CHARLESTON PROTOCOLS AND ETIQUETTE (Article 300)

The Charleston is a coordinated exchange among four players. The rules establish what must happen and in what order, but they do not dictate every movement, pause, or rhythm players must use while passing.

For that reason, players share responsibility for keeping the Charleston organized and synchronized.

Manage the Flow

No rule requires all four players to wait until everyone has received their three tiles before looking at the tiles passed to them.

The National Mah Jongg League establishes this important sequence: “Your three tiles must always be passed before you take the three tiles that are being passed to you.”

This means a player should first place their three outgoing tiles into the pass before taking the incoming tiles.

Once that exchange has occurred, the rules do not establish a table-wide waiting period before a player may look at the tiles they received.

The exception is a blind pass. When a player uses one, two, or three incoming tiles as part of the final pass of a Charleston, they must not look at the tiles they pass blindly.

The Charleston Is Coordinated, Not Choreographed

Players sometimes develop highly structured routines for the Charleston. For example, a group might wait until all four sets of tiles are in position before anyone picks up the incoming tiles. Another group might naturally move through the exchange as each player completes their pass. Either approach can work.

What matters is that players stay aware of one another and preserve the flow of the Charleston.

Four players do not need to move their tiles at precisely the same moment. No rule establishes that one player controls the pace of the Charleston for everyone else.

Each player should be aware of the timing of the exchange and speak up when something seems out of sync.

A simple “Wait” or “Hold on” can prevent the group from advancing to the next pass before everyone has completed the current one.

Pass Before You Take

One of the most useful Charleston protocols comes directly from the rules: pass before you take.

Suppose the first pass is to the right. Each player selects three unwanted tiles and passes those tiles to the player on their right. Before taking the three tiles arriving from the left, they should first put their own three tiles into the exchange.

This protocol keeps each player’s outgoing and incoming tiles distinct and reduces the chance of confusion about which tiles belong to which pass.

It is different, however, from saying: “No one may look at their incoming tiles until all four players have received theirs.” That additional requirement is not stated in the rule.

Keep the Group Together

The Charleston should flow at a reasonable pace, but speed should never come at the expense of accuracy.

A player who has completed their decision should not advance the Charleston so quickly that another player is still completing the previous pass. Likewise, a player who needs additional time should communicate rather than allowing the rest of the group to wonder whether the pass is complete.

Experienced players may complete their decisions quickly. Newer players may need additional time to evaluate how the incoming tiles affect their hand. Neither player should assume that everyone else is working at the same pace.

The goal is not perfect synchronization. The goal is shared awareness.

Protocol, Etiquette, and House Rules

Rules determine what the players are required or permitted to do. For example, three tiles are passed during the standard Charleston passes, jokers may not be passed, and outgoing tiles must be passed before incoming tiles are taken.

Protocols are procedures players use to carry out those rules smoothly. Waiting until everyone appears ready before beginning the next pass is a useful protocol.

Etiquette is the consideration players show one another while doing it. Rushing another player, repeatedly getting ahead of the group, or failing to communicate when the Charleston has become unsynchronized can create unnecessary confusion.

A group may also establish a house procedure, such as requiring everyone to wait before looking at incoming tiles. That may be an effective way for that group to manage the Charleston, but it should not be presented as an NMJL rule unless the League has established it as one.

A Good Charleston Has a Rhythm

Pay attention to the other players. If the group gets out of sync, say something. If someone needs a moment, give them the moment.

Good Charleston protocol is less about everyone moving simultaneously and more about four players staying together through the process.

For the choices available to players during the Charleston, see Exercising Charleston Options (Article 218).

Source: Mah Jongg Made Easy (2024, pages 12-13)