From Bubbe's Bag of Tricks

Greetings and salutations from your wiped-out Bubbe--I worked pretty hard on those articles!

I've earned myself a break, so I'm going to offer a hint for how to improve YOUR game--by linking to one of my favorite older pieces. Obviously it has nothing to do with the 2026 card, per se, but strategy is strategy! Maybe you'll learn a few tricks!

Bluffing and/or deception is a key component of Bubbe's game. I'll devote a new article to it, another day, but for now enjoy some ancient history!

As ever, you can reach out to me at bubbefischer@gmail.com . Maybe you want to share a story about your favorite bluff!!

Talk to you soon!

Bubbe

Switching to Backup Hands--When, Why, How?

Greetings and salutations from your detail-focused Bubbe, ready to talk even MORE about backup hands. 

Last week, when I went over the three panels of the card, I offered you backup options for almost every hand. I recommend looking over those suggestions, every few weeks. It never hurts to think about these concepts. You stay focused on possibilities and get yourself ready for what could actually happen during a game. Remember, luck favors the prepared mind!!

The answer to that first question, then--when do you need a backup hand?--is every game. That doesn't mean you'll have to use it, it's just good to consider it. Even if there is a hand that fits for your tiles, you should have a second (or even third) hand in mind in case of several specific situations. 

This is the answer to the second question: why do you need these hands, why would you switch? The GOOD situations include suddenly picking useful tiles: completing a pair, or drawing additional jokers, Flowers, dragons, etc.--tiles that open up more possibilities for you, either to achieve mah jongg more quickly through an "easier" hand, or (if you're like Bubbe and love a challenge) perhaps make you eligible for a more interesting and/or higher-scoring hand. Another Bubbe saying is, "Life's too short to play boring mah jongg hands"--if you find yourself with three Soaps and a bunch of 2's and 6's, maybe this IS your time to go for the Big Hand!!

The BAD situation, of course, is when your current plan is no longer viable. An example from the new card: you thought you were going for LN2, with single dragons in each of the three suits, but someone else exposed a jokerless kong of Green dragons. Sure, you could stoically just keep playing that hand, even though it won't win--especially if there are only ten or so tiles left in the wall--but if it's early enough in the game, you can switch your hand and still possibly pull out a victory! I will also add that sometimes just stopping the other players, and coming to a draw/Wall game, is a victory in its own way, especially at a tournament. One of my favorite examples is this game, from a long time ago at a tournament at the Kalahari in Wisconsin. 

So we know when you should consider a backup hand, and we know why you would switch to that hand. These are things you can consider in advance--preparing, if you will, by imagining scenarios or playing with bots, or reading old articles of mine...all sorts of ways to think about switching, before you've even sat down at the table!

Then, suddenly, you are faced with either the good or bad situation. How are you going to switch? If you've made an exposure, you'll have to live with it; the new hand must incorporate it. If you've made two or more exposures, it could be a lot tougher to find a good fit. Remember, if your hand goes dead/is no longer viable, you do NOT announce it--it's for others to figure out, and question you. And it's the HAND that is dead, not the player!!

But what if you've got a good situation? Simple example: you pick a joker, or are able to exchange for one. Unless you were going for a Singles and Pairs hand, it has become a lot easier to make your current plan....but maybe you do want to switch to something else. Per the above, at worst you would make the current one faster than originally planned. There may be something more interesting to switch to, e.g. you can suddenly go for a Quint hand, or although you were originally hoping to draw a second Flower, you now have the opportunity to easily switch to a hand with a pung of Flowers. There are all sorts of possibilities, and it helps to consider what would be a good switch for you. Look at the card after the Charleston and think about what hands might work for your tiles--both with what you have, and in a best case scenario, where a pair gets completed or another dragon, or a Flower, or a joker comes in.

The most important thing to remember if you do switch hands is to make sure you have all the details in mind. Remember that this year there are a bunch of pung-pung-kong-kong hands, but they aren't ALL in that specific order. Double check before making any exposures; it's a bit tricky. It never hurts to familiarize yourself with the different hands, especially ones you don't play often. And never be so brazen as to think that you don't need to have your card at the table!!

I truly believe switching is one of the most important skills to have if you want to be a more advanced player. I keep statistics when I go to tournaments (playing 48 or more hands in less than 48 hours gives you a lot of data!). I write down how many jokers and Flowers I am dealt; at the end of the Charleston, I write down what hand I think I will play. At the end of the game, I write down how many jokers and Flowers I ended up with, what hand I ended up playing, and whether I won. I have found that I switched my hand literally 50% of the time, from Charleston to final tile. And a slight majority of my winners were on switched hands!!

Finally, I absolutely recommend reading my old articles from previous years. Obviously the hands change, but the strategies themselves do not!

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me at bubbefischer@gmail.com ; I love hearing from you!

