Purbeck U3A

Purbeck U3A Mah Jong group

Mah Jong Tiles Mahjongg

A ‘Full’ Mah Jong game being standard 144 tile play, goulash and scoring with tallies, rotating winds and recognising penalties all in accordance with British Mah Jong Association (“BMJA”) rules.

Local ‘Purbeck’ variations have been adopted to enhance play.  Players may choose to use what are known as ‘Purbeck Special Hands’ in their game play. These Purbeck Special Hands are 14 hands not provided for under BMJA rules but are widely used throughout the world.  The scores applicable to these Purbeck Special Hands have been brought into line with BMJA special hands scores

Bespoke crib sheets are provided covering all aspects of play for which a one- off charge of £5 applies.

Meetings take place fortnightly on Tuesdays  throughout the year at Stoborough Village Hall starting at 2.00 p.m. prompt and continuing until about 4.30 p.m.  To encourage optimum competitive play, attendees are requested to use tallies to score every game and are not permitted to go Mah Jong with a ‘dirty hand’ (“chicken hand).

In line with U3A philosophy it is very much a self-help group with members taking responsibility to set up tables and organise their own refreshments.

Mah Jong sets, racks, tallies and tables may be borrowed from the Group Facilitator for those members who wish to play at home.  On these occasions the host typically determines a variation to the rules of play.  Attendance at Stoborough Village Hall costs £1 per session and at Members’ homes a donation of 50 pence is recommended to cover the cost of hosts’ refreshments.

Other members and Guests are welcome at the Stoborough meetings provided that advance notice has been given and there are sufficient players.  Guests are required to join Purbeck U3A if they wish to attend more than one meeting.

Ideally games are played by four persons although games may also be played satisfactorily by 3 persons.  A group of 5 people may also participate in the game by one person in turn sitting out during a round.  Complete beginners are welcome but are expected to commit initially to playing regularly for about 5 - 6 weeks in order to gain an adequate level of proficiency and not to detract from the enjoyment of other players. Also Beginners may be asked to play jointly with a more experienced player in order to achieve a level of play similar to the rest of the players.

The group generally adhere to the rules of the British Mah Jong Association as set out in the booklet authored by Peter Gregory.  Copies of the rules may be purchased from www.MahJong-BritishRules.com but other booklets on the market are usually equally useful.  ‘Know the Game’ booklet is good although rules have been updated over the years with each reprint.  The bespoke crib sheets are very useful to refer to during play.

Group members are required to have their own email address or a buddy with email who is prepared to relay messages.  Virtually all communications among the group are by email.  The Group has space and would welcome new members.

mahjong@purbecku3a.org.uk

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