Tournament Hiatus

Greetings and salutations from Bubbe--not shaking your hand, but sending you love from over the interwebs!

Those of you who have read my blog know how much I love tournaments. You meet new people (some of whom may be better players than you are), you get passed different tiles than usual, you play under time constraints--it's a great way to improve your game! March is a very popular time for tournaments because the weather is (slightly) more reliable, and it's the end of the previous year's card so everyone is totally up to speed. It's the "Last Hurrah" for the card.

HOWEVER--in light of the Coronavirus and "social distancing" practices being advocated by epidemiologists and other public health officials, Bubbe feels strongly that tournaments need to be put on the back burner. I applaud all those organizations who have proactively decided to postpone or cancel their scheduled events.

Of course there are still wonderful on-line versions of the game, and you can study up on your skills by reading any number of great mah jongg books (this is one of my favorites, of course). In addition, I will be putting up my annual "New Card" articles as soon as I can get my hands on one...

But for now, let's heed the warning and avoid large group environments. We want to have everyone healthy and safe, and there will be plenty of time for tournament play when the virus is under control.

Sending you extra (air) kisses--

Bubbe Fischer