More than a century ago, a humble servant invented a game that would soon take China, and later the world, by storm. That game was Mahjongg. When it was finally brought to the United States back in the 20s it became an instant favorite. Though interest waned soon after, it is now hugely popular again -- especially on the internet where it is creating a new generation of loyal fans who can't get enough of this challenging and highly addictive game.
The most popular variant in the US is American Mahjongg, which has a number of key differences from the classical version that came out of China. One of the biggest differences is the Charleston, which is one of the most popular features of the American variant. The Charleston (named after a popular dance back in the 1920s) involves exchanging tiles at the beginning of the game. Even if you have the perfect set of tiles, too bad, you still need to swap.
Each player must swap three tiles facedown to their neighbor on the right. Next, each player swaps three tiles with the player opposite them. Then players must swap three more tiles to their left neighbor. Finally, if players feel they have a strong hand, they can push one or two tiles to their left neighbor as well. This can be followed up by a second Charleston if all players are mutually agreeable, called a Free Charleston. The upside to all this tile swapping is that there is a very good chance you'll have a strong hand on your rack.
Sound confusing? Don't worry! Mahjongg is definitely a challenging game, and takes some time to learn. But once you do learn how to play Mahjongg, you will be rewarded with hours of addictive game play with friends and family.
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