BLACK DRAGONS (ARTICLE 290)

A Black Dragon is a custom tile concept developed by Gladys Grad that reimagines the role of the White Dragon (Soap) in American mah jongg.

Under Gladys’s design, the White Dragon is used exclusively as the numeral 0 and the letter O, eliminating its dual role as both a dragon and a wildcard symbol for zeros and letters. A new suit of Black Dragons is introduced to serve as the dragon companion to the Dot suit, creating a one-to-one relationship between each suit and its corresponding dragon:

Craks correspond with Red Dragons

Bams correspond with Green Dragons

Dots correspond with Black Dragons

Gladys notes that this concept does not conflict with the historical origins of the original Asian dragon tiles, which were derived from archery-related symbols often interpreted as arrows. Rather, it builds on the convention introduced to American players through Joseph P. Babcock, who popularized these tiles as “Dragons.”

The concept requires a custom tile set. Gladys has commissioned Mah Jongg Maven to manufacture the tiles, allowing players who prefer this interpretation to use the design in home games. The National Mah Jongg League does not recognize Black Dragons, and standard NMJL play continues to use the traditional White Dragon (Soap) as both a dragon and a representation of the numeral 0 or letter O, depending on the hand.