon or "soap") can be used with any suit. Also read FAQ 19AE (click here).
Can I use a joker in a 2013 since the tiles are bunched together like a kong?
No, of course not. 2013 is not a kong. It's four singles. A kong is four identical tiles. Read FAQ 19E (click here) and read the back of your NMJL card.
Can I claim a tile to expose a 2013?
Not unless it's for mah-jongg. Read FAQ 19E (click here) or click FAQ 19 in the nav frame at left.
Are those ones four singles, or are they a kong?
That's a kong.
FFFF 2222 0000 13
(2013 #3)
Can the 13 be a different suit from the 2222?
No. The League clearly intends this to be a one-suit hand.
Does this hand have to be made in the suit of dots?
No, of course not. Read the card: zeroes are suitless. That means the zero can be used with any suit. Also read FAQ 19AE (click here).
FFFF
DDD
2013
DDD (Any 2 Dragons, 2 or 3 Suits)
(2013 #4)
Does that all-red 2013 mean that the 2013 has to be made in craks?
No. The color-coding never dictates a specific suit. And read the card. Zero is suitless; it goes with any suit.
Does that all-red 2013 mean I can use a red dragon as zero?
No. Read the card. Zero is white dragon, always.
Does the 2013 have to be made in the suit of dots, to go with the soap?
No, of course not. Read the card: zeroes are suitless. That means the zero can be used with any suit. Also read FAQ 19AE (click here).
It says "2 or 3 suits" but it's shown in 3 colors. I see how to make the hand in 3 suits, but how can the hand be made in 2 suits?
Simple. Make a 2013 in any suit. Now all you need is pungs of any two dragons, and there are three dragons to choose from. Your pungs can be greens and reds, or greens and soaps, or reds and soaps.
Can I use a joker in a 2013 since the tiles are bunched together like a kong?
No, of course not. 2013 is not a kong. It's four singles. A kong is four identical tiles. Read FAQ 19E (click here) and read the back of your NMJL card.
Can I claim a tile to expose a 2013?
Not unless it's for mah-jongg. Read FAQ 19E (click here) or click FAQ 19 in the nav frame at left.
22 444
44 666
8888 (Any 3 Suits, Kong 8s)
(2468 #5)
Does "Kong 8s" mean I cannot use a joker in the kong?
No. Read
FAQ 19AO.
1223 22222 22222 (Any 3 Consec. Nos; Pr. Any No. in Run; Pr & Quints Match)
Quints #1
Do the quints and the pair have to be the second number in the run?
No. The pair can be the first, second, or third number in the run. Read the parenthetical very carefully. The phrase "Any No. in Run" means that the pair can be any number in the run (not only the second). The word "any" always means "any." You can read FAQ 19J if you're still confused about what "any" means (or look up the word "any" in... any dictionary). Also see http://www.nationalmahjonggleague.org/faq.html.
1123 11111 11111
4556 55555 55555
7899 99999 99999
Do the quints have to be in craks and dots, since they're red and blue on the card?
No. The colors are symbolic - they are not to be taken literally. Read FAQ 19AK (click here).
Can I use a joker in the 1223 kong? And can I call it for exposure?
It is not a kong! The term "kong" applies only to "like tiles." This "grouping" is two singles and one pair. Read FAQ 19E (click here).
If it's not a kong, why aren't there spaces between the pair and the singles?
How should I know? And what difference does it make? So what if there's no space between obvious pairs and singles? Spaces are usually not significant or meaningful.
NNNNN
DDDD
11111 (Quint Any Wind & Any No. in Any Suit; Kong Any Dragon)
(Quints #2)
SSSSS
DDDD
33333
This hand has to be two suits, right? The number quint has to be a different suit from the dragon kong?
No. The hand can be two suits or it can be one suit. Look in the parenthetical. There's that word "any" again. "Any" always means "any." You can read FAQ 19J for more about this concept.
EEEEE
DDDD
88888
FF
DDDD
NEWS
DDDD (Any 2 Dragons)
(Winds-Dragons #2)
Can I use soaps as one of the dragons?
Yes. That's what "Any 2 Dragons" means. "Any" always means "any."
Can I claim a wind tile to expose NEWS?
Not unless it's for mah-jongg. "NEWS" is not a kong; it's four singles. Read FAQ 19E (click here).
