Mahjong – A Timeless Classic
There are a few games that have been released over the years that are as old as time, and are timeless themselves. We had previously written about Classic Windows Solitaire in a previous post, and this time around we are touching on another great windows game that has its origins long in the past. If you haven’t guessed it yet, we are more than happy to fill you in. This time around, we are talking about Mahjong!
So what is Mahjong, and why should you play it? Let’s begin with a little history lesson first. Mahjong was created during the the Qing dynasty in China, sometime during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Here is more on how you play:
“The game is played with a set of 144 tiles based on Chinese characters and symbols, although some regional variations may omit some tiles or add unique ones. In most variations, each player begins by receiving 13 tiles. In turn players draw and discard tiles until they complete a legal hand using the 14th drawn tile to form 4 melds (or sets) and a pair (eye). A player can also win with a small class of special hands. There are fairly standard rules about how a piece is drawn, how a piece is robbed from another player, the use of simple (numbered tiles) and honors (winds and dragons), the kinds of melds allowed, how to deal the tiles and the order of play.
Despite these similarities, there are many regional variations to the rules including rather different scoring systems, criteria for legal winning hands and even private table rules which distinguish some variations as notably different styles of mahjong.”
What makes Mahjong such an appealing game is how easy it is to understand and play, but how hard it is to actually master. The game is built on strategy and skill, and one wrong move could mean the end of your game. While many games are forgiving, in that if you make a mistake you have the time to rectify it and still seal a victory. That really isn’t the case for Mahjong. One wrong move, and you are done, toast…finished!
Despite its ancient history, Majhong in the United States is actually a fairly recent introduction, at least when compared to the Qing dynasty times. It is believed that the game did not make it to the West until about the 1920. Ironically, the first set was sold by retail clothing giant, Abercrombie & Fitch. Fitch sent emissaries to China soon after, instructing them to buy up every Majhong set they could find. Abercrombie & Fitch sold about 12,000 Mahjong sets.
While having an old history, Mahjong is still a game that lives on today, thankfully. And it is more accessible than ever, especially now that it can be played right in your web browser. If you haven’t played before, logon and play now. It’s a great experience!