The ancient Chinese game of mahjong has seen a recent surge in popularity across America, with players of all generations and skill levels getting together regularly to exercise their brains and enjoy the social interaction. In Cleveland, mahjong has become a staple of community life, with groups of players meeting up to learn, play, and strategize.
Mahjong in the Heights
Erin Schamisch of Cleveland Heights runs ‘Mahjong In The Heights’ and regularly hosts groups of players in locations all over Greater Cleveland. Schamisch believes the world is still experiencing ripple effects from the isolation due to the Covid pandemic and the popularity of mahjong comes from humans’ need for stimulation, connection, and social interaction.
Mahjong has found popularity among older adults looking to keep their minds sharp, as well as younger people. Clevelander Kim Nardi plays at events hosted by Mahjong In The Heights with friends and her children, who are in their 20s. ‘The reason I love it is it brings all of our friends and their children and everybody together, and it also, like, makes you think, and keeps your brain fresh,’ Nardi said.
Mahjong was developed in China in the 1800s and has since spread throughout the world. The game is played with a set of 144 tiles based on Chinese characters and symbols. Players use different strategies to match their tiles with the same symbol until the board is cleared.
Etiquette and Rules
Schamisch recommends exploring the Chinese version of mahjong first and its history before learning the American version. ‘Learn where it originated, where it comes from, who played it, and why they played it, because it’ll make sense of why we do it today,’ she said. Each symbol on a mahjong tile set has a meaning. ‘It’s just not a picture game,’ said Schamisch.
Schamisch also emphasizes the importance of patience when learning mahjong. ‘We all think in everything we do that we’re supposed to learn it, grasp it, make it work right then and there,’ she said. ‘Mahjong is something that takes a while to learn, and you have to be very patient. It might take you up to six months to say, ‘I have a full understanding of this game.”
Original reporting: Signal Cleveland — read the source article.
