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 

Review of the Left Panel, 2026

 

Greetings and salutations from your Passover-prepping Bubbe, postponing my grocery shopping at Livingston ShopRite just long enough to go over the left hand side of the 2026 NMJL card!

Reminder about abbreviations: 2026 hands will be listed as Y for Year; 2468 hands will be referred to as E (Even); and hands from the Any Like Number section will be denoted as LN. Variations on a hand will also be listed. If there are a one- and three-suited version, for instance, they will have suffixes of .1 and .3. if a hand has both a lower and upper end of the number line they will be versions “a” and “b”.

Year section: 

Note that there are no concealed hands in the 2026 section; all four Year hands are open / some melds can be called for exposure. The four tiles in 2026 itself cannot be called except for mah jongg, as they are considered four singles. Also remember that the soaps used as “zeroes” for the purpose of Year hands are like Flowers: they have no “suit”. 

Y1: a very attainable hand. Jokers can be used for any and all melds. There are pungs of the first “2” and Soaps, and then kongs of 2 and 6 in a second suit. Most important thing to remember: the “2” melds are of different sizes and therefore not interchangeable, so if you expose, remember that the *2 and 6 kongs* must be of the same suit. 

Backup options: Y2, Y4, LN2 

Y2: This hand uses pungs of dragons in two suits. The first dragons match the suit of the numbers in 2026; the second dragon pung must match the suit of a kong of either 2’s or 6’s. Remember that the “0” itself has no suit, so for example, you could have “2026” using bams with a matching pung of green dragons, and then a kong of 2 dots with a pung of Soaps. 

Backup options:  Y3, E4

Y3: This hand uses all three suits. Remember that “0” has no suit, so the 2026 meld does not have to be in dots. The melds include a pung of Flowers, 2026 in suit A, a pung of 2s in suit B, and a kong of 6s in suit C. 

Backup options: Y2, E1.2 

Y4: This hand is not a concealed hand, although only two of its component melds (the pungs) can be called for exposures. It's definitely a little trickier, hence it's worth 30 instead of 25. 

Using any two suits, you'll need a pair of 2s in suit A (it does NOT have to be dots!), a pair of soaps, pungs of 2s and 6s in suit B, and NEWS (which are all single tiles and can't be called for except as final mah jongg tile). Be careful not to make the second exposure if you're not close on all the other melds; there is no other hand with exposures of 2 and 6 pungs.

Backup options: Y1, E3, W4 

Interesting to note that the first three hands *may* each use a kong of 6s. This is very helpful when you're thinking about backup hands. 

 

 

Evens section:

E1.1 and E1.2: Very simple pung pung kong kong hand, ascending with the 2 and 4 as pungs and 6 and 8 as kongs. You can do it either all in one suit or in two suits: remember that the lower numbered suit As are both pungs; the higher numbered suit B are both kongs. Again, remember that any meld can be called for exposure, and jokers can be used in any meld.

Backup options: You may easily switch between E1.1 and E1.2, or choose a different suit for E1.2 

E2: This is a two-suited hand. I think in previous years I've called it the sandwich. “Bread” kongs of 2 and 8 in suit A, filled with pairs of 4 and 6 in suit B, and then two Flowers as garnish to complete the set of 14 tiles. 

Backup option: the only option you can have , once you have both kongs exposed, would be to switch the complementary suit of the pairs of 4 and 6.

E3: Similar to Y4, it is not concealed, but there are only two components that can be called for exposures: pungs of 4 and 6. In addition,you've got four additional pairs to contend with. This is one of those scenarios where Wind tiles have “flown the coop” and are now in a Number section! As we'll see again on this card, there's an NMJL convention (E/O) that East and wEst go with Even number tiles, and nOrth and sOuth go with Odd. 

Backup options: as with Y4, there is no other hand on the card with pungs of 4's and 6's, so if you expose, you're stuck! Prior to exposure, I would say E1.1 and E5 would be possible backups.

 

E4: I spoke about this one yesterday. Kong of 2s and pung of matching dragons in suit A; kong of 8s and pung of matching dragons in suit B. It may help you to remember that there are *no hands this year with two kongs of dragons*. This is a pung and kong hand (again, love it: jokers for any meld, any can be called for exposure!) and since we're working with dragons, they must be the pungs.

Backup options: Y2, or sticking with this hand but using suit C

 

E5: Like E1.1 and E3, this is a one-suited Even hand. This time we have an ascending hand: the pairs are the lowest numbers (2 and 4), with a pung of 6s. Remember that there are no kongs of Flowers on this card; the Flowers are a pung leaving you with four tiles as a kong of 8s.

Backup options: if you've exposed both the 6s and 8s, CR4; otherwise, keep E1.1 and E3 in mind.

E6: A three-suited hand. Matching even-numbered kongs in suits A and B, each with its respective single dragon tile. The final four tiles are the “pseudo chow” of 2468 in suit C. … OR….(this is the part where Bubbe starts tripping): 

You can think of this hand as the Monster Creature Double Feature: Even numbered King Kong vs. the Dragon King in suit A, with their rematch in suit B. The audience (suit C) is so excited that they give out a big “2468” cheer.

Backup options: you can only expose the two like numbered kongs; your hand can't be called dead. LN2 is particularly nice if you have the single dragons, but you could also consider LN1 or LN3, as well as W4.

E7: More cheering–2468 in suit A! This time, it's for the beautiful Fay Wray. She gets two pung bouquets of Flowers (one in each arm). She’s the one in control, having tamed the Beast, and gets to pick the even number of her choice, for the kong in suit B.

Backup options: once you've made all three exposures, if suit A is unavailable then you have to stick with E7 but make the pseudo chow (2468) in suit C. If you expose both pungs of Flowers and all the Even tiles are out, you can only claim you are going for W5. If you expose a pung of Flowers and the kong, you have a lot more flexibility: CR2.1, CR2.2, or possibly E5 if your kongs were 8's.

E8: Our first concealed hand, and the only one on the left side of the card!! The melds are 246 pseudo-chows with a matching pung of 8s, in each of two suits. The pair of Flowers completes the hand.

Backup options: first of all, this is just for switching purposes; as a concealed hand, no one else will know if it goes dead, unless--like me--you have no poker face. You might consider switching to E5 in the stronger of the two suits, especially early in the game if the 2 and 4 pairs come in. 

Like Numbers section:

LN1: our first sextet of Flowers. Remember, you can use as many jokers as you want, but you cannot call to expose the meld until you have a combination of five Flowers and Jokers ready. The other part of the hand is fairly simple, kongs of the same number in two different suits. 

Backup options: one of the eight hands (!!!) that use two kongs of Like Numbers (including LN2 and LN3) or (if you put up the sextet) CR6.

LN2: Three-suited hand–two like-number kongs in suits A and B, with a pung of that number in suit C. Matching single dragons for each. Or….a triple feature, for the very dedicated: King Kong versus the Dragon King (any number) in suit A, plus the sequel in suit B. It ends with a very poor quality third chapter, much shorter with a pung facing off against the Dragon Prince.

Backup options: LN1, LN3, E6 (if even)

LN3: once again, we have two like-number Kongs in suits A&B, plus a pair of the same number in suit C. They're complimented by a pair of Flowers and a pair of dragons in any of the three suits (dealer’s choice!). That flexibility is probably why this hand with three pairs is only worth 25.

Backup options: if you happen to be using an Odd number, and your problem is getting the dragons or the Flowers, you might consider O4. Otherwise, consider LN1 or LN2.

You may have found even better backups: please share your ideas with me, as well as any other questions or comments, at bubbefischer@gmail.com

Talk to you soon! 

Bubbe