Mahjong Mahjong is a game that originated in China, commonly played by four players (with some three-player variations found

in Korea and Japan) !hile the single-player tile-matching game mahjong solitaire is familiar in the !est, the four-player table version is predominant in "sia #he solitaire version of the game has little in common with traditional mahjong, other than using the same tiles $imilar to the !estern card game rummy, mahjong is a game of s%ill, strategy and calculation and involves a certain degree of chance #he game is played with a set of &'( tiles based on Chinese characters and symbols, although some regional variations use a different number of tiles )n most variations, each player begins by receiving thirteen tiles )n turn players draw and discard tiles until they complete a legal hand using the fourteenth drawn tile to form four groups (melds) and a pair (head) #here are fairly standard rules about how a piece is drawn, stolen from another player and thus melded, the use of simples (numbered tiles) and honours (winds and dragons), the %inds of melds, and the order of dealing and play *owever there are many regional variations in the rules+ in addition, the scoring system and the minimum hand necessary to win varies significantly based on the local rules being used Name #he game was called (m, -u.), meaning sparrow in Chinese, which is still the name most commonly used in some southern Chinese languages such as Cantonese and Min /an, as well as in Japanese *owever, most Mandarin-spea%ing Chinese now call the game m, ji0ng ( ) )n /orthern !u Chinese ($hanghainese and its relatives), it is pronounced as 1mu tsia23, but in actuality, is the diminutive form of , written as 1mu tsia4 23, due to an erhua event )t is through the !u Chinese pronunciation of that the diminutive form of in /orthern !u became %nown as in both Mandarin and !u History China 5ne of the myths of the origin of mahjong suggests that Confucius, the Chinese philosopher, developed the game in about 677 8C #he three dragon (cardinal) tiles also agree with the three cardinal virtues be-ueathed by Confucius *9ng :h;ng ( , red middle), <= C,i

( , prosperity), and 8,i 8an ( , white board) represent benevolence, sincerity, and filial piety, respectively

#he myth also claims that Confucius was fond of birds, which would e>plain the name ?mahjong? (ma-ue @ sparrow) Many historians believe it was based on a Chinese card game called MAdi0o ( ) (also %nown as Ma #iae, hanging horse+ or B.CD 1 3, leaf) in the early Ming dynasty #his game was played with E7 paper cards similar in appearance to the cards used in the game Ba Fei #hese E7 cards are numbered & to G in four different suits, along with four e>tra flower cards #his is -uite similar to the numbering of mahjong tiles today, although mahjong only has three suits and, in effect, uses four pac%s of Ba Fei cards #here is still some debate about who created the game 5ne theory is that Chinese army officers serving during the #aiping Hebellion created the game to pass the time "nother theory is that a nobleman living in the $hanghai area created the game between &IJ7 and &IJ6 5thers believe that two brothers from /Dngp; created mahjong around &I67, from the earlier game of MAdi0o #his game was banned by the government of FeopleKs Hepublic of China when it too% power in &GEG #he new Communist government forbade any gambling activities, which were regarded as symbols of capitalist corruption "fter the Cultural Hevolution, the game was revived, without gambling elements, and the prohibition was revo%ed in &GI6 #oday, it is a favorite pastime in China and other Chinese-spea%ing communities West )n &IG6, $tewart Culin, an "merican anthropologist, wrote a paper in which mahjong was mentioned #his is the first %nown written account of mahjong in any language other than Chinese 8y &G&7, there were written accounts in many languages, including <rench and Japanese #he game was imported to the Lnited $tates in the &GM7s #he first mahjong sets sold in the L $ were sold by "bercrombie N <itch starting in &GM7 )t became a success in !ashington, O C , and the co-owner of the company, PCra <itch, sent emissaries to Chinese villages to buy every mahjong set they could find "bercrombie N <itch sold a total of &M,777 mahjong sets "lso in &GM7, Joseph Far% 8abcoc% published his boo% Hules of MahJongg, also %nown as the ?red boo%? #his was the earliest version of mahjong %nown in "merica 8abcoc% had learned mahjong while living in China *is rules simplified the game to ma%e it easier for "mericans to ta%e up, and his version was common through the mahjong fad of the &GM7s Qater, when the &GM7s fad died out, many of 8abcoc%Ks simplifications were abandoned #he game has ta%en on a number of trademar%ed names, such as ?Fung Chow? and the ?Rame of #housand )ntelligences? Mahjong nights in "merica often involved dressing and decorating rooms in Chinese style

$everal hit songs were recorded during the mahjong fad, most notably ?$ince Ma )s Flaying Mah Jong? by Pddie Cantor Many variants of mahjong developed during this period 8y the &G'7s, many revisions of the rules developed that were substantially different from 8abcoc%Ks classical version (including some that were considered fundamentals in other variants, such as the notion of a standard hand) #he most common form, which eventually became ?"merican mahjong?, was most popular among Jewish women $tandardiCation came with the formation of the /ational Mah Jongg Qeague (/MJQ) in &G'J, along with the first "merican mahjong ruleboo%, MaajhS #he "merican Tersion of the "ncient Chinese Rame Many consider the modern "merican version a rema%e of a Jewish game, as many "merican mahjong players are of Jewish descent #he /MJQ was founded by Jewish players and is considered a Jewish organiCation )n &GI(, the /ational Mah Jongg Qeague conducted their first Mah Jongg Cruise #ournament, in conjunction with Mah Jongg Madness )n M7&7, this large scale seagoing event hosted its M6th $ilver "nniversary Cruise, with players from all over the $tates and Canada participating )n recent years, a second organiCation has formed, the "merican Mah Jongg "ssociation #he "MJ" currently hosts tournaments all across /orth "merica, with their signature event being at the #rump #aj Mahal Casino Hesort in "tlantic City, /ew Jersey 8ritish author "lan O Millington revived the Chinese classical game of the &GM7s with his boo% #he Complete 8oo% of Mah-jongg (&GJJ) #his handboo% includes a formal rules set for the game " playing card form was published by an official of 8ritainKs Consular $ervice named !illiam *enry !il%inson, author of Chinese origin of playing cards, under the name Khanhoo Rames scholar Oavid Farlett has written that the !estern card games Con-uian and Hummy were derived from Mahjong "ll these games involve players drawing and discarding tiles or cards to ma%e melds Current development #here are many governing bodies which often host e>hibition games and tournaments for modern and traditional mahjong gaming Mahjong, as of M7&7, is the most popular table game in Japan "s of M77I, there were appro>imately J ( million Mahjong players in Japan and an estimated I,G77 Mahjong parlors did U'77 billion in sales Many devotees there believe the game is losing popularity and have ta%en efforts to revive it #here are several manga and anime (e g $a%i and "%agi) devoted to dramatic and comic situations involving mahjong $ince the &GI7s, mahjong arcade machines have been very popular in Japanese video arcades, with hundreds of titles to date, including strip versions /ewer units can connect with other arcade machines across the )nternet

Mahjong culture is still deeply ingrained in the Chinese community $am *ui wrote Cantopop songs using mahjong as their themes, and *ong Kong movies have often included scenes of mahjong games Many gambling movies have been filmed in *ong Kong, and a recent sub-genre is the mahjong movie Frolonged playing of mahjong may trigger epileptic seiCures according to a M77J study #o date there are only M' reported cases of mahjonginduced seiCures in the Pnglish medical literature $tudies by doctors have also shown in *ong Kong that the game is beneficial for individuals suffering from dementia or cognitive memory difficulties, leading to the development of mahjong therapy Type of game 8ecause of the solid form of the tiles, mahjong is sometimes classified as a domino game but plays similar to card games such as rummy