Introduction

This Mah-Jong variation is a slightly simplified variation of the Western Classical British rules as played by the British Mah-Jong Association (BMJA), constructed from:

  • “Mah-Jong (Know the Game)” by Gwyn Headley and Yvonne Seeley as the authoritative source on BMJA rules. However, I did not find the book sufficiently self-contained or unambiguous; certain details were either left unsaid or insufficiently explained.

  • The Mah-Jong British Rules site for clarifications on BMJA rules that were ambiguous in the book. While it contains many additional details, it is difficult to navigate.

  • “Mahjong from A to Zhú” by Scott D. Miller for a more thorough explanation of the core rules and an understanding of the different Mah-Jong variants. While I found this book sufficiently self-contained and unambiguous, it lists some core rules that the BMJA does not use, and its BMJA variant rules is inconsistent with “Mah-Jong (Know the Game)”.

  • The Four Winds Mah Jong knowledge base as an additional reference. It does not claim to explain British rules, but rather what it calls European Classical, yet it helped in clarifying some rules.

The goals of this ruleset, compared with the above sources, are (in order of priority):

  1. To be self-contained and unambiguous. This ruleset is intended to be sufficient to play the game and resolve any rules questions without additional references.

  2. To be appropriate for casual play between friends and family rather than tournaments with strict rules.

  3. To follow the BMJA rules. Omissions are allowed if they simplify play, and deviations are included only as optional rules.

As a result, this ruleset provides more detailed explanations for elements of the game that may be ambiguous, especially given the proliferation of different Mah-Jong variations, and it omits many technicalities that are not important for non-competitive play and are better left to the player group to resolve among themselves.

In particular, this ruleset differs from the BMJA rules as follows:

  • Penalties for mistakes are not included.

  • Rules for letting off a cannon and insurance penalties are not included.

  • Rules defining the beginning or end of a particular action (e.g. a player must draw a tile from the wall as soon as they touch it) are not included.

  • An option has been added to restrict a player who declares “original call” from changing their hand, to prevent abuse. This option is based on the “original call” rules from “Mahjong from A to Zhú”.

  • An option has been added for alternative lists of special hands.