Mahjongg tile sets are used to play many variations of the original
game.  The version of Mahjongg you play is the solitaire one.  Each
tile also has a
meaning associated with it.
Mahjongg's origins are not fully known, but many theories have been put
forth.  One such theory says that Noah played Mahjongg on the ark because
the East hand is dominant, presumably the direction the rains came, in the
flood.  Another theory says that the Chinese philosopher, Confucius, made
the game.  The three Cardinal tiles have the same names as
his three Cardinal virtues, Chung (middle) the Red, Fa (prosperity) the
Green, and Po (white) the White, cooresponding with Benevolence, Sincerity,
and Filial Piety.  Still another theory says that Mahjongg is derived from
other Chinese games.  Ya Pei is played with 32 cards made of
wood or ivory and have the same oblong shape as present day Mahjongg tiles.
Ma Tiae is played with 40 paper cards, similar in appearance,
numbering 1 to 9 in four different suits along with the flower cards.  It has
been suggested that two brothers made the game, around 1850 A.D., from a
combination of these two games.
In the early 1900's Mahjongg was introduced into English clubs in Shanghai.
Mr. Babcock started the importation of Mahjongg tiles to the Western world.
He stripped down the rules to the very basics and even put Arabic numerals
on the tiles.  1923 was the height of the Mahjongg craze with major gaming
companies, like Parker Bros., Milton Bradley, and United States Playing Card,
importing Mahjongg tile sets by the thousands.
Many different rules sprang up and in 1924 the Standardization Committee of
the American Official Laws of Mah-Jongg was formed to write a rule book.
Still today many clubs play by different rules and sometimes even add flower
or joker tiles.  Players of the computer version are becoming intrigued with the
beauty and detail of the hand crafted sets of the 1920's and 1930's and are
searching antique shops and flea markets for sets of their own. Many new
players are being introduced to the game solely through the solitaire
version and are slowly realizing the intrigue and challenge that the
traditional game offers.
Portions of this text were adapted from the Mah Jong Museum.