Can I use a joker in NEWS?
No, of course not. Read FAQ 19E (click here) and read the back of your NMJL card.
If NEWS is not a kong, why aren't there spaces between the letters on the card?
How should I know? And what difference does it make? So what if there's no space between obvious singles? Spaces are usually not significant or meaningful.
NNNN SSSS 111 111 (Pung Any Like Odd No. in One Suit Only) ... x 30
(Winds - Dragons #3)
That must be a mistake, that the two pungs are shown in the same color - that would mean I need six of the same number in the same suit!
It's not a mistake. Don't forget, there are eight jokers in the mah-jongg set. And you may expose a pung (the hand isn't marked c).
What does it mean "Pung Any Like Odd No. in One Suit Only"?
It means the two pungs can be any odd number (1, 3, 5, 7, or 9). You need six identical tiles (all the same number in the same suit), which means you need at least two jokers.
What does "like" mean?
Read FAQ 19AU (click here)
Before, you said that spaces are not meaningful, so "111 111" must be a sextet?
No. In this case, the space definitely is meaningful. The League clearly intends this to be two pungs, not one sextet (see the clue in the parenthetical, where they use the word "pung").
EEEE WWWW 222 222 (Pung Any Like Even No. in One Suit Only) ... x 30
(Winds - Dragons #4)
That must be a mistake, that the two pungs are shown in the same color - that would mean I need six of the same number in the same suit!
It's not a mistake. Don't forget, there are eight jokers in the mah-jongg set. And you may expose a pung (the hand isn't marked c).
What does it mean "Pung Any Like Even No. in One Suit Only"?
It means the two pungs can be any even number (2, 4, 6, or 8). You need six identical tiles (all the same number in the same suit), which means you need at least two jokers.
What does "like" mean?
Read FAQ 19AU (click here)
Before, you said that spaces are not meaningful, so "222 222" is a sextet?
No. In this case, the space definitely is meaningful. The League clearly intends this to be two pungs, not one sextet. See the parenthetical.
FFFF
DDDD
DD
DDDD (Any 3 Suits)
(Winds-Dragons #6)
Does the pair have to be red dragons, since it's red?
No. Read the parenthetical. It says "Any 3 Suits." That's the League's way of saying that the pair can be from any suit, and the kongs must be the other two suits.
33 666
33 666
9999 (Any 3 Suits, Kong 9s)
(369 #5)
Does "Kong 9s" mean I cannot use a joker in the kong?
No. Read
FAQ 19AO.
998 99887 998877
(Any 3 Suits. These Nos. Only)
(Singles And Pairs #6)
Can that be any three descending numbers?
No. "These numbers only," it says.
That's a pung, a quint, and a sextet - so can I use a joker? And can I call for exposure?
No. There is no pung in the hand, no quint, and no sextet. The terms "pung" and "quint" and "sextet" apply only to "like tiles." In this section of the card, you cannot use jokers, and you cannot make any exposures, not only because all the hands are marked with a C but also because the hands in this section are all made solely of "Singles and Pairs." Read FAQ 19E (click here).
Can I call a discard if it's the tile I need to complete this hand for mah-jongg?
Yes.
Why aren't there spaces between every pair and every single?
How should I know? And what difference does it make? So what if there's no space between obvious pairs and singles?
Wow, you sure are a grump! Why do you answer these questions if you don't like answering questions?
I love answering questions. I just think people should put a little effort into looking for and thinking about the answers.
FF
2013
2013
2013
(3 Suits)
(Singles And Pairs #7)
Does the all-red 2013 mean red dragon is used as zero? Does the all-green 2013 mean green dragon is used as zero?
No. Read the card: white dragon is used as zero, and zeroes are suitless. That means the white dragon, when used as zero, can be used with any suit. Also read FAQ 19AE (click here). For this hand, you need three white dragons.
Can I use a joker in a 2013 since the tiles are bunched together like a kong?
No, of course not. 2013 is not a kong. It's four singles. A kong is four tiles that are identical to one another. Read FAQ 19E (click here) and read the back of your NMJL card.
Can I claim a tile to expose a 2013?
Not unless it's for mah-jongg. Read FAQ 19E (click here) or click FAQ 19 in the nav frame at left.
Where do I get the latest NMJL card?
Read FAQ 7i (click here).
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