More exciting mahj talk to come....

Bubbe

Fern

 

Greetings and salutations from a Bubbe full of memories of a very special person: it's the first Monday since the new card came out, so I can't think of a better day to talk about Fern Bernstein. 

Some of you knew Fern personally, or if you've ever heard her podcast, "Mah Jongg Mondays," or read her book of the same name, you feel like you knew her. She passed away too soon, in fact six months ago today--September 23, 2025--from a rare cancer that she fought valiantly for several years. 

That's the end of the story, but I want to tell you more about the "before times," and what Fern meant to me. 

I went back over my notes and found the first DM we had--New Year's Day, 2019, after she wrote a post about her project in the Facebook group, Mah Jongg, That's It!  Fern was writing a book about the bonds she and her friends had created through their Monday mah jongg group. Although it wasn't yet published, the topic struck a chord with me and I wanted to reach out to her.

I've done a lecture for many years about "The Psychological Benefits of Mah Jongg," focusing on the cognitive, emotional, and social benefits of the game. MJM obviously focused on the social: Fern talks about how uplifting it was for everyone at the table to share their feelings and stressors, and support one another. It was a perfect illustration of how important mah jongg is as a social event, and I wanted to give her my full support.

"Fern, I don't know how far along your book is....if you would like me to read a draft and provide a blurb on the back, would be happy to...then again, you and your publisher might have bigger names lined up. Lmk if I can help."

I'm so glad she responded. She followed up with a phone call that turned into more phone calls, a transcript for me to read, my giving her feedback, a decision to meet up in New York City to talk in person....and, to quote Rick Blaine in "Casablanca," the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Fern was kind of a little sister to me, vis-a-vis publishing--having been through it myself, and knowing what a fertile topic she'd chosen, I knew it would be a success. I loved her natural writing style, which showed off her optimistic and caring personality, and wanted to help her reach her target audience.

If you haven't read the book yet, you should. One of the main topics, other than the friendships she formed, was a story line about how much she went through supporting her husband, Len (yes, Leonard Bernstein!) through his own medical struggles. Fern had lost her mother very young, and she was the main caregiver for her aging father. As optimistic and cheerful as she was, she hadn't had an easy life.

The book was a tremendous success. Film rights were even discussed! It was only one of the many things going on in her life, along with caring for Len and their three sons; Fern was also a Religious School teacher and yoga instructor. 

I should also mention that she was gorgeous. Incredible blue, almost violet, eyes. A brilliant smile. Lovely complexion. Just a stunning girl. When I spoke about her to my daughter, I kidded around, always using the Boston "R" like SNL's Rachel Dratch, calling her "Fehn Behnstein"--never just "Fern." When my daughter finally saw a photo of her, she said, "Mom, you never told me she was so pretty!!" Well, she was.

The funny thing is, Fern and I only met twice in person. The first time, in early Summer 2019, we met up at the Italian restaurant at Macy's, Herald Square. Fern had come in on the LIRR, and I took NJ Transit. Penn Station was only a few steps away. We had a great time, talking about mah jongg (of course), but also our books, our friends, our families. We really were on the same wavelength, and I was so glad we got a chance to actually meet.

The second time I saw Fern was in November, 2019, when she surprised me at a speaking gig out in Holtsville, Long Island. I was not expecting her, I'm not even sure how she heard about it. She said she enjoyed my lecture, and we sat and chatted for awhile after everyone else had gone. She had big travel plans for her own lecture tour, but we figured we'd be meeting up again soon.

As you know, fate intervened. COVID ruined any major touring Fern would have, not to mention her not wanting to be too far away from Len and the boys. I had to limit my travel and exposure, too, as I was taking care of my ailing mom.

Then Fern had the brilliant idea of starting up a podcast. She ended up recording dozens of them, with guests talking about all sorts of topics--some directly related to mah jongg, some only tangentially. She invited me on her show, every Spring, to go over Bubbe's analysis of the new card. She would pitch me a few softballs and I'd just start yakking. Of course, we'd have a much more personal chat before we began the recording, but sometimes we'd slip up and start talking about our lives in the middle of the podcast. I thought her engineer would delete that part, but often Fern wanted to keep it in!! I still get feedback from people saying, "I loved those podcasts, it was like I was listening to two friends chat about the card." Well, you were.

Fern started working on a second book that she ultimately published, "Staunch," about the two Edies (mother and daughter) of Grey Gardens, a decaying mansion out in East Hampton, Long Island. Fern and Len bought their own little waterfront cottage on Long Island. The boys were thriving.  They even got a dog. Despite the pandemic, things were going beautifully. 

Then Fern started feeling unwell. She finally got a diagnosis and started a series of procedures and treatments at Memorial Sloan Kettering. Some had positive results, others less so. She was really on a roller coaster, but she kept her spirits up and continued to go out to the beach house, and record the podcast, as often as she could. 

