Left Side 2022

 

Greetings and salutations from Bubbe, who can’t wait to get started!

 

There is so very much to say about this new card. I know most of you don't have it yet and I don't want to get too far ahead of my skis on this.... And yet I want to put the information out there for those who are ready.

 

I will go through the three different panels of the card for the next 3 days, explaining each specific hand, and then I'll talk about illegal exposures, and ambiguous exposures (including how you can flip from one hand to another), and then as I'm seeing your feedback and emails I'll start responding to specific questions. Remember that a lot of this may not make sense to you especially if you don't have the card in front of you yet, but it's all here for you to come back to whenever you want. Bubbe is always here for you.

 

Let's dig in.

 

 

2022 section. (Going forward I'll refer to the hands as Y(year)1, Y2, etc.)

 

I'm going to begin this section with the huge reminder that the soap is a zero, and that the “2022” meld per se is not a kong. You cannot call for one tile to complete it except for mah jongg, and you can't use a joker for ANY part of an official "2022" meld—it is four discrete single tiles, and therefore each piece must be natural. 

 

Y1. You will need kongs of both of the other dragons, Red and Green. No ambiguity about that. You may use jokers for any and all of those R/G dragons. You will need to complete the 2022 meld in any one suit, all three natural 2's must be in either bams, cracks, or dots and there must be a soap. A pair of Flowers complete the hand.

 

Y2. Hurray, we can use jokers anywhere and everywhere in this hand! It is legitimately a pung/kong hand where every meld could use jokers and/or be called for exposure. Breathe a sigh of relief, this one can be attained with a good Charleston, a lot of jokers and some luck--and you know what Bubbe says about luck.

 

The 2s appear in all three suits, via one pung and two kongs. There is no specific demand that one of the kongs must be in dots. Obviously, the soaps (or jokers, since it’s a pung) are the only things that can represent zero, so don't even try to use a different dragon for this hand.

 

Y3. Collecting 2s again? Got a soap? Maybe you collected a few Flowers as well.... With enough jokers, you can make this hand. 

 

Although it appears to be a kong kong pung pung hand, remember that the 2022 meld must be natural singles, no jokers. Therefore, as you're collecting your 2s, keep an eye on seeing whether you actually have three natural 2s in one of the suits. You can complete the other two pung melds with any jokers, call them for exposures, etc, and obviously you can complete the Flower kong with jokers. The trickiest thing to remember is to keep three natural 2s in one suit to go with the soap.

 

Y4. This is one of those years when there are two concealed "year" hands. That’s okay, the only melds that can use jokers or could have been called for exposure are the pungs of East and West. As you'll see in a future post, any exposure of a Wind pung is illegal this year. Keep that in the back of your mind, and that'll help to remember that this is a concealed hand. Also if you think of this as a bell curve where “2022” is the peak / center, you can remember that the North and the South pairs are the lowest points and the East and the West pungs build to and from the center.

 

If you have a nice selection of Winds, some 2s in one suit and a soap, this is definitely a hand worth trying for. Bubbe always says, concealed/Singles and Pairs hands get your heart racing--they are the most aerobic thing you can do at the mah jongg table!

 

Y5. Okay, there's getting your heart racing, and then there's descending into madness. Johni Levine, the doyenne of mah jongg tiles, speculated that this hand is undervalued. It's what would ordinarily be considered the “big hand” in the Singles and Pairs section, but they moved it over to the Year section, and Johni thinks it's unattainable. I personally believe somebody's going to get it sometime, and hereby state that the first person who does, IN A LIVE, IN-PERSON GAME, whose tablemates can attest to it, can email me and I will send them a collection of all of my books.

 

Anyway, it is the Moby Dick of hands. Per yesterday's article, you have to get three natural 2s in each of the three suits, as well as three soaps and two Flowers. I know it's going to happen. I don't think it's going to happen soon but I know it's going to happen. If you have proper documentation, you know where to send in for the books.

 

 

2468 section (hereafter referred to as E1, E2, etc.)

 

Oh, you thought our obsession with 2s was over? LOL.

 

It's a big section this year--eight specific hands with two tri-suit variations--so really ten hands. Pretty brave of the League to put such a premium on even numbered tiles this year. Let's go.

 

E1. I mentioned yesterday that pungs of Flowers are back! This one doesn't handily fit into either my "bell curve" or "stair" pattern. You're just going to need to remember that there are five components to the hand, and consider it a pung of Flowers and then a shorter stair, with the pairs of 2s and 4s, the pung of 6s culminating at the top with a kong of 8s. It is a single-suit hand, so if you are collecting Even numbers and get those first two pairs, you should be fine. Just remember you are competing for natural 2s with everybody else. The Flowers, 6s, and the kong of 8s can all use jokers and/or be called for exposures.

 

E2. I use the skinnylicious term yesterday. It's based on the Cheesecake Factory menu where they offer lower fat versions of their regular dishes. In mahj hands, “skinnylicious” is my abbreviated (well, not really) way of saying that a hand uses singles and pairs where you might otherwise expect larger representation.

