Et "2," NMJL?

 

Greetings and salutations from Bubbe: a mahj philosopher, a student of history, a lover of Shakespearean drama; in sum, a fan of the Classics.

 

As you know, at this time of the year, the new NMJL card is on its way. On this remarkably chilly East Coast afternoon, some sparrows flew overhead and dropped said card in my lap. Lest you be envious, recall the warning of Laocoon, the Trojan priest: "beware of beaks bearing gifts."

 

I have seen this card, my friends, and we're in uncharted waters. History has provided no clues this time around. The patterns, the rhyme and reason that I've come to love so deeply, are not visible to the naked eye, and the little tricks I'm used to finding are not so obvious this year. Here, two weeks after the Ides of March, I feel very much like someone at the League has betrayed me. 

 

I guarantee that you and I will get through this. We will work on this card and get to the point where we're comfortable with it, and ultimately master it, but today is not that day.

 

Let me just lay my quick impression on the line for you. We're going to be learning a lot of new combinations. The League's designers have challenged some of my old adages about patterns recurring throughout the card. It's not as easy as previous years; there are inconsistencies which are going to make things very interesting.

 

Those of you who are fans of Flower pungs will be happy that they appear in abundance--sometimes twice in one hand. You can grab three-suited hands by the fistful! If you're yearning for variable dragon exposures, weep no more! If you love ambiguous exposures (hard to call dead, great for backup plans), get psyched! If you enjoy the skinnylicious pattern appearing in random places, you'll have your fill!

 

BUT... The consistent "stairs" vs. "bell curve" patterns that used to appear throughout a card aren't so predictable this year. My usual identification of 3344 or 3434 as an overriding pattern no longer reigns, either. They've also reconfigured the Wind section this year so it's no longer beautifully symmetrical.

 

Of course, the one thing I expected was the dominance of the "2". Unless some of us have another 89 years of life ahead, making it to 2111, we will never again see THREE of a number in the "Year." Those of you who recall the 2000 card might still have bad dreams about it, but there are only four soaps available, after all--THIS year, of COURSE there's a hand requiring three natural 2's in each suit. It's possible to get them (especially if you're playing with some naive newbies who pass them to you), but it's a very long shot. Getting three out of four of four specific tiles: 2 bams, 2 cracks, 2 dots, and soaps, plus two out of the eight Flowers? Statistically possible, but it's not going to happen often. (By the way, I'm giving nothing away by telling you that that hand is on the card.)

 

For the next several days I will give you more insight into the hands, reviewing the three panels of the card and their "neighborhoods"/sections. I'll talk about illegal exposures as well as ambiguous ones. As I've already warned you, there is no overriding pattern this year. Sure, there are some stair steps (22334); but there are also bell curves (23432). There are both 3344 hands and 3434 hands; some hands alternate suits, and some stay single-suited. There are simple hands with a pair of Flowers and three kongs, including the junk hand that I love of three consecutive kongs in different suits. There are Like Numbers hands that are recognizable, there are hands with two kongs of dragons. There's enough familiarity that you won't be completely scared off. But rhyme and reason and easy tricks? Not as simple this year.

 

But Bubbe loves a challenge...

 

I hope the sparrows drop the card in your lap soon, too, so you can follow along. We'll figure this all out together. If you have questions or comments you can always contact me at Bubbefischer@gmail.com, I love hearing from you!

 

See you tomorrow!

 

Bubbe