Some of you may remember an article I wrote back in late March, 2024, about the importance of friends in mah jongg. I particularly cited two people: a former student and friend of mine who had recently passed away, and also Fern and how she was both a good friend and a tremendous asset to the mah jongg community. I have lost several loved ones to cancer, and knew enough to see where her illness was headed: Fern was not going to have a long life. I consciously included Fern in the article to let out some of my anticipatory grief. 

Fern continued to keep up her spirits as best she could. Mah jongg friends, yoga friends, just FERN friends sent her cards and gifts; I sent her little tsatskes to make her smile. Her friends on Long Island were fantastically supportive, doing things for her and her family; her doctors were the best in the world.   

I used to text Fern late at night because I knew she wasn't sleeping well. I didn't want to interrupt her or make her speak if she didn't have much energy, but we sometimes texted well after midnight. She continued taking trips (some planned, some emergency) to the hospital. When she started talking about multiple transfusions, I knew things were going downhill faster. 

Before she ran out of time and energy, Fern hosted a total of 98 podcasts. I wish it had been a hundred, I wish it had been a thousand. 

When Fern ultimately passed, her funeral was packed full of friends and family. There was even a simulcast so that those who could not travel could still "attend" and pay their respects. 

Fern had a curious mind and loved her life. She was warm, genuine, and enthusiastic about the things and people who mattered to her--and that was pretty much everyone she knew. I can't think of anyone who ever had a mean thing to say about her. I still think about her all the time. It probably sounds like I miss my friend very much. Well, I do.

 

Karen 

Illegal Exposures 2026

Greetings and salutations from your jurisprudent Bubbe, writing today about illegal exposures on the 2026 card.

There are a number of reasons why this is an important topic. First of all, you need to know what the specific illegal exposures are so you, yourself, don't make them. Second of all, they might help you defend by being able to identify an opponent's dead hand–in a separate article I'll talk about why you may or may not want to announce that situation, but you should still be able to identify it. Third of all, as you might remember from my descriptions of the three panels of the card, knowing which combinations are illegal will help you to remember the actual components of various hands. 

Let's first identify them. 

No single tile, meld of single units (e.g. NEWS, 2026, 369, 2468, etc.) or pair can be exposed. You can call the final tile for mah jongg, but not before that.

In addition, the following specific, unique melds do not appear on the 2026 card, so any such exposure would be illegal:

Kong of Flowers

Quint of Flowers

Quint of Dragons

Quint of Winds

I ordinarily don't need to talk about sextets at all, but there is of course only one legal sextet this year: Flowers.

The most significant finding about this is about the kongs of Flowers, because that has to do with how hands are made. Whenever you're playing a pung/kong hand, if it involves Flowers, those are going to be pungs. 

 

Also important is to recognize situations where a second or third exposure is illegal. You must figure out your own proper exposures so that you are making the hand you intend; it's also important to determine what your opponents are playing so that you can play defensively and/or call their hand dead if you so choose.

What double exposures are illegal? 

Pungs of Like Numbers: these only occur in concealed hands (E8, CR8, O8)

Winds of the same size as their non-partner: for instance, there are never exposures of the same number of Norths and Easts, or South and Wests. Per above, NEWS and/or pairs are not exposures!

A kong of dragons and a kong of numbers–also, there's only one very specific situation where a pung of dragons and a pung of numbers can be exposed: Y1, with a pung of 2s and a pong of soaps (000). O9 is a concealed hand.

One way to remember this is that except for Y1, number and dragon exposures are an either/or situation: exposures can either be kongs of numbers and pungs of dragons, or pungs of numbers and kongs of dragons, but never both the same size. Even Q3 follows this rule: two quints of numbers and a kong of dragons!!

Pungs of Winds only appear with kongs of like numbers; kongs of Winds don't appear with exposures of numbers.

Sextets of flowers only occur with two number kongs.

As I mentioned, the more you know about the rules of this year's card, the easier it is to remember certain hands. All hands have to use 14 tiles.

I’ll reiterate: 

*there are never four Flowers

*The only quints are numbers 

*The only sextets are Flowers

*Exposed Wind “partners” are the same size 

*Except for Y1, you never expose melds of numbers and dragons of the same size

*Never expose pungs of like numbers

If you have any questions or comments (and I figure some of you will!) you can email me at Bubbefischer@gmail.com.

More articles to follow! Talk to you soon! 

Bubbe

Review of the Right Panel, 2026

Greetings and salutations from your number-crunching Bubbe on this lovely first weekend of Spring!!

Today we're going to tackle the third panel of the card. While it's got as many lines as the middle panel, I'm hopeful that it's a little less “mucky”--those descriptors and variations in CR and the Odd section can be really challenging!

