A BEGINNING

I started playing mahjong, the Singapore variant, in university about seven to eight years ago. I was hooked immediately. I love the game for its intellectual appeal and the little luck factor that keeps one on one’s toes constantly, as well as both the social and individual aspects of the game. I had been playing contract bridge before that, and often see bridge partners berating each other for poor play or miscommunication. Mahjong provides me the enjoyment of playing in a larger group, compared to games like Chess and Go, without the constant performance pressures of having a partner. In mahjong, I am, for most of the time, responsible only for me.

Lately, a good friend EP introduced a group of us to a new variant called Chinese Official (CO), or Mahjong Competition Rules (MCR). Details of this variant can be found at EP’s blog, Singapore Sparrows. If I was hooked before, I am now obsessed.

I am not sure yet of the direction of this blog, only that there will be more posts on our MCR games and my thoughts on mahjong in general. In a way, I also wish to complement EP’s blog posts with a more personal look at our group’s play and strategy. While EP likes to look at the big picture, I enjoy the nitty-gritty details.

At the same time, I also do not wish to make this a purely mahjong blog. I have other interests and shall share them here at will. I hope to be able to make it an enjoyable read for all.