By Philippe and Julie, I Love Mahj It’s every Mah Jongg player's favorite time of the year! The NMJL’s 2024 cards are arriving in mailboxes all over the country, and just when we were all getting comfortable and feeling as though we’d finally mastered the 2023 card, it's time to learn a new one. No matter your level of experience, learning the new card each year can be tough and somewhat intimidating. But we're here to help. Our aim is to make getting to grips with the new card as easy and as fast as possible. Plus, all this learning is wonderful exercise for our brains!  Notation/Conven ..read more

The Lunar New Year Day falls around the end of January to the middle of February on the Gregorian calendar. Because it is based on an older and different calendar, the exact Lunar New Year Day, like Easter, varies from year to year on the Gregorian calendar. Preparation for the celebration begins about two weeks or more before and the season ends with the Lantern Festival arriving 15 days later.  In total this winter holiday, which welcomes spring, lasts four to six weeks. It is estimated that 20% of the global population participates in each Lunar New Year celebration. Also known as the ..read more

  Hearts: Lela keeps rolling tallies of Hearts scores amongst her favorite groups of players, making for easy après dinner party transitions into game night. Gin Rummy: Lela learned to play Rummy with her grandfather who taught her how to count cards. Some people think that's cheeky; she says it's fair game. Watch out! Backgammon: a fave for travel, Backgammon is a perfect foil for a quiet fireside corner amid a larger party or for setting up poolside and playing in series. I call winner!  Oh Hell: A fabulous game for a group (up to 7 players), Oh Hell quickly becomes a raucous, fas ..read more

The Mahjong Line (TML) has done it again! They’ve designed a lovely mahjong tile set that will bring joy to all who play with it. Instead of a completely new approach to tile designs, The Classic Line harkens back to high end Chinese mahjong tiles carved a hundred years ago. TML designers were inspired by many of the images they saw on the vintage sets, but they put their own twists on the design. Even the color palette of the images, numbers and letters is new, as are the color of the tiles themselves.   The Dots are colorful specks that dance across the tile faces, arranging themselves ..read more

The game of mahjong has 3 different types of dragons.   White dragon Green dragon Red dragon  White Dragon Seasoned players call white dragons, Soap. The soap or white dragon belongs to the Dots tile suit. There are 4 white dragons in a mahjong tile set.  Green Dragon The green dragon belongs to the Bams tile suit. There are 4 green dragons in a mahjong tile set.  Red Dragon The red dragon belongs to the Cracks tile suit. There are 4 red dragons in a mahjong tile set.  ..read more

New terminology can definitely make picking up a new game confusing. We are here to help! A kong in the game of mahjong is a 4 of a kind. Four identical tiles such as 3 Dot, 3 Dot, 3 Dot, 3 Dot. Absolutely! You can use a joker(s) to make a kong.  Head over to how to play mahjong for more in-depth knowledge and snag yourself a cheat sheet!  ..read more

Avoid getting trip up by unfamiliar mahjong lingo. A pung in the game of mahjong is a 3 of a kind. Three identical tiles such as 1 crack, 1 crack, 1 crack. Yes! You can can use a joker(s) in a pung.  Heading over to our how to play the game of mahjong. It's packed with helpful tips and rules about mahjong ..read more

By Philippe & Julie from ilovemahj.com What is Mahjong? Brief History of Mahjong Mahjong Tiles and Sets  How to Play Mahjong  Play Mah Jongg Online  Mahjong is part of the culture  Mahjong is art Mahjong is intellectually challenging  Conclusion You’ve most likely heard of Mahjong, but may be wondering exactly what it is. There’s actually way more to Mahjong than most people realize. It’s an exciting game of strategy and luck that’s loved by players the world over!  In this article, we’ll describe what Mahjong is, give a brief history of the game, an overview ..read more

By Philippe and Julie, ilovemahj.com It’s that time of year again when we all get to start over! The NMJL 2023 cards are arriving in mailboxes all over the country, and there’s a sense of excitement and anticipation in the Mah Jongg community. No matter how many years you’ve been playing, or your level of experience, learning the new card each year can be tough and somewhat intimidating. That’s where we step in… Our aim is to make getting to grips with the new card as easy and as fast as possible! Plus, all this learning is absolutely fabulous for our brains!  Notation/Convention Before ..read more

Written by: Yvonne Wolf, Chinese Intercultural Consultant Lunar New Year is a traditional holiday celebrated by almost 20% of the Earth’s global population. It is a non-religious holiday based on an ancient, lunar-based calendar that originated in China. This lunar-based calendar has been used in many parts of East Asia for several millennia. The first day of the first month was known as the new year’s day. By the second half of the 20th century, the lunar calendar ran concurrently with the Gregorian calendar that most of the world follows. Each year was linked with one of the 12 Chi ..read more