The rules of Mahjong differ depending on the level of difficulty. We want to introduce you to a simple variant of the Chinese game for beginners that you can also play with your children.
Mahjong: The game rules explained clearly
Mahjong is an ancient Chinese board game. Depending on who is playing, the rules of the game may differ. If you have children, it is advisable to initially choose a simpler version. You can play the game two or four play. It's best to sit at a square table to play. There are in the game box 144 or 136 rectangular game pieceswhich are also called bricks and two cubes. Symbols are printed on the game pieces: dragons, coins, bamboo, numbers and winds. You will later use these to form your figures. There are also bonus stones (flower stones and seasons).
- First, shuffle the tiles facing downwards. With 144 pieces, each player now gets 36 pieces and builds them in front of him in two rows of 18 pieces each. The stones point downwards. The finished rows are pushed together with the corners to form a square wall.
- Now each player rolls the dice once. The person with the highest number becomes the captain and can start. The game is played clockwise. But first each player takes 13 stones from the wall, but so that the square wall remains intact. The drawn pieces are placed in front of you so that the other players cannot see what is on the pieces.
- Each player's goal is to get four figures (three of a kind (three identical pieces), a row (three consecutive numbers of the same basic color) and a pair (two identical pieces). Whoever succeeds in this wins the round. He calls out “Mah Jongg ” and shows the other players his stones. The winner is then the game leader for the next round. There are also four of a kind (Kong), but then you have to pull an additional stone from the wall to compensate for the fourth stone.
- Now it starts and the player who starts takes a stone from the wall. He can either place this face up in the middle of the wall or – if he can use it for his figures – place another stone from his 13 stones in the middle.
- As soon as a player places a token in the middle that another player can use to form a figure, he or she may call out “pong” for three of a kind or “kong” for four of a kind and take the token. As proof, he then has to place his figure face up in the middle of the wall. If there are four of a kind, an additional stone is taken from the wall. When completing a row you shout “chow”. However, you can only take a number from the middle when it is your turn. In this case too, the row is revealed.
- Tipp: When buying your game pieces, you should make sure that there are small Arabic numbers or letters printed on the top corner. This makes the game easier for you and your children
Computer classics: Rules for Mahjong on the PC
Mahjong is also available as a computer game – but this differs from the variant mentioned above and is similar to the well-known memory game. The rules for this Mahjong variant are not difficult and can be learned within a few minutes. The aim of the game is to remove all the pieces on the board. This is how it works:
- Depending on the variant, you have to remove all the stones with as high a score as possible or as quickly as possible. You can achieve this by always clicking on two stones with the same motif. These will then be removed and you can search for the next identical motifs.
- You are not allowed to click on stones that have a neighbor on the right and left. You also cannot select stones that still have one stone above them. So you can only use stones that only have one stone left or right or that are completely free.
- Always try to remove the stones that will reveal new stones for you. If a combination reveals few or no stones, leave them for later.
- Try to expose the horizontal lines first as they are usually more difficult to remove.
- You can also download and install Mahjong on your PC. There is a free version in our download area.
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