Rainbow Lifelong Learning Institute, Boston

Schedule: 

This course will take place on Tuesdays at 10:30 PM for five weeks 4/29/25 - 5/27/25).  This course will take place at the Arlington Council on Aging.

Directions and Parking: https://www.rainbowlliboston.org/location

Course Description. This course will introduce participants to the great game of American Mah Jongg. No prior experience of the game is required. We will start at the beginning, reviewing the different types of tiles: the suits, dragons, winds, flowers, and the jokers. We will learn how to set up the walls, distribute the tiles, conduct the Charleston (that is distributing the tiles—not the dance!),  learn how to read the Mah Jongg card, practice forming  Mah Jongg sets (or hands), discuss the rules of Mah Jongg, and begin playing. The class will be very hands-on and highly participatory. Other than some preliminary information and explanations by the instructor, class time will be spent discussing and practicing every aspect of the game. Our goal is for students to be able to begin playing by the second or third class.

Required materials.  All students will need to purchase a 2025 Mah Jong card from the National Mah Jongg League or another legitimate organization such as Hadassah (which orders in bulk from the National Mah Jongg League). The cards are copyrighted (so we can’t make copies) and usually come out in late March each year but can be ordered starting in January. Please see “Preparation for the first class,” below, for details.

We will also need multiple sets of Mah Jongg. I have a Mah Jongg set that we can use in class but in order for students to learn the game and play with the tiles, we will need a set for every four students, if at all possible. Registered students are urged to look into borrowing sets from Mah Jonng players of your acquaintance.

Preparation for the first class. Registered students are asked to order the card (preferably the large print version which is $15) from the Nationalmahjonggleague.org a few weeks before class begins so they will have the cards by the time of the first class meeting.

Students will be sent a few pages of introductory materials on Mah Jongg and asked to review them prior to the first class.

Instructor Bio.  Marjorie is a happily retired social policy researcher who started her career working on a locked psychiatric unit—where she learned about life.  She has a love of games including Mah Jongg, bridge, RummyKub, Qwirkle, and Mexican Train—to name but a few. Having grown up in the Boston area, Marjorie is fortunate to be able to spend time with old friends and family who live locally—and enjoys a regular Mah Jongg game with her cousins!