Mahjong is a game we’ve all heard of these days, whether we’re familiar with it as a board game from the 1970s or perhaps as one of those games which came free with Windows 95 (and later versions) which we had a stab at but the rules seemed a bit strange.  We probably all guess that it’s somehow Chinese in origin just because of the name.  So what’s the real story behind Mahjong?

As with many of these types of games it’s not really possible to say with 100% accuracy how the game was created, or to be able to trace any kind of legacy.  It’s been suggested that the game is as old as Confucius (who is claimed to have invented it) which would mean that it dates back 2500 years.  Others say it dates back to Ming Dynasty (between 400 – 700 years old) and yet still more argue that it only dates back to the Taiping Rebellion between 1854 and 1870, being invented by bored officers during that conflict.  There was certainly an earlier game called Madiao which has similarities to Mahjong and which may be a predecessor.  In 1949 the new communist government of China banned it as a symbol of having fun (aka capitalism) and it wasn’t until 1985 that the ban was relaxed and it regained popularity in China.

By the early 1900s it had made its way to the United States via various channels, one of them

Babcock's simplified rulebook

being Joseph Babcock, who had lived in China and had written an English language guide to Mahjong.  It was simplified for American habits and during the 1920s this version helped to popularise the game.  When this popularity faded (the fad also included hit records), Babcocks rule changes also died out and the original rules once again took precedence.

Mahjong is now played the world over, with various national associations governing the diverse rules and behaviours of the game.  It’s probably most popular in America and Japan (after China) and in recent years has once again made an impact with the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City hosting an annual commpetition.

Part Two follows……