SOMEONE HAS THE WRONG NUMBER OF TILES BEFORE EAST’S FIRST DISCARD (Article 36)

Commentary: Sometimes the player to the left of East forgets to pick their 13th tile. If it is noticed that they are short a tile and East has not discarded yet, that player can pick their 13th tile from the wall. If another player has the wrong number of tiles, everyone throws in their tiles and the game starts over. The best practice is to count your tiles before the Charleston begins and before East discards to start the game. This way, corrections can be made and the game can be played out.

Question from a player:  After the Charleston, East discovers that she has 13 tiles.  The player opposite East discovers that she has 14 tiles.  How do we proceed? 
 
Answer from the NMJL: If it is discovered, during the Charleston, that any player has an incorrect number of tiles, the hands are thrown in and replayed. There is one exception to this rule. If the player to the left of East is the player missing a tile, that player may take the next tile from the wall, since it was rightfully theirs. This may only be done before East discards.

Source:  Mah Jongg Made Easy (2024 page 14 bullet #1)

Other answers from the NMJL:

“The game does not officially begin until East discards her 14th tile. Therefore, if East and the player opposite did not have the correct number of tiles, the tiles are thrown in and a new game started.”  
 
 Source for other answers:

National Mah Jongg League Bulletin Q&A 2002  https://www.nationalmahjonggleague.org