The group has been running for about three years and we
         meet on the third Wednesday each month 
at 2pm in Wallington and sometimes have prearranged extra
         meetings.  

It is an interesting and increasingly popular game which combines the two elements of brainpower 
and luck and it is also a
         pleasant social occasion with no physical effort involved.  It was originally
         
a gambling game but we use only plastic money!  
 

There are various theories about the history of Mahjongg but the most widely accepted is that it originated in China in the middle of the 19th century, supplanting chess as the most popular game.   The word means "sparrow" and the shuffling of the tiles at the start of the game is the "twittering of sparrows".   It is played with tiles, originally ivory, with three suits. Bamboos, Circles and Characters (letters of the Chinese alphabet.   It included many rituals, especially at the start of the game, such as the building of the Great Wall with the tiles closely fitting to keep out the evil spirits.

The game was adopted by the Americans in about 1920 and although the basic principles remained the same, the rules were adapted in various ways. Each country where it is played tends to have various differences of rules and sometimes methods and there are many books and rule books as a result. 

In the interests of consistency, our group plays according to the rules by which I was taught and that has worked well for the last three years and we all enjoy our afternoon's play.

Doreen Sawtell is the Group Leader and can be contacted via the link below