One last reminder about my abbreviations: The Winds and Dragons hands will be referred to as WD and Singles and Pairs hands will be SP. If there are different versions of a hand they will be designated clearly: one- and three-suited variations, for instance, will have suffixes of .1 and .3. 

WINDS - DRAGONS 

WD1a and WD1b: these are virtually the same hand, kongs and pungs of Winds. You just have the choice of which are the pungs and which are the kongs. The number of Norths must equal the number of Souths; the number of Easts must equal the number of Wests. There are no pairs, everything can use Jokers and/or be called for exposures. Choose wisely!!

Backup options: obviously each of these is the other’s back up before there are any exposures. With one exposure, you might find a different hand within this section. The trickiest part comes once you've committed two or more exposures, especially when you cross beyond their *natural partners* (NS or EW). WD1a can switch to WD6 with the West pung and South kong; WD1 cannot.

WD2: Ah, the super chow! The other day I gave you the official Chinese words for it, but I'm not here to teach you Chinese. All you need to remember is that instead of three consecutive single numbers in a suit, you’ll need four, which can fall anywhere on the number line! As for the dragons, you must collect all three as two pungs and a kong. It does not matter which suit is which; the super chow numbers DO NOT HAVE TO BE the same suit as the kong of dragons.

Backup options: there are several hands on the card that use two pungs of dragons, so early on you could switch to any of those. There are NO other hands that use both a pung and a kong of dragons, but don't sweat it: while your opponents may figure out which hand you're playing, they will have no idea what suit or what numbers are being used in your super chow!

WD3: It's another pung and kong hand, using the E/O convention! The pungs are NOrth and SOuth, and the kongs are the same Odd number in two different suits! This is a pretty sweet hand if you have jokers. Remember, Winds circulate a lot during the Charleston and you only need pungs, so you could definitely pull this off very nicely!  

**WD3 is one of Bubbe's picks for the most popular, easy to win hands this year.**

Backup options: any of the other Like Number kong hands on the card.

WD4: Of course, it's the companion to WD3, the “E” version: pungs of East and WEst, with two kongs of like Even numbers in suits A and B. 

This will also be an extremely popular, easy to win hand if you play the Charleston well. 

(By the way, not that anybody cares about my shorthand, but I will just note that the NOrth/SOuth, is an odd numbered hand (3), and the East-WEst, hand is an even one (4).)

Backup options: any of the other Like Number kong hands on the card 

WD5: a super simple Winds and Dragons, pung/kong hand. There are no kongs of Flowers on this year's card. Therefore, the Flowers are two pungs, not a sextet, so you can expose them separately as two different groups of three. The kongs are any Wind of your choice, plus any dragon of your choice. Could not be easier to remember! 

Backup options are somewhat limited, but because it's all pungs and kongs your hand cannot be called dead . E7 has the two pungs of Flowers; also there are six hands that use one pung of Flowers and a kong of dragons. If you have only exposed, at most, the Wind kong and find yourself with a pair of dragons in a second suit, you might switch down to the relevant version of WD7.

WD6: anyone remember “All Together Now,” the song at the end of "Yellow Submarine"? This hand involves a super chow which must be singles of the numbers “1234” all in the same suit. The remaining tiles are North, East, West, and South in those quantities, in order. Again, a good Charleston can make or break this hand.

Backup hand: WD1a is the obvious back up. If you put out three Wests and four Souths, you can always claim that you're trying that and just need jokers to complete it.

 

WD7a and WD7b: our other true Winds and Dragons hand, but this is trickier to make because it's three pairs, and frankly I'm surprised that they're only valuing it at 25 instead of 30. The two versions are virtually the same, it's just whether you collect the North and South kongs or the East and West kongs. The pairs are Flowers, plus dragons in any two different suits. Remember, pairs must be natural. 

Backup options: It's likely that you'll find other people exposing dragon pungs that become jokerless, forcing you to switch your hand before you’ve amassed two different pairs. If you've already exposed those Wind kongs, try the appropriate version of WD1. If you haven't exposed any winds, switch to WD5, especially if you have several jokers.

WD8: a concealed hand, this has often appeared in the Year section on previous cards. Pairs of North and South, pungs of East and West, and the meld of 2026, which is actually all singles. The easiest way to remember it is as the bell curve, pairs on either end building up to the kong in the middle. 

Backup options: especially in the early stages, during the Charleston and the first wall or two before any exposures, keep Y4 as an option. If you're finding that the Winds are coming to you more easily than that second Soap, stay with W8. If you've got the pair of Soaps, and you're struggling to get extra winds, that's when you switch over to Y4.

 

 

Overall, I'm impressed that Wind tiles appear in so many places on the card this year: Year, Even, Odd, 369, SP. As for dragons, they are truly ubiquitous, in all possible sizes: single, pair, pung, kong; multiple suits of single, pair, pung or kong; and of course a kong AND 2 pungs. I'm not saying hoard them, but I wouldn't pass dragons if you have other options, and make them an early discard If you don't need them.

