Renewed interest in a centuries-old game comes to Atlanta

Turns out I’m not the only one interested in mahjong. It has become downright trendy.

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

What exactly is mahjong?

Compared to the card game rummy, mahjong (sometimes spelled mah jongg) is a four-player tile game in which each player tries to be the first to form a winning combination of sets and pairs. When playing American mahjong, each player receives a hand of 13 tiles of different colors (bamboo, dots, characters) as well as wind, flower and dragon tiles. Each player takes turns drawing and discarding tiles until one player completes a hand and shouts “mahjong.”

At first it may seem impossible to achieve a combination, but it’s exciting to see your hand take shape. The game comes down to luck and skill: you may never get the tile you need to complete the hand you carefully cultivated on the rack before you. As a puzzle lover, this is an interesting part of mahjong.

The game originated in China’s Yangtze River Delta around the 1800s and spread to major cities like Beijing. Translated, the name means “sparrows,” in homage to the symbolism of the birds on the tiles and the sound the tiles make. In the 1920s, trade and export brought mahjong to the United States where its popularity exploded. The game evolved—new combinations of tiles were added and old ones eliminated—to create the Westernized version that most Americans play today. The National Mah Jongg League, which publishes the rules of the American version and makes modifications, was founded in New York in 1937.

Although there is nothing inherently Jewish about mahjong, it is associated with the community because it became popular with Jewish suburbanites in the 1950s who were looking to socialize. The ladies played it at Jewish resorts like the Catskills, and from there they dispersed to their hometowns.

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Mahjong moment

The game never went away, but it’s seeing renewed interest among the millennial crowd. Recent years have seen the emergence of stylish mahjong-centric brands, like Mahjong Line, which sell brightly colored tiles with modern designs like ocean-themed patterns. Ashley O’Donnell, vice president of marketing at Swoozie’s, a gift and party supply store with locations in Atlanta and Peachtree Corners, first noticed a surge in interest in the game last summer.

“As we moved into the fall and holiday season, the volume continued to grow,” O’Donnell said, adding that since then, “it has only gotten bigger.”

Swoozie’s sells tile sets, tile pouches and ancillary items like mahjong party coasters. As attractive as the products are, it’s not the main appeal of the game. “It’s…a reason to get together with your girls.” I think every age and generation of women are always looking for those connections,” O’Donnell said.

To meet the demand from people wanting to learn to play, companies providing lessons have emerged. When a few friends told me they wanted to play, I hired Let’s Rack and Roll to come to my house for a two-hour lesson. The women behind this project, Gabby Spratt and Sami Tanenbaum, grew up in South Florida watching their respective grandparents play. It wasn’t until the pandemic, when Tanenbaum turned to Facebook in her search for other players, that the two connected.

When Dallas-based Oh My Mahjong asked Spratt to teach classes in Atlanta under their umbrella, she asked Tanenbaum to join her and things quickly took off. Although they did “zero marketing,” Spratt said, they accumulated clients ranging from large parties at country clubs to small home classes. Since this time last year, they have taught about 400 people to play in Atlanta.

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Connect people

As much as I love the puzzle aspect of mahjong, the way it brings people together is what makes it shine. My current mahjong group is a mix of married mothers and single women. Some of us have been friends for years and some of us have only recently met. You don’t have to be friends for a long time to play mahjong; it creates its own bond.

Luci Holbert and Liz Liu, co-founders of the Buckhead Mahjong Club, have seen this through the lessons they teach. At an event they recently hosted, two women in their 60s were seated with two women in their 30s. The pairs hit it off and now they play every week. “I don’t think this connection would ever happen in the real world,” Holbert said.

For Tanenbaum and Spratt, playing mahjong was a way to connect with their faith and heritage. “How many Jewish women before me have sat down at a table to play this game that strengthens community, friendship and our heritage? I don’t know,” Tanenbaum said. “There’s something about that connection that has always stuck with me.”

An appealing feature of mahjong for me is its tangibility. In the digital age where we are so often face-to-face with our screens, scrolling through social media and clicking on ads, mahjong offers a sensory experience with a socializing side. Touching the smooth tiles and admiring their pretty patterns while laughing with friends is simply delicious.

“Today’s modern world, with all the technology and the way our children connect, is so different,” Liu said. “It’s like we’re bringing back the old school, and that’s what mahjong offers people.” Other than the occasional photo, I can honestly say that I don’t check my phone very often during a game.

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Now go play

Mahjong seems intimidating at first, but there are many ways to learn to play. In addition to Let’s Rack and Roll and Buckhead Mahjong Club, Rocket Mahjong and Mahjong Social offer lessons. If it’s hard to find three other friends to take a private lesson with, keep an eye out for events around town, like tutorials at Swoozie.

Jen Chan grew up playing mahjong with her family and later introduced the game to her wife and business partner, Emily Chan. She quickly became hooked. Today, Jen hosts Mahjong Mondays at her restaurant JenChan’s in Cabbagetown. Customers can reserve tables or purchase individual tickets and take an intensive class in the early evening. Dim sum and cocktails are available for purchase.

“We have people reserving a single seat and we have a table of four complete strangers meeting, enjoying each other’s company and learning the game together,” Chan said. “It’s kind of refreshing to see complete strangers having fun together.”

Mahjong Mondays. 6:00 p.m. most Mondays. $10 to $35. JenChan’s, 186 Carroll St., Cabbagetown. 404-632-7064, jenchans.com