CANNOT CLAIM YOUR OWN DISCARD (ARTICLE 245)

Commentary: The league has many rules that require players to be intentional. One such rule is that a player cannot claim their discard. Once a tile is fully named or touches the table, they cannot take it back, nor are they eligible to claim it for themselves because when they discard it, their turn ends.

Question from a Player: A player drew a 6 crack from the wall and, thinking it was an 8 crack, immediately discarded it, naming it an 8 crack. The next player saw the actual tile and named it correctly. Could the discarder claim it for Mah Jongg?

Answer from the NMJL: The definition of CALL is “to verbalize intent to claim a tile that has been discarded by ANOTHER [caps for emphasis] player for exposure or Mah Jongg—the caller may say “call,” “lake,” “I want that,” etc.” Also, once a tile is fully [correctly] named or touches the table, the discarder cannot take it back and may not use it for a joker exchange. Down is Down.

Source: Mah Jongg Made Easy (2020 pg 17 #4)