May the Tiles Be With You

Greetings and salutations from Bubbe, talking about a galaxy far, far away!

In memory of Carrie Fisher, I'm rerunning a blog that I ran back in 2015, when the "Seventh Chapter" of the Star Wars saga came out. (NOTE: Even if we spelled it the same way, Bubbe and Carrie aren't related...but I would be proud to consider her an honorary sister)

I’ve been thinking about how the legendary Bubbe Fischer would have fit into the Star Wars universe. Obviously the original Bubbe was a Jedi master (mistress?)—the Yoda or Obi-Wan Kenobi of mah jongg. When I first pictured her, years ago, I imagined someone who possessed secret wisdom. She was the ultimate mahj player, someone who could look at a group of tiles and be able to maximize their potential. She trusted the tiles, and let them speak to her. Bubbe knew how to use the Force. 

My own mahj persona is more like Han Solo: shoot first, ask questions later. My opinion about calling for the first exposure, early in the game? “Go for it.” The one exception might be in the case of Winds, where you’re too exposed—put up those Norths and everyone knows you need Souths, etc. 

In general, I channel the gambler/adventurer:

·        *Look at every section of the card—why should any of them be off limits to you?

·        *One exposure won’t make you dead and you can switch hands if you need to

·        *Put up the jokers, you have as good a chance as anyone else of getting them back

·        *Life’s too short to play boring mah jongg—don’t just sit and be an observer

·        *Even one exposure can force your opponents to play more defensively or break up their hand

Of course, in the back of my mind, I always remember that magic number—20. If you’ve read my book, Searching for Bubbe Fischer: The Path to Mah Jongg Wisdom, or heard me speak, you know what that number means. Evenly-matched players, on average and over time, should only expect to win 20 percent of the hands they play. With that in mind, I’m a lot less fearful about losing. It happens to everybody, so I might as well enjoy my time at the table (see the fourth bullet point, above).

All of this cavalier style is on display in the early stages of each game. Toward the end of a game, my mahj personality mutates. I become more conservative and logical, acting like the protocol droid, C-3PO:

·       * Don’t expose a viable joker just because you want to “prove” you’ve got something

·        *Evaluate the other players’ exposures—they may indicate more than one hand

·         *If you can’t win, don’t lose—break up your hand, rather than throw a winning tile

After the game, when the money’s being exchanged, I try very hard not to be like Darth Vader:

·        * Don’t scold other players for throwing a winning tile

·         *Don’t be a sore loser; it’s just a hand of mah jongg

·        *Definitely don’t take any of this personally—enjoy the moment!

How about you? Do you resemble anyone from Star Wars? Maybe sci-fi adventure isn’t your thing. Perhaps you’re a clever social satirist like Jane Austen’s Lizzy Bennet, or a sleuth like Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone. If you want to share with me, you can reach me at bubbefischer@gmail.com

Talk to you soon, and may the Force be with you!

Bubbe Fischer