Bam! Crack! Dot! This is what you’ll hear coming from the sunroom if you happen to be at the Lodge on Tuesday mornings anytime between 10 a.m. and noon. Oh, and lots of tiles sliding across tables and laughter, plenty of laughter! It’s the Edgewater ladies playing Mah jongg.
Mah jongg, sometimes spelled Mahjong, is a game that originated in China, commonly played by four players. Mah jongg is a game of skill, strategy, and calculation and involves a certain degree of chance. The game is played with a set of 136 tiles based on Chinese characters and symbols. The game is played using a Mah jongg card purchased once a year from The National Mah jongg League, Inc. The idea is to make a hand by using the symbols on the card. The first person to have a winning hand shouts out, “I’ve got Mah jongg!” and is lavishly praised by the other three players while each silently agonizes over her own mistakes.
Edgewater resident and official Mah jongg teacher, Anita Silverman, started the club five years ago. Anita was a seasoned player and was anxious to get a group going at Edgewater. Of course, that meant having to teach the game to a bunch of newbies. Betty Pekofske was her first pupil. Anita, Marilyn Kumrow, Betty Mueller and Barbara Lippman, already accomplished players, were a few of the original members. With great patience, they were happy to pitch in and help Anita as Mah jongg instructors. In no time, the group grew to over 20 women and counting. New players are always graciously welcomed.
A Mah jongg set now tops the holiday wish list for many of the new players. A set can be purchased for between $80 and $100. The yearly card is just $7.
And as any Tuesday Mah jongg player will tell you, in addition to having a wonderful time actually playing the game, the fun continues as we all head out to lunch somewhere along the Randall Road corridor.
