Subject: 2 Player MahJong
From: "Martin Flower" <martin.flower@virgin.net>
Date: Sun, 23 Jan 2000 01:57:01 -0000

Can anyone please point me in the right direction of a good source for 2 player rules for the chinese game.

Thanks

Martin Flower


Subject: Re: 2 Player MahJong
From: Larry Welborn <larrywelborn@NOThome.com>
Date: Sun, 23 Jan 2000 03:43:23 GMT

Martin Flower wrote:
>
> Can anyone please point me in the right direction of a good source for 2
> player rules for the chinese game.
>

Martin,

If you find a good source, please let me know as well.

Larry


Subject: Re: 2 Player MahJong
From: Jesper Harder <jesper_harder@hotmail.com>
Date: 23 Jan 2000 05:32:21 +0100

"Martin Flower" <martin.flower@virgin.net> writes:

> Can anyone please point me in the right direction of a good source for 2
> player rules for the chinese game.

I don't know if it can be adopted to Chinese rules, but this is how I do it:

»The two players sit opposite one another, one being East Wind and the other West Wind. The play is exactly the same as in the four-handed game except:

1.     There are /no chows/ allowed and there is no exception to this rule.

2.
A player may not go Mah Jong unless his hand contains 4 doubles or more (this does not include the doubles for Flowers), but he may have any of the hands with set scores, i.e., Half Limit, Limit, and Double Limit hands.

[..] The hands are scored exactly the same way and the players pay each other (this is the only time the player who went Mah Jong has to pay out).«

Quoted from: Max Robertson, The Game of Mah Jong.

Cheers,
--
Jesper Harder, <URL: http://purl.org/harder/ >


Subject: Re: 2 Player MahJong
From: DAVID H LI <davidli@erols.com>
Date: Sun, 23 Jan 2000 08:41:13 -0500

Mr. Flower, Before one answers your query on two-hand Mah-jong, one must reach an understanding of the purpose of such a game. It is NOT competition; it is to cement friendship or love. The game is thus played by couples, or by newly-weds during honeymoon. Given such an aim, invoking strict rules only defeats the purpose. Play it for fun -- that is the aim -- and enjoy.

David Li, author of "The Happy Game of Mah-Jong."


Subject: Re: 2 Player MahJong
From: Martin Rep <mrep@mahjong-nl.com>
Date: Sun, 23 Jan 2000 14:42:39 GMT

On Sun, 23 Jan 2000 01:57:01 -0000, "Martin Flower"
<martin.flower@virgin.net> wrote:

>Can anyone please point me in the right direction of a good source for 2
>player rules for the chinese game.

I admit mahjong for two can be done. But it is hard to find a game that is more boring.

| Martin Rep
| The Internet Mahjong Newspaper
| http://www.mahjong-nl.com
| extensive website in Dutch and English


Subject: Re: 2 Player MahJong
From: actsearch@aol.com (Tom Sloper)
Date: 23 Jan 2000 17:16:06 GMT

From: "Martin Flower" martin.flower@virgin.net

>>>Can anyone please point me in the right direction of a good source for 2
>>>player rules for the chinese game.

From: Larry Welborn larrywelborn@NOThome.com

>>If you find a good source, please let me know as well.

Martin and Larry, what rulebook do you use? You are both looking for 2P rules for "Chinese Classical" mah-jongg, as opposed to some other form of mah-jongg?

From: Jesper Harder jesper_harder@hotmail.com

>I don't know if it can be adopted to Chinese rules, but this is how I
>do it:
>
>"The two players sit opposite one another, one being East Wind and the
>other West Wind. The play is exactly the same as in the four-handed game
>except:
>
>1. There are /no chows/ allowed and there is no exception to this rule.

Some players allow a concealed sequence in the hand -- the prohibition is only on claiming someone's discard to make an exposed chow. You can set the rule to be however you prefer.

>2. A player may not go Mah Jong unless his hand contains 4 doubles or
> more (this does not include the doubles for Flowers),

Many players leave the flowers out when playing with less than 3 or 4 players. You can do whatever you prefer.

>but he may have
> any of the hands with set scores, i.e., Half Limit, Limit, and Double
> Limit hands.
>
>[..] The hands are scored exactly the same way and the players pay each
>other (this is the only time the player who went Mah Jong has to pay
>out)."

This assumes that you normally use the "everybody's hand gets scored" method of scoring. If you do not, then only the winner need be paid. You can use whichever rule you prefer.

Important note: There is no wrong way to play 2P mah-jongg (well, maybe there is -- if you don't have fun, then you're doing it wrong). Fiddle with the rules until you are satisfied that you have found the best rules for your table.

>Quoted from: Max Robertson, The Game of Mah Jong.

FYI, Larry and Martin -- Robertson describes the Western rules, not the Chinese Classical rules.

Cheers! -- Tom

Tom Sloper, Activision
Executive Producer, Shanghai
tsloper@activision.com (wkdays)
Actsearch@aol.com (wkends)
The opinions expressed herein are those of the writer, not of Activision. 
http://www.activision.com/games/dynasty


Subject: Re: 2 Player MahJong
From: Larry Welborn <larrywelborn@NOThome.com>
Date: Mon, 24 Jan 2000 04:05:21 GMT

Tom Sloper wrote:
>
> Martin and Larry, what rulebook do you use? You are both looking for 2P rules
> for "Chinese Classical" mah-jongg, as opposed to some other form of mah-jongg?
>

Tom,

I can't speak for Martin, but I am playing "Chinese Classical" mah-jongg. It appears from reading this newsgroup that the best way to play a 2P game is to "fiddle" around with the rules until I find a good fit.


Larry


Subject: Re: 2 Player MahJong
From: Feico Nater <feico@taaleffect.nl>
Date: Mon, 24 Jan 2000 10:18:44 GMT

On Sun, 23 Jan 2000 01:57:01 -0000, "Martin Flower" <martin.flower@virgin.net> wrote in rec.games.mahjong:

>Can anyone please point me in the right direction of a good source for 2
>player rules for the chinese game.

Actually I wonder why the game must be played with exactly four players. You would expect that Mahjongg can be played with any number of players, with exactly the same rules. In other games, such as Bridge, this would be very hard to do.

However, I have found that mahjongg is not nice with two players. I think five players is very feasable.

--
Feico Nater, Netherlands
http://members.home.nl/feiconater

In matters of commerce the fault of the Dutch
is offering too little and asking too much.