Playing Mahjong is popular in the area: How to get involved

It’s everywhere around the Miami Valley: Find it in senior centers, public libraries and recreation centers. In restaurants. Even in private homes. Wherever you find space for a four-top table or two, you can find senior citizens playing Mahjong.

The strategy game played with small tile pieces, Mahjong is having a resurgence, say local players, and there is room for anyone who wants to join in this centuries-old Chinese game.

“If you can play cards, you can play this,” noted retired librarian Brenda Ullery, 76, as she sets up her wall of tiles to play at the Tipp City Public Library. Ullery and fellow players meet there Tuesdays at 1 p.m.

The group — Ullery, Guustie Alvarado, 64; Julie Johnson, 57; and Sandy, 67 — explained the basics. Players are dealt 13 tiles and go through several rounds of trading tiles face down in hopes of improving their hands.

“They call that ‘the Charleston,’” said Alvarado.

Then players select tiles, one at a time, from stacks or “wall” of tiles, keeping and discarding tiles. The object is to build one of 73 hands included in the 2024 official card published by the National Mah Jongg League. The first player to finish an approved hand with no discard wins that game.

Players keep their official cards close by. “It can be stressful, trying to read the card quickly, match tiles and determine your next move,” said Sandy.  Still, she’s glad she saw that the Tipp City Senior Center was offering lessons about five years ago.

“I wanted to learn to play my entire life,” she said. “I like the ritual of it.”

“And every hand is a little different,” said Johnson.

At the Tipp City Senior Center, Mahjong players gather Mondays at 1 p.m. Program assistant Dee Gillis has been teaching Mahjong ever since she returned from Florida where she learned the game about eight years ago. “I needed people to play with.”

The game has become so popular that the senior center hosts an annual Mahjong tournament each September with lunch and prizes, says Gillis.

Ann Marx, 89, picked up the game in 1965 from a friend at the Jewish Community Center north of downtown.  Marx taught Mahjong for years at the former Hithergreen Center in Centerville and now plays at the Washington Township Rec Center. Players meet Tuesdays and Thursdays at 12:30 p.m. in the Joyce Young Center.

Marx said most players are women, but the rec center group has included men. “They played very well.”

Marilyn Barrett, a retired Air Force surgical technician, says she learned at Hithergreen and continues to play weekly to keep her mind sharp. “I was concerned about Alzheimer’s,” she said, just before announcing her winning hand. “Mahjong!”

And though Mahjong is often compared to rummy, the players at Marilyn’s table disagree.

“It’s not rummy,” said Joan McGratty, who also teaches Mahjong. Players have to learn about the values of the tiles, suits, hands and game steps. “When you start to play, it’s nice to have someone sit near you.”

Ursula Tinibel, 94, agreed, noting that when she started at Hithergreen, she had many experienced players to help her. Now she’s happy to pay it back and help newcomers at her table.

Not all Mahjong players use the annual card. In 1963, the Officers’ Wives Club (now the Officers’ Spouses’ Club) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base published a rule book now recognized worldwide.

Chris Ross, president of the Dayton Women’s Social League, learned the Wright Patt rules and prefers them when she hosts Mahjong games at her home. “I guess it’s a matter of what you get used to.”

The League also gathers for Mahjong Mondays at 10:30 a.m. at My Favorite Muffin in Cross Pointe Shopping Centre in Centerville. New players are welcome. Contact Ross for more details at ladynature54@yahoo.com.


WANT TO PLAY?

Contact the organizations mentioned in this article. Or check the online activities calendar of your closet senior or recreation center. Many have Mahjong groups.  Ask your center about lessons; most can refer you to willing teachers.

Brush up before you go to lessons. Check out the variety of Mahjong instructional videos on YouTube. The no-cost WikiHow Mahjong page at wikihow.com/Play-Mahjong comes with helpful illustrations.

Mahjong set costs vary — from about $50 to many well over $100. Ask your teacher about loaner sets for lessons and practice.

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