369 

369#1.2 and 369#1.3: Very simple hand pung/kong hands. The pungs are 3 and 6 in suit A. You can either complete the hand with the kongs of 6 and 9 both in suit B, or one in suit B and the other in suit C. It's nicely ambiguous because people won't know which 9s you're going for.

Backup option: depending on what tiles you get, you may end up switching to 369#2, but obviously 369#1.2 and #1.3 versions are the easiest backups for each other. If you happen to pick up Winds, you might consider 369#4. Surprisingly, an old reliable 369 hand of a pair of Flowers and kongs of 3, 6, and 9 in either one suit or all three, isn't on this year's card!

 

369#2: Stair pattern laid out identically to CR3 and O6: pairs of the two lowest numbers in suit A, pungs of those same numbers in suit B, and a kong of the highest number in suit C. 

Backup option: especially because of the pairs, this is harder to get than the options of 369#1. Play the hand that works best for your tiles.

 

369#3.1 and 369#3.2: This is another one that you want to lay out with your own tiles so that you can visualize it more easily. You have a pairs of 3s and 9s and a pung of 6s, all in the same suit, along with a pung of Flowers and a kong of dragons. The variation comes in about whether the four dragons are in the same suit as the numbers, or a different suit. The layout is similar to those CR5 and O5 hands except that the middle number (rather than the highest) is the pung. I suspect this is because they know how hard it is to get 6s this year; they made it a pung so that jokers can be used to complete the meld.

Backup options: Each is a backup for the other just by changing the dragon suit. This is the only 369 hand that uses dragons, so really your only other similar hand would be CR5, starting with pairs of 4 and 5, but make sure you get the suits correct.

 

369 #4: As I mentioned above, the Winds are sneaking into different number sections! This is a slimmed down version of 369 #1.2, with pairs in suit A and pungs in suit B instead of pungs and kongs, and “NEWS” as the last four tiles (all singles, you can't call for the meld unless It's your final tile). In layout, it resembles Y4.

Backup options: If one of the Winds is fully exposed as a kong, making “NEWS” impossible, and you haven't exposed yet, you can switch to 369 #1.2. 

 

369 #5: Another hand with like numbered kongs in two suits. You may choose whether it's 3’s, 6s, or 9s. It's a floating pair hand (similar to O4): the third suit will include a pair that matches the kongs, complemented by singles of the other two numbers of 369. That only adds up to 12 tiles, so you need a pair of Flowers to complete it.  You may want to lay examples of this out on your own table to visualize it better.

Backup options: as mentioned previously, there are eight different hands on the card that use two kongs of like numbers. LN3, in particular, includes two kongs and a pair of the same number.

 

369#6: A concealed hand. It includes three pungs, which makes it tempting to call for exposures, but you must wait to call until your final mah jongg tile!! Two suits: those pungs of 3, 6, and 9 in suit A, and then the pseudo chow, a single 369 in suit B. The hand is completed with a pair of Flowers. 

Backup hands: as a concealed hand, no one will know what you're doing or if your hand has gone dead. As you're collecting 3,6, and 9 tiles you may want to simultaneously consider SP3 and see how it shakes out.

SINGLES AND PAIRS (did you see what I did there?)

Bubbe often says that playing Singles and Pairs is the most aerobic activity you can do at the mah jongg table. When you're one or two tiles away, your heart starts beating way faster. All of these hands are concealed, none of them use Jokers, and you can't call any of them for exposures except the final tile. Note they're all valued at 50 cents or more, because they are difficult to make, and since obviously they're already jokerless, you will not be eligible for a jokerless bonus. 

Singles and Pairs hands are basically the stripped-down version of hands from all over the card. My dear friend Fern Bernstein (z’’l) and I called these hands “Skinnylicious,” like the supplemental menu at The Cheesecake Factory that features reduced calorie versions of certain items. If you don't already know Fern, you'll hear more about her in a future column.

SP1: This hand involves tiles from Winds and Dragons as well as Like Numbers. You will need pairs of all four Winds, and then the number of your choice as a single tile in all three suits, each with a single matching dragon. 

Note: this is one that you're either going to consider by the end of the Charleston or you're not going anywhere near it. Amassing pairs of all of the Winds is not an easy task. If you're collecting them and you also seem to be getting dragons, the easiest of the three pieces is the Like Numbers.

Backup hands: possibly E3 or O3, definitely WD3 or WD4 especially if you pick/exchange for jokers. 

SP2: This is very much a Skinnylicious version of E1 in three suits. Suit A and suit B each have singles of 2 and 4, pairs of 6 and 8; suit C requires the pair of 8s. It's the kind of hand where if you're collecting Even numbers, it may fall into place but again, it's not one that you can just randomly decide to play!

