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Updates to the 2023 Visual Companion Guide for American Mah Jongg

Thank you for your purchase of the 2023 Visual Companion Guide for American Mah Jongg.

NOTE: We have reviewed the new edition of Mah Jongg Made Easy and have created a PDF of updates. 

To read the PDF of this presentation (WHICH IS CURRENTLY IN DRAFT FORM AND WILL BE UPDATED), visit https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0260/1163/1676/files/MJME2024Comparison_1.pdf?v=1706097241

We recommend waiting to print since there may be a few edits.

On this page, we will continue to add any updates here based on any new rules from the NMJL.  We are currently reviewing the newly released MJME, and will add any new citations and updates. Since we included bulletins and letters from the League since the 2020 MJME, the rules in are VCG are up-to-date other than a few changes, if any.

Teachers and Game Organizers: Please contact us at ModernMahjong@gmail.com for discounts on purchases of eight or more guides. 

Several players have asked for autographed copies: We are working on this and will update with information soon.

Page 11: We correctly had the rule that the tiles remaining after the roll of the dice should remain on the right side of East's rack. The NMJL clarified this rule in the 2024 MJME. Accordingly, page 11 includes: 

  • It is also a rule that after East breaks the wall, the remaining tiles known as the Dice Wall should remain in place. The 2024 Edition of MJME provides: After the walls are built, East throws dice. The number designated on the dice shows East how many on the double-tiered wall to count, moving from the extreme right to the left. These tiles are then pushed back flush against East’s rack and moved to the right.

Page 14: We had correctly included an update since 2020 MJME that the Charleston continues unless a player objects. We based the rule about when the Charleston can be stopped on the last year's 2023 Bulletin which provided: If one or more players have put down their pass, but no one has picked up the second left pass, then it is permissible to stop the Charleston. MJME 2024 provides: The second Charleston may be stopped so long as no player has looked at the tiles being passed to them. 

Page 17 has been updated and the new orders will include this information. We had the information in other pages of the Guide and added more details for this FAQ.

Miscellaneous Questions:

19. Can I change my exposure before discarding? After claiming a Discard, a player may add or take away from their current exposure during their turn if they have not yet initiated a Joker Exchange or discarded. NOTE: The change to an exposure is only allowed for tiles from the sloping part of their rack, they may not return a Discard to the table once placed on their rack. See Page 27 regarding the proper order for calling a Discard, making an exposure, and exchanging a Joker.

Pages 36 and 37 regarding Dead Hands:

  • In a phone call to the NMJL on September 22, 2023, the NMJL confirmed: 
    • A player can’t avoid the consequences of challenging a dead hand by wording it differently. If you know the hand is dead, state your challenge definitively. 
    • If Player A can prove that Player B’s hand is unwinnable based on tiles seen by all players (in exposures and Discards), Player B’s hand is dead and Player B stops picking and discarding.
    • We posted this four part panel on Facebook.com/groups/MahjongCommunity to share these updates.