Introduction

After mahjong was invented in China in the mid-1800′s – see the slightly more elaborate history of the game in the Chinese Classical section on this web site – it evolved differently in different parts of China, and then yet again into even more forms when spreading further into other countries in Asia and then the West during the 1900′s.

In this way, about two dozen recognized “main” variants of the game came to exist: in the regions of mainland China, and in Japan, the USA, Vietnam, Taiwan, Korea, Malaysia and so on. The result was that unlike in bridge, backgammon or FIDE-style chess, or more recently in poker, people from different parts of the world or even from different parts of China could not easily play against each other but were forced to adapt to the local rules.

Another problem has been that mahjong over the decades undeniably often has come to be associated with playing for high stakes, and thus acquired in part an unsavoury reputation as a gambling game – while still, in many other circles, being enjoyed as a family entertainment for points and prestige only. Especially during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960′s and 1970′s in China, when gambling was sternly discouraged, mahjong was at times prohibited and driven underground… which did not stop for example Chairman Mao himself from enjoying the game in secret.

Despite this mahjong proved to be unstoppable in China, due to its great popularity. Thus, in 1996 the People’s Sports Publishing House took up the challenge to create a national set of rules and also a “healthier” form of the game. It would not involve money, but instead be ranked as a “mind sports” form of competition. These official rules would therefore prohibit not only gambling on the outcome, but also drinking, smoking and swearing while playing.

In defining this new set of rules for Mahjong, a specially selected group of experts from all over China was appointed, and research was made not only into the regional variants in Beijing, Shanghai, Ningbo, Tiangjin, Hong Kong and others, but also those of Japan and Taiwan. The more complex forms of the game were rejected, and in the end the decision was made to create a pattern-based, additive form of play and scoring. The rules were presented in 1998; and in that same year mahjong as defined by these rules was officially named the country’s 255th sport, by the State Sports Commission of China.

This form of the game has since come to be recognized and adopted as the international version of mahjong, whilst undergoing a few micro-changes in the early 2000′s. Also, this form is known variously as Chinese Official (CO), World Mahjong Contest Rules (WMCR), Official International Rules (OIR), or Chinese Mahjong Contest Rules (CMCR), and is now officially (since October 2005) sanctioned and governed by the World Mahjong Organization (WMO).

In October 2002 the first World Mahjong Championship was held, in Tokyo. In 2005 the first European Championship was played according to the International Rules, in Nijmegen in the Netherlands. The Second World Championship was then played in November 2007, in Chengdu in China; and now there are a number of national and international tournaments annually, all based on these International Competition Rules.

Mahjong is a game of judgment and skill, repaying concentration, an ability to figure out odds, and evaluating the possible hands the opponents are holding in order to recognize which tiles are “dangerous” to discard. The game also offers the challenge of balancing your play between aiming to go out quickly but with not very valuable tiles in hand, and shooting for more high-paying but harder-to-achieve combinations.

When taking up International Competition Mahjong, it helps to first be well experienced in for example the Chinese Classical form of the game: and while the basic gameplay is the same, you must thoroughly familiarize yourself with the scoring elements, and learn how to quickly evaluate a starting hand to see in which “direction” you should then take it when exchanging tiles, while keeping open as many options as possible. International Competition Mahjong is indeed a demanding, but at the same time highly rewarding form of the game!

For the playing rules, click here . The scoring elements and the principles governing these are explained here. Naturally, you may play mahjong for free here at Mahjong Club!