Backup options: E1.1, or perhaps any hand that needs 3 suits of like numbers (the 8s)

 

SP3: Bubbe had to put on her reading glasses for this one. She didn't quite catch it the first time, she thought maybe it was a typo. Obviously it's a stripped down 369 hand in all three suits, but it's quite clever. You need the pseudo-chow 369 in each suit, but with a “floating pair” twist: suit A has a second 3, suit B has a second 6, suit C has a second 9. You get to pick which suit gets which pair. The three melds only add up to 12 tiles so you have to add in two Flowers to complete it.

Backup hands: to make this, you need to have a foundational pseudo chow of 369 in all three suits. Once you see somebody expose a natural kong of any of those nine specific tiles, the hand is no longer viable. See what else you can find within the 369 section, the world's your oyster!

SP4: A Skinnylicious, single-suit Consecutive Run hand. It can begin with a pair of 1s, 2s, or 3s, followed by the next six consecutive pairs all in the same suit.

Backup options: CR1a and CR1b are the most obvious options, but you may consider other single-suit hands in the CR section, particularly CR 2.1 or CR 4.1. 

SP5: A Skinnylicious O7, replicated in two suits. Each of the two suits requires pairs of the 1s and 9s surrounding single 357 pseudo chows.

Backup hands: You may try SP5 with the third suit if the second suit is no longer viable. If you start to pick up jokers, consider the O1s or O7s, depending on what your strongest suit/tiles are.

 

SP6: as expected, it's the Big Hand, a pair of Flowers and 2026 in each of the three suits. I've seen people throw away jokers in order to make this hand. We all try to make it at least once a year…

Backup hands: Y1 would probably be the easiest to complete because you can expose and/or use jokers for any of the melds. You might also consider Y2 or Y3. If you happen to have Winds, Y4 or WD8 could also be an option.

 

I hope you're enjoying learning about the card as much as I am. Please feel free to make comments or ask questions; you can email me at bubbefischer@gmail.com

 

Coming up next: Illegal exposures!!  

Talk to you soon!

Bubbe

Review of the Middle Panel, 2026

 

Greetings and salutations from your dedicated Bubbe, who is happy to spend time with you going over some new hands. 

Yesterday we went over the left panel of the card, so obviously today is all about the center panel!

Again I will remind you of my shorthand convention: The Quint section will be referred to as Q, Consecutive Runs will be listed as CR, and the 13579 section, which I call Odds, will be abbreviated as O. When a hand has suit variations there will be a suffix, e.g. a single and three-suited hand will have suffixes of .1 and .3. If a hand falls in the upper and lower ends of the number line, it will have suffixes of a and b.

 

QUINTS

A quick reminder that you must have at least two jokers to make any of this year's Quint hands. This means there's no way to make the hand jokerless, so no opportunity to get a bonus for making a jokerless hand. This is part of the reason why these hands are valued at 40 and 45, rather than 25 or 30. 

Q1: This is a super-size LN hand. It's about as straightforward as they come: quints of the same number in suits A and B, plus a kong of that number in suit C. I don't recommend trying to make this with 6s, this year.

Backup options: Once you've exposed a quint, you're tied to this section: either Q2 or Q3. If you only expose the kong you have a lot more flexibility; you could switch to nearly anything. Two exposures? Zero options. 

Q2: a super-size CR hand. Three consecutive numbers in the same suit, with the first and third ones being quints and the middle one a pair. For your remaining two tiles, you will need a pair of Flowers. Needless to say, getting the two pairs is the hardest part, which merits that extra 5. Backup options: even if you make both exposures, you can very easily switch to Q3, which doesn't require any pairs.

Q3: Another super-sizer. Like Q1, this hand doesn't require any pairs (such a relief!). You just need to amass quints of any two numbers in the same suit; they could be consecutive, but they don't have to be. To complete your hand, you will need a kong of dragons in either of the other suits.

Backup options:  Stick with Q3; you can certainly go for dragons in the other other suit. This hand doesn't require any pairs, so you really don't need to worry about your hand being called dead.

CONSECUTIVE RUNS

Boy, there are a lot of hands in this section, and there's a lot of fine print. Bubbe will spell it out for you. Don't forget that only the first hands, CR1a and CR1b, must be the exact numbers, while the other hands have more variability; I will be explicit about any limitations. Also, no getting cute, saying, “The Soap is a 0 so I can do a run of 012.” Not on MY watch!

CR1a and CR1b: these are each the very definition of a Consecutive Run hand: the number line 1 through 5 or 5 through 9, all in the same suit. This year the combinations are in the ascending order: pair, pung, pair, pung, kong so that CR1a is a pair of 1s through a kong of of 5s, and CR1b is a pair of 5s through a kong of 9s. Remember that it must be exactly these numbers, and you can't call for a discard to complete a pair until your very final tile.  