 

For this one, it's a three-suited hand. You have to go skinnylicious in suit A: pairs of 2s and 8s bookending a single 4 and a single 6. All in the same suit, and all must be natural. Don't worry about what it looks like on the card, with kongs of 2s of the other two suits: you can use any even number for those two matching kongs. You're seeing a lot of 4s circling around during the Charleston? Grab 'em.

 

E3.2 and 3.3 (Two and three suit variations). It's our dear old friend, pung pung kong kong. Any component can use jokers and/or be called for exposures. The thing to remember is it's 3344, and that the 2 and 4 pungs are in suit A. You get to choose whether the kongs of 6s and 8s are BOTH in suit B, or have one each in the complementary suits (B AND C)

 

E4. This a tri-suit hand with five components. 

 

I'm going to give another of my food analogies (Bubbe is obviously hungry, she hasn't had breakfast yet...) 

 

Think of this as a lunch special. The first suit is a sandwich, with kongs of 2 and 6 as the bread surrounding the pair of 4s. You then get two little "sides": pairs of 8s in the other two suits.

 

While you're collecting your even numbers in the Charleston, keep an eye on the 8s. If you can pick up 8s in two suits and then have a nice selection of twos, fours, and sixes in a third suit, voila: lunch special…and you get that extra nickel because it uses three pairs!

 

E5.1 and 5.3 (One and three suited versions) Again there are five components to each of the hands. Think of this as a stutter step with three sections: 23 23 4 (pair/pung, pair/pung, kong)

 

I'm going to explain it as the three suit version--just remember that you can also do it with all the components in one suit. Your first pair/pung combination is the 2 and the 4, in suit A. Your second pair/pung combination is the 6 and the 8, in suit B. Your culminating Kong is the dragons in the third suit.

 

Of course you can call the pungs of 4 and 8 for exposure, as well as the dragon kongs, and use jokers for any of those melds.

 

E6. Oh joy, oh rapture. Such a pretty hand. Let's call this the wedding day hand. The bride and groom's mothers have matching pung corsages, but of course the bride's mom, a kong of 2s, would never wear the same style or color as the groom's mom, in her kong of 8s.

 

We can use jokers for anything, can call any meld for exposure. A perfect wedding day.

 

E7. Another three-suit stutter step hand, very similar to E5.3 except that we don't need any dragons. The first pair/pung section, 2s and 4s, is in suit A. The second pair/pung section, 4s and 6s, is in suit B. This time your culminating kongs are the 8s in suit C. Only the first 4s, the 6s and the 8s can use jokers or be called for exposures.

 

E8. Ah, the return of skinnylicious. If you didn't look too closely, you would think it was a pair of Flowers with four pungs.

 

In a way you should be glad it only needs one 2 in each of two suits, since 2s are such a hot commodity. Once you remember that, and that it's skinnylicious, it's a pretty easy hand to commit to memory: In each of the two suits, you need a meld of 246 (three single tiles) with a true pung of three 8s. You can use jokers on the 8s only; all of the Flowers, 2s, 4s, and 6s must be natural. And please do remember that it is a concealed hand.

 

 

Like Numbers.

 

Oh, we all love this section. Anybody that's going for the "Year" hands and just can't nail down the soaps can always fall back on doing Like Numbers in 2s. Anyone who is dealt dreck should pay attention in the Charleston and notice whether certain numbers are very unloved (I'm guessing 1s, 4s and 7s this year)--start grabbing them and hold tight!

 

LN1. Another easy pung kong pung kong hand. 

 

It's similar to the wedding day hand (E6), but this time we have bridesmaids in a rainbow theme. The girls still have matching bouquets of Flower pungs, and they are wearing the exact same number (“style”) kong dress in two different colors.

 

LN2. Another five component hand. Easiest way to think of it is having Like Numbers in all three suits, only one of which is the kong. For the other two suits, each pung has to have a matching pair of dragons. Jokers can be used in any component except the dragon pairs.

 

LN3. Oh, this one's fun. It's the straightforward pattern of a pair with three kongs. This time it's Like Numbered kongs in suits A and B, being complemented in suit C by dragons. Any of the kongs can use jokers and/or be called for exposure.

 

 

Phew. I have to admit, at the beginning of the 2468 section I thought we'd never get through this side but we did it!

 

Lots to think about and digest. Tomorrow we will go over the middle section of the card, and of course follow it up with a post about the right hand side of the card.

 

If you have any questions or comments, you can always reach me at bubbefischer@gmail.com  

 

Somehow I missed breakfast. Bubbe's going to have a little brunch now... and think about weddings.

 

Talk to you tomorrow!

 

Bubbe  

 

 

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

THINKs-giving!!

