Thanks Virginia Living Magazine

A nice young woman, Gaby Gonçalves, came to my mah Jongg class at the Tides Inn last October. She was in the beginner class and took to the game like a fish to water. A couple of months ago she called me to interview me for an article in Virginia Living Magazine she was writing about mah Jongg.

I came home to a copy of the magazine. One of my quotes in the article was , “Most of the time you are going to lose, but you will be happy for the winner.” This is something I try an impress upon all my students.

It’s so funny that this article includes that bit of information. I only recently heard from a student about someone she played with, who I did not teach to play mah Jongg, who does not follow this bit of advice. Instead she discounts the glory to the winner, by saying things like, “Well, I was trying a very hard hand.” Or, “I was only one tile away.”

I want everyone to have the kind of sportsmanship that makes people love to play with them. When someone else claims mah Jongg, take a beat and look at their hand to verify their win, before you show or say anything about your hand. Congratulate the winner. Give her her moment in the sun.

Only after that, if you really feel the need, you can reveal your hand. But please do not say anything like, “I gave you a chance by playing a closed hand,” or “I would have won too if I had 3 jokers.” Maybe, but maybe not. Don’t belittle another’s win.

In mah Jongg if someone wins, there is one winner and three losers. No participation ribbon. You have to get good with losing. The beauty of mah Jongg is you learn the lesson that losing a game is not life altering and you live to play another.

I don’t care how good a player you are, you are going to lose. I played with my friend Jan yesterday and I lost the first four games. Did it make my time playing bad? Not at all. The game’s the thing and the friendship that goes with it. Win or lose you are still having fun.