TWO-PLAYER MAH JONGG (Article 103)

Commentary: The National Mah Jongg League guidebook, Mah Jongg Made Easy includes modifications for two-player games. Players sit opposite each other and roll the dice to determine the first East/dealer. The tiles are mixed, the walls are built, and the wall is broken. The tiles are dealt for one hand each, and the missing players are skipped. The Charleston is omitted, so East/dealer starts the game by discarding, and players alternate turns. After the game, East/dealer alternates.

Gladys Grad modified American mah jongg rules two facilitate two or more people playing with two or more hands and branded the game as Siamese Mah Jongg in the summer of 2015. Later, she branded Royale and Imperial versions. You can find the modified rules here https://mahjongg.org/siamese-rules. All other rules default to the standards established by the National Mah Jongg League. For ongoing support, consider joining the Siamese Mah Jongg Guild on Facebook.

Question from a player: Only two players showed up for mah jongg today. How can we play?

Answer from the NMJL: Two players sit opposite each other and build their own walls and also the wall to the right. East position alternates. The tiles are drawn from the wall in the usual manner except the blank walls do not draw hands. The Charleston is omitted, and East starts the game by discarding a tile.

Source: Mah Jongg Made Easy (2024 page 26)