Backup options: Even with two exposures, CR1a has backup options including  E1.1, E1.2, and CR4.1. CR1b is a little trickier for backup hands because of the nature of the "pung pung kong kong" format for 2026: the only double exposure that can be "repurposed" is pung of 6, kong of 9 in CR4.1.

 

CR2.1 and CR2.2 both include a natural chow (run of three single numbers of the same suit) that falls between two kongs, in consecutive order. You have flexibility in which number you start with; the entire group of numbers can run from 1-5, 2-6, 3-7, 4-8 or 5-9. CR2.1 is the one-suited version, while CR2.2 has two suits: the kongs are in suit A, and the chow in the middle is in suit B. This adds up to 11 tiles, so to complete the full 14 you will need a pung of Flowers! The chow must be achieved on your own, you can't call to complete that meld unless it's for your final mah jongg tile. 

Backup options: CR2.1 and CR2.2 are backups for one another, and a third option would be to do the chow in the third suit. Other possibilities, if you start with either 1 or 5, would be O3a or O3b.

CR3: This hand always uses three suits. It's similar to one of our traditional CR1 patterns, the stair steps: pair, pair, pung, pung, kong–except that the numbers themselves are pairs of two consecutive numbers in suit A; pungs of those same two consecutive numbers in suit B, and finally a kong of the third consecutive number in suit C. Again, you have flexibility; the numbers can fall anywhere in the number line, 1-3 all the way up to 7-9. Make sure you remember that you can't call to complete a pair except as your final tile. 

Backup option: CR4.2 for any series that starts between 1 and 6.

CR4.1 and CR4.2: four consecutive numbers, in one suit or two. This year the pattern is pung pung kong kong; When playing it in two suits, the kongs, which are the higher numbers, are of a different suit than the pungs. Another flexible hand: the tiles can begin anywhere on the number line starting between 1 and 6. I said previously, pung & kong hands are my favorites in terms of simplicity, as you can call for exposure and/or use a joker for any meld. 

Backup options: Because it has no pairs, the hand theoretically cannot go dead, but you might use CR4.2 as a good backup for CR4.1, and vice versa, or use CR4.2 with the third suit. You might also consider CR3 as a backup but frankly that's a harder hand to make. 

CR5.1 and CR5.2: first of all, I think those of us who have been waiting for the return of the old reliable “Flowers, two consecutive numbers and matching dragons” hand are just going to have to go another year without the standard. The current card crafters are not taking the easy way out, they're trying new things every year. 

This year's version involved a one- or two-suited hand. Let me start with the single-suit one, which is significantly more straightforward. There are two pairs, two pungs, and a kong: The pairs and one of the pungs are the three consecutive numbers, all in one suit. The other pung is a group of Flowers, and the kong is of matching dragons. Obviously the pairs are the hardest part to make, and the choice of numbers itself is flexible: the three numbers can fall anywhere in the number line beginning between 1 and 7. 

Backup options for CR5.1: There are three other hands this year that MIGHT be backups for CR5.1, even with three exposures: O5a, O5b, and 369 #3.1. In those cases, it works if the exposed pung is a 5, 6, or 9.

The two-suited version, CR5.2, is as close as we've gotten to a knit hand in a while. (Click on the link if you're unfamiliar with that term). Like CR5.1 it's flexible on the number line and again it's two pairs and a pung, in consecutive order, but the second pair is in suit B. The first pair and the pung are in suit A, and that kong of dragons is in the same suit B as that middle pair. In other words, the suits alternate. This is definitely a tricky hand to make, and I recommend forming it with your own tiles, a few times, to help with visualizing it.

Backup option: the only hand on this year's card that could possibly serve as a backup is if your pung is a 6: 369 #3.2 .

CR6: Oh boy, much more straightforward: two consecutive kongs in the same suit, completely flexible on the number line. As with yesterday's LN1, the tricky part is getting the sextet of flowers. Remember that you can use as many jokers and/or Flowers as you need, but you cannot call for a discarded Flower until you've amassed a combined total of five. This is not two pungs of Flowers, this is six Flowers together. 

Backup options: CR4.1, CR4.2, or CR7.1 are all very simple backups.

CR7.1 and CR7.3: great hands, the trickiest part is the pair of Flowers. It's combined with three consecutive kongs, in one suit or three. One of the reasons I like this hand is because it's flexible, especially if you go toward the middle of the number line. Say you've got the 4s and 5s, you can wait and see whether you get more 3s or 6s for your third consecutive number. Likewise, you can just collect tiles in the same part of the number line even if they're in three different suits. It definitely helps to have a few jokers!

Backup options: you can modify (per above) within either hand, deciding on a "prequel" or "sequel" kong. For CR7.1 ONLY, depending on the numbers other options may include E1.1, E1.2, CR4.1, CR4.2, O2a and O2b. 

