About Mah Jong

History

• Myths abound about mah jong's ancient Chinese roots. One story claims a beautiful princess invented it to relieve boredom in the court of King Wu, in 427 B.C. In fact, the game has only existed since the 19th century.

Name

• "Mah jong" is a transliteration of the game's Chinese name. "Mahjong," "mahjongg" and "majiang" are just three of at least 18 alternative English spellings. Its original name was "ma que," which meant "sparrow."

Pieces

• The game requires dice and at least 144 tiles. They are all numbered, and traditionally fall into the categories or suits of circles, bamboos, characters, dragons, winds, bonus and blank tiles.

Game play

• Each player takes 13 tiles from the pool. By putting down and picking up tiles, each participant aims to collect four matching sets (melds) of tiles and one pair to win the game. The exact rules vary.

Gambling

• In China, mah jong has a reputation for being addictive. Its popularity as a gambling game means that many Chinese people associate it with the criminal underworld.