 

Greetings and salutations from Bubbe--who, even when she isn't WRITING about mah jongg, is THINKING about it!   I received a question from my new email pal, Carol, asking about hand selection. She wanted to know if there was a specific number of tiles that I used as a guideline at the end of the Charleston in order to choose a concealed / SP hand.   I explained that this is a situational question, and that I'm a mercurial player. I go on instinct rather than strictly relying on numbers. The funny thing is, I happened to play online this morning, and a hand came up that provided a really good teachable moment. Pull up a chair.   The Real Mah Jongg gods dealt me three Jokers--which was pretty sweet--plus one 2 bam and two 8 bams. I had a 4 and a 6 in dots and a 4 crak, plus some assorted other things, but I decided that I'd see where the Charleston took me in terms of going for the fourth 2468 hand:   FF 2222 44 66 8888   As I said to Carol, I wasn't that worried about not having any Flowers yet since there are eight of them. I assumed I could pick some up along the way, and those jokers would go a long way toward getting me both of the kongs in bams.   As the Charleston progressed, I picked up a 6 crak, so I still wasn't sure what my alternate suit was going to be. After the second left, I found myself with pairs of 4 craks and 4 dots, but I was at a passing dilemma. Although I had my pairs of 4s in either suit, I only had a single 6 in each suit, and wasn't ready to commit to either suit. I had      JJJ 2 88 44 6 44 6 X X     with X being only two expendable tiles. I decided it would be easiest to pass away one of the 8 bams and hope it came back to me in the passing, or at worst call it for exposure if/when it was discarded.   Oddly, the bot across from me passed me a different 8 bam so I continued to have a pair of 8 bams, and I knew there was a third one floating around that would be easy to call for exposure. Unfortunately, the across pass with that 8 bam didn't have Flowers or the 6 of either suit that I was waiting for, so I only had two tiles to pass for final right.   I ended up in the same position as the Charleston ended: undecided on my complementary suit but knowing that when that 8 bam was thrown I'd be able to call it for an exposure. I was hopeful that as the game progressed, I would pick either a 6 dot or 6 crak to point me in the right direction (or perhaps someone would expose three of them, making it clear that I was never going to complete that pair). I knew I wasn't ready to commit and therefore didn't have a lot of flexibility on discards. In fact when I threw out my 14th tile, I really only had one definite discard that I would use if and when the 8 bam was thrown.   Sure enough, it was thrown quickly, I called for it and exposed my other two 8 bams and a joker and made my easy discard. When a 2 bam was thrown, I didn't leap on it. I wasn't ready to commit to either the craks or the dots as my complementary suit, and I knew I was going to need to use two jokers anyway to complete the kong, so I decided to hold back and wait for another 2 bam to come out.   **Remember, during all of this I was well aware that this wasn't a guaranteed hand, that I should not expect to win. I was missing a key piece: an entire pair of Flowers, as well as the second 6 (suit to be determined).**   Patience is a virtue. I'm very fortunate that before I picked up a Flower, I picked up a 6 crak. My two complementary pairs, 4 crak and 6 crak, were complete and I could feel comfortable discarding the 4 dots and the 6 dot. I threw out one of the 4 dots, and continued playing.   Someone was able to exchange for the joker from the 8 bam Kong. I picked up one Flower, discarding the 6 dot. I now hoped to complete my 2 bam kong so that I could call for a Flower, completing the pair for mah jongg.   Sure enough, someone threw a 2 bam, and I called for it, exposing the kong with two jokers (one of which could not be exchanged). I discarded my other 4 dot and was "on call," waiting for the final Flower.   This was actually the moment where it's an advantage to play with bots. I'm not sure, if I was playing with friends, that they would have been so cavalier, but a few moments later, a bot threw a Flower, and sure enough, I was able to call it for mah jongg.   That's what I mean by being a mercurial player. I was willing to take the chance of completing the pairs in the complementary suit as well as the pair of Flowers. Maybe it's because I was playing against bots and figured, what did I have to lose? Maybe it was because I figured the jokers gave me some flexibility, even if those 6s never showed up. Maybe it was because I know I'm not always going to win, so I take chances and play challenging hands.   I don't want to dictate how YOU should play, I'm just explaining how I played it. I was lucky that that 6 crak showed up when it did, so I wasn't forced to make the decision of which suit to pursue. The reality is, we can never control what tiles we pick up, or when in the game they appear. The only thing we CAN control is how prepared we are, and whether we think things through in advance. By trusting that the 8 bam could be called for with two jokers, I was able to keep the passing going without breaking up my hand in a destructive way. By knowing that I could wait for another 2 bam, I didn't force the "suit" decision too soon.   I like presenting these scenarios for you so you can hopefully learn and improve your own game. None of us is going to win every hand, but it helps to think things out and perhaps learn from our losses. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to bubbefischer@gmail.com , I love hearing from you!   Wishing you all a wonderful, HEALTHY Thanksgiving with your families, and if you are Jewish, a Hanukkah full of light and love.   Bubbe Fischer