ACTING IN SILENCE (Article 241)

Commentary: Since verbalizing interest in a discarded tile is required, if a player chooses to act in silence, they are technically playing out of turn, which is a disqualifiable offense.

Question from a player: If a player does not verbally call a discarded tile but merely puts it up on their rack with other tiles without saying anything, it that legal?

Answer from the NMJL: To claim a discard the player must verbalize their call by saying “call,” “take, “I want that,” etc., letting the other players know that they are claiming the discard. It is permissible to say “wait” or “hold” before verbalizing a call.

Source: Mah Jongg Made Easy (2024; pg 14-15)

Source for other answers: National Mah Jongg League Bulletin Q&A (1983 page 4, 1984, 1985, 1987 page 4, 1990 page 5, 1993 page 12, 2005, 2019)