CR8: This is a three-suited concealed hand, but it's flexible, starting anywhere between 1 and 6 on the number line. Consecutive single, pair, and pung of the same three numbers in suits A and B, completed by a pair of the fourth number in suit C. Since it's a concealed hand, you don't have to worry about anyone calling your hand dead. However, if you find that the hand isn't viable, you might want to switch to something more simple. 

Backup options: CR3, CR4.2 or even possibly CR 7.3.

ODDS

 

This section is a lot less flexible than CR. Expect to make the hands almost exactly as they appear on the card.

 

O1.1 and O1.3: just like CR1, we have this stutter step pattern of pair, pung, pair, pung, kong. The numbers must be pairs of 1s and 5s, pungs of 3 and 7, and kongs of 9. Obviously the hardest thing is to get the pairs, but getting representation of all three suits is also difficult. 

Backup option: O7.1 is an interesting backup for O1.1, depending on where your single-suited odd tiles fall.

O2a and O2b: another beautiful pung pung kong kong hand in two suits. Remember that the first two are the pungs and the higher ones are the kongs. You can use jokers and/or call for exposure for any meld. You must use these numbers: choose either the 135 group or the 579 group. 

Backup options: CR4.2, O6a and O6b are excellent choices

O3a and O3b: similar to E3, following the E/O rule, we are now seeing what happens when the NOrth and SOuth winds sneak over to the Odd numbers section! Remember that you'll need a pair of each of these Winds, and then chose whether you're going with the upper or lower part of the odd number line. Your third pair will be the middle number, whether 3s or 7s, between two kongs in the same suit.

Backup options: CR2.1 or CR2.2 could work.

O4: The return of the floating pair, this time in the Odd section. You need kongs of the same ODD number in suits A and B, with a matching pair of that number in suit C, but you do get to CHOOSE which number so it's slightly flexible. The remainder of that meld includes a single of each of the other four odd numbers, all in suit C.

This is another hand where it's good to map it out with your own tiles to get familiar with it. Backup hands: Remember that the only exposures will be the two kongs, and there are EIGHT different hands this year with two kongs of a like number. Specifically, LN3 has the two kongs and the pair, all of the same number. It's very unlikely that your hand would be called dead, and there are plenty of options for backup.

O5a and O5b: This hand, on the 1-5 or 5-9 section of the number line, is very similar to CR5.1: pairs of the two lower numbers, pung of the third number in the sequence, pung of Flowers and kong of matching dragons, all in one suit. 

Backup option: Since the pungs of Flowers and high number and kong of dragons are the only exposed parts of the hand, you could always use CR5.1

O6a and O6b: a three-suited hand, with these exact numbers on either the low or high part of the odd number line. It's the same pattern as CR3, the three-suited ascending staircase of pair, pair in suit A; pung, pung in suit B; and kong in suit C. 

Backup options: You could consider the respective O2 versions.

O7.1 and O7.2: The two suited version, O7.2, is particularly reminiscent of E2 without the Flowers. It's a “sandwich” hand, with the kongs of 1 and 9 as the two pieces of bread. The sandwich filling is the three intermediate odd pairs (3,5,7) in either the same suit as the kongs (O7.1), or all in suit B (O7.2). 

Backup options: O7.1 and O7.2 can serve as each other's backups, as well as using suit C for O7.2.

O8a and O8b: these are concealed hands, meaning that you have to build the entire hand on your rack except for perhaps the final tile. You have the option of using the lower or upper part of the odd number line, in all three suits. It's a little bit of a Like Numbers hand: You have pairs of Flowers and the three odd numbers in suit A. According to the card it's “these numbers only” so they are very serious that it is pungs of 1s (O8a) or 5s (O8b) in the other two suits. 

Backup option: Since it's a concealed head you don't really have to worry about your hand being called dead, but if you do choose to switch, you might consider O4.

O9: a two suited hand, also concealed. You may not call for ANY tile, including the 7, 9 or dragon pungs, except as your final mah jongg tile. It feels familiar yet it is different from all the other hands on the card. There's a pseudo chow (135), as well as pungs of 7 and 9 in suit A, and an opposing pung of dragons in suit B, completed with a pair of Flowers.  

Backup option: O1.1, O5's and O7.1. If you're collecting Odd tiles in one suit, and you somehow also pick up Flowers and opposite dragons, then O9 is the hand for you!

Bubbe knows that you may not have your card quite yet, but it's on its way. Feel free to use these descriptions with your own set of tiles to try to create something you can visualize. Then, when you actually do get your card you can go back and read these articles again. 

If you have any questions or comments, or better ideas for backup hands, you can always contact me at bubbefischer@gmail.com. 

I'll check in next time with the third panel of the card!!

Bubbe