History of Mahjong

Mahjong is a four-player game that involves strategy, skill, and calculation, combined with some degree of luck. It is widely popular as a gambling game, wherein every player is dealt 13 or 16 tiles (depending on variation played) in a single hand. On every turn, each player draws a tile and discards one in a goal to make four or five melds and a pair (head). A winning hand could contain 14 or 17 tiles. Winning is attained ‘on the draw’ through drawing new or discarded tiles that complete the winning hand.

This game is of Chinese origin. It is believed to have originated 2,000 years ago in the court of King of Wu (around the time great philosopher Confucius existed). There is a myth that explains its development. It is said that within the court, a beauty in seclusion lived. She invented the game out of boredom by carving domino-shaped pieces out of bamboo and ivory. When the set was finished, the lady invited three of her maids to come play with her. Exact rules they used in playing are unknown to these days.

For many centuries, mahjong had remained exclusive to the Chinese royal class. Commoners were prohibited by law to play the game. Violators of the prohibition were punished with decapitation. In about 500 AD, that law was changed and the ban was lifted, enabling just about anyone who wants to play the game to do so. This action also enabled mahjong to gain much popularity and spread like wildfire across various nations worldwide, including Australia and England.

Mahjong reached the United States and was an instant hit among American players in 1920. It was Joseph Babcock, a Shanghai-based American citizen, who has been credited for introducing the game to the country under a copyrighted name ‘mah-jongg.’ Rules of the game were simplified. Babcock even provided English translations to mahjong tiles and at the same time added numbers and letters that are familiar mostly to card players.

In 1923, the popularity of mahjong in the United States rapidly grew. Thousands of mahjong sets were shipped from Shanghai and were priced expensively. The immense popularity of the game that time prompted many importers to order thousands of game sets from China. The US Department of Commerce even reported huge exports of bone to China from Chicago and Kansas City for the production of more mahjong sets.

Before the end of the decade, the popularity of mahjong drastically dwindled. Many observers even classified the game as just another flash in the pan, a fad that was easily dropped by the Americans. Many enthusiasts, however, kept on playing and promoting the game in hope that the craze could be rejuvenated. The opportunity came during the period of Depression in the 1930s, when interest in card games, board games, and table games was revived. Mahjong made a huge comeback.

Since then, mahjong has become one of the popular gambling games played conventionally and online. The game was not able to surpass or even equal its initial popularity in America, but it surely is enjoyed by many people generations after generations. In fact, mahjong is described by many enthusiasts and observers as a game of hundred intelligences.