American Version of Mahjong

choi

Corrie Driebusch, A Printing Error Ruffles the Mahjong World; Official card details winning title pattern. This year's mailing 'was a kerfuffle.' Wall Street Journal, June 4, 2025, at page A1
https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/a- ... jong-world-26f981c6

Note:
(a) Never understanding Mahjong, I am clueless what this article is about.
(b) English dictionary:
* kerfuffle (n; Did You Know?)
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kerfuffle
(c) "The National Mah Jongg League was founded in New York City in 1937 to standardize the game in America * * * In the American version, the National Mah Jongg League card dictates which patterns win. It is copyrighted and changes every year. * * * [Karen Gooen] the author of the self-published book 'Searching for Bubbe Fischer' about American mahjong. 'Bubbe' means grandmother in Yiddish, and the title is a nod to the American game's roots in Jewish culture."

Jewish roots? See mahjong
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahjong
("Mahjong became a central part of cultural bonding for Chinese Americans in the 1920s and '30s in Chinatown, Manhattan and was part of community building for suburban American Jewish women in the 1940s and 50s.[42] * * * Several hit songs were recorded during the Mahjong fad, most notably 'Since Ma Is Playing Mah Jong' by Eddie Cantor.[46]")
Eddie Cantor is a stage name for a Jewish singer/ songwriter, and reference 46 answered the question "Why are so many players of American mah-jongg Jewish?" in the FAQ section of Sloperama.com.
-----------------------------WSJ
For mahjong enthusiasts, the most anticipated day of the year comes in early spring.

Devotees of the 19th-century Chinese tile-based game are known to stalk postal carriers the first week of April, anticipating the annual release of the official National Mah Jongg League card. The object of their desire costs $14 or $15, depending on the size, and outlines which tile combinations allow players to declare “Mahjong!” and win the game.

“We wait all year for a new mahjong card,” said Fern Oliphant, a veteran player in Tampa.

This year, “Mahjong” wasn’t the only word fans were exclaiming. The card had a misprint.

The ensuing drama has frozen players across the country, and led some to question the not-for-profit they all rely on to keep America’s mahjong games going, a group they reverently call “The League.”

“It was a kerfuffle. Everyone was talking about it,” Oliphant said, quick to swear that’s not a complaint.

Once the realm of 80-year-old retirees, mahjong has grown in popularity, with players now including Hollywood stars like Julia Roberts and Mindy Kaling.

In an interview with Stephen Colbert several years ago, Roberts said she plays mahjong once a week with her girlfriends. The game, she said, was “a way to build order out of chaos based on random drawing of tiles.”

Participation has exploded over the past two years, according to many players and instructors, and a cottage industry has popped up around the game. There are tile sets selling for upward of $2,900 and designer jewelry made out of mahjong tiles, not to mention the countless YouTube tutorials and Facebook groups and Reddit threads discussing correct plays, rules and etiquette.

The National Mah Jongg League was founded in New York City in 1937 to standardize the game in America, and its annual card has divided the winners from the losers for nearly 90 years.

Mahjong—which many American players spell Mah Jongg, thanks to the League—is a showcase of strategy and wits. Four players draw and discard tiles to complete specific tile patterns. The tiles are colorfully adorned with different suits—of dots, craks, bamboo, as well as other characters like dragons, flowers and winds.

In the American version, the National Mah Jongg League card dictates which patterns win. It is copyrighted and changes every year.

Meanwhile, the League, which donates a portion of its sales, has largely stayed the same.

Its website “is a throwback to a webpage in the late 1990s,” said Krista Obitts, a mahjong enthusiast who started playing two years ago.

The phone number listed on the site often goes unanswered; it recently played a recorded apology for the misprint mishap. And while there’s been some inflation—the standard-size card now costs $14, when in 1973 it cost 75 cents—the look, style and feel of the cards is virtually unchanged.

Perhaps, some mahjong players whispered recently but didn’t dare say on the record for fear of retribution, the League needs to modernize.

The League said it wouldn’t be able to speak about the issue until late August. “Right now we are focused on delivering the annual NMJL card and standard hands,” President Larry Unger said, adding the items help the community “enjoy this magical game.”

On a recent Wednesday night in Arlington, Va., more than two dozen women gathered at a local pizza and beer hall to learn and play mahjong with instructor Tori Rittinger. Most had played the game before and were well aware of the misprint fiasco.

The misprint showed one line on both the standard and large-print cards in one color, denoting a single suit of tiles, instead of three, as indicated by the line description. The mistake was immediately clear for many players, including Karen Gooen. She quickly alerted others to it.

Gooen said her “shtick” is to go over her new mahjong card as soon as she receives it and post about it, so she can help players learn the new patterns. She’s the author of the self-published book “Searching for Bubbe Fischer” about American mahjong. “Bubbe” means grandmother in Yiddish, and the title is a nod to the American game’s roots in Jewish culture.

Kerri Thomas’s 2025 card appeared accurate, but that wasn’t from a corrected card. She had placed a sticker that Rittinger made and distributed over the misprinted line.

Thomas purchased five 2025 cards and said she had stalked her mail earlier this spring waiting for them to arrive. Many players order multiple cards so they have a full set on hand when friends come over to play.

Thanks to her quick-fix stickers, she’s not anxiously awaiting the new batch of cards, coming any day now.

“Can you imagine having to reprint all those cards?,” she said in sympathy with the League.

Some players, often those newer to the game and still getting used to the 55 lines of tile patterns that can crown them winners, played down the misprint.

Martine Kline said she found the mistake in this year’s card to be obvious, but acknowledged it could be detrimental for more experienced players. Those players tend to move through games faster and rely on quickly glancing at the color patterns as they collect tiles.

“It did stir up rage among the old guard,” said Kline, who lives near Jackson, Miss., and has been playing since 2022.

Oliphant, the Tampa enthusiast, waited on her corrected 2025 National Mah Jongg League card like the rest of the American mahjong community. She didn’t let that stop her from playing.

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way to play mahjong,” said Oliphant. She’s even made it into a business, founding Destination Mah Jongg, which organizes mahjong tournament vacations.

The card finally arrived last week.