Mahjong Is One of the Oldest Games in the World

MaQue, which refers to sparrow, is the original name given for the mahjong game, a trendy game which originated in China. Most southern Chinese vernaculars still use the name MaQue when referring to the game. Nevertheless, in other parts of this rich country, the game is generally referred to as MaJiang.

Involving four key players, the game entails a lot of meticulous calculations, not to mention a concise level of expertise and a discreet strategy. Depending on the different game versions, each player transacts with thirteen to sixteen tiles at a time. The customary Chinese rules of the game have been modified depending on where the game is being played. Today, the game is being played in many different countries across the world.

Regardless of the rules applicable in the different countries, through the game, a player draws one tile while they castoff another. Winning will depend on the draw, which is taking the redundant tile or picking up a new tile. There have been a lot of mythical stories trying to explain the origin of this very popular game. A well-known story states that the game was invented around 500 BC by Confucius, a famous Chinese philosopher at the time. According to this allegory, the philosopher would travel to the different parts of the country teaching people about the game, thus explaining the dominance of the game.

Confucius taught that the story behind the legend was about an isolated lady in the emperor's palace that used ivory and bamboo to carve the tiles for the game. She would call her three maids once she was done, to come and play the game with her. Later in life, Confucius developed the game. Since he was very fond of birds, as indicated in the myth, the game came to be known as Mahjong, which means a sparrow.

Paradoxically, there is no indication whatsoever of the existence of this game before the nineteenth century. Historians suppose that, the game was founded on "MaDiao", a typical Chinese game, and that forty paper cards were used to play the game. The paper cards were numbered one to ten, in four different suits alongside four other additional flower cards. This can easily be compared to the Mahjong game played presently in different parts of the world. Mahjong is now considered a classic game by all rights, and can easily be found online. Over the years, many different variations have been created, with each having their own sets of rules.

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Appreciating Different Mahjong Games

For the Chinese, as well as other Asians, mahjong games are a way of life. It is played at home, in private clubs, at weddings-banquets, and no birthday celebration is complete without a game of Mahjong. It is now an integral part of any social activity, providing occasions to entertain friends and cultivate business relationships.

The appeal of the game is spreading widely, and there are now clubs and associations operating nationally and internationally for playing mahjong games.

Mahjong games have been called the games of a hundred intelligences. When played by experts, it can be fast and subtle, and even difficult to follow, but it really is a game that is simple to learn. It was originally played with cards, and subsequently, with pieces carved from ivory or bamboo. The game is over a thousand years old, and is thought to have originated in the court of the emperor of Wu.

For hundreds of years, mahjong games remained a diversion that was reserved the royal class, but changes in politics and lifestyle also brought changes in perception of the game.

The game involves elements of risk, luck or chance and some strategy. You will need to cultivate a keen eye for the pattern of discards and matching of tiles by your opponents. From observing these patterns or trends, you must try to predict what patterns the other players are likely to be assembling.

On one hand, you are using the tiles that your opponents discard to match your tiles, in order to improve your chances of winning, while on the other hand, you try to prevent your opponents from matching tiles with the ones that you discard. It is considered as an offensive, rather than a defensive game.

Knowing how to discard tiles safely and wisely will be a benefit, but it can only come with practice. You can only become a better player, by actually playing the game. The practice of observing very closely what tiles your opponent discards, should also help to recognize the types of hands, they are likely to be matching.

Completing your hand ahead of the other players, in the shortest possible time, is one of the keys to success in the game. It can be best to choose combinations that are most likely to be completed in a short time.

It is natural for a game that is centuries old and played by many ethnic groups to have different variations with different rules, and the choice of which game to play is largely determined by your preferences.

There are now different variations of the game of Mahjong across different geographical regions. Each of the different mahjong games has different rules, but you can decide which you prefer, after a trying a few of them.

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