| Status: | Active, open to new members |
| Leader: |
Adrienne Laverick
|
| Group email: | Mahjong group |
| When: | Weekly on Tuesday afternoons 13.00-16.00 every Tuesday |
| Venue: | Cramlington HUB |
Please buy your refreshments on the way in. There is a cafe on the ground floor where you can buy drinks 'to go'.
We are open to new members, and beginners are welcome, but it is a 'committed' group, as opposed to a 'drop in, drop out ' event. We need to know how many will be playing each week to provide adequate equipment and tables to play. It is important that you let the organizer know that you will be attending a session, preferably the day before, so that tables can be set up ready to play. We have a WhatsApp group and a message is sent out every Sunday for responses from players to confirm numbers.
Anyone interested in playing or requiring further information see me at the General Meeting or contact the Groups Coordinator via the Contact page.
Please note, it is nothing like the matching pairs mahjong you may play on your computer/ Ipad/ phone etc. which merely consists of matching pairs, though you may recognize some of the pictures on the tiles. It is a little more complicated, but nevertheless, good fun.
It is interesting, brain straining, and three hours playing passes very quickly indeed. Patience and concentration are key factors but also required is a sense of humour to enjoy the game.
Mahjong is a game that evolved at the time of the Qing Dynasty and is very popular in many countries in the Far East. There are many ways to play the game but we have opted for a very simple one to make things easier for everyone.
There are 144 tiles used, which are made up of Chinese characters, bamboos, circles, winds, dragons and flowers.
They may initially be a bit confusing but once recognized, play becomes easier and more fluid.
Dice are thrown to decide who will be the dealer and once hands are dealt play begins with them. The object is to create runs, pungs, chows, kongsets all of which will sound a little alien to you until you look at the guides we use to make up these sets with the aim to end on a winning hand.
Mahjong has been likened to Rummy or Canasta so if you have ever played either, it may be useful.
