Copyright: V1.01A ® Elaine and Berrie Bloem 1995
Citation: ® Elaine & Berrie Bloem 1995


Contents

The REAL Game!

Version 1.01A Copyright © 31 July 1995 Elaine & Berrie Bloem

Welcome to Mah Jongg, Game of the Four Winds, an oriental game of chance and calculation, divine beauty and earthly greed, mysticism and mortality.

Help is available on the following topics:

The Game

How to Quickly Start Using this Program

Full Explanation

History and Symbolism

The Program

Full Explanation

Customizing Mah Jongg

Technical Information

The Software

Licensing and Ordering Information

Epilog

To select a topic click on a topic name, or use the Tab key to move to a topic name and press Enter.

See What's New for an overview of all the additions and improvements of this version compared to the previous version.

For help on how to use help press the F1 key. To go back to Mah Jongg, press the Mah Jongg button. For an easy overview of the available topics press the Table Of Contents (T.O.C.) button at the top of this window. For explanations of the terms used in the Game press the Glossary button.


Epilog

Thank you for playing Mah Jongg for Windows. We hope you have enjoyed playing the Game and also reading a little bit about its background and history. If you have any recommendations or suggestions for improving this Game, please contact us; we are most interested in hearing from you, even if it's just to say you liked it - or not! Tell us why and we'll listen. We are particularly interested in different playing rules from various parts of the globe and of course in the results of your efforts on creating new voices and tile sets.

For those of you who are seriously hooked on the Game, you will undoubtedly want to have the full blown version with unbeatable opponents, if you don't use the cheat codes that is! To register for the full version please see Ordering Information.

In the meantime continue to enjoy playing Mah Jongg and we hope to hear from you soon!

The Authors

Elaine & Berrie Bloem
July 1995

We can be contacted on CompuServe and the Internet, see Ordering Information for more information.


Mah Jongg...

A Game as old as memories or as young as the sunrise.
A Game of wisdom and of luck.
A Game easy to play but difficult to master.
A Game of excellence and poetry, of gambling and gain.
Four Winds coming together around the Great Wall of China to witness the Game unfold according to ancient rituals.
Four Winds claiming and discarding, deciding and chancing.
Four Winds striving to accomplish a Mah Jongg of sheer beauty or excessive value.
Four Winds gaining respect for artistry or jealousy for luck.

A Game where the loser might win...


How to quickly start using this program

Before you dive right into the game, it is recommended that you read at least the following topics. These topics will tell you all you need to know to get started.

If you are completely new to Mah Jongg

Object of the Game

Minimum Rules to get playing

Minimum mouse and keyboard commands

Explanation of screen


Object of the Game

Mah Jongg is played in Hands. A minimum of four Hands make up a Round, four Rounds make up a Game. This is because each Wind must be Wind of the Round once and each player must have four turns playing as East Wind. The minimum number of Hands that make up a Game is therefore sixteen. There can however be more Hands in a Round if the East Wind player continues to win!

Each player's Hand always consists of thirteen tiles, and when it is the turn of the player they are dealt a fourteenth tile. The player can choose to keep the tile that has just been dealt or can immediately discard the tile. In this manner players always retain the correct number of tiles in their Hand.

The object of the Game is to make a complete Hand of fourteen tiles, this is called going Mah Jongg. The Hand that is needed to go Mah Jongg must consist of either:

Four combinations of three (Chow or Pung) or four (Kong) tiles and a pair of identical tiles.

or:

One of the Special Hands.

Immediately after a player completes a Hand, they call out "Mah Jongg" - you can do this at home if you like! The players now show their Hands in order to calculate and settle the scores. The Game then continues to the next Hand.


Minimum Rules to get playing

Flowers and Seasons:	Flowers and Seasons are purely honorary tiles. You cannot use these tiles to make a Chow, Pung or Kong. When you are dealt one of these tiles you receive a replacement Loose Tile, which is taken from the Kong Box.

Chows:	You can only make a Chow by picking up a tile that has been discarded by the player sitting to your left. The exception to this is that you can pick up a tile discarded by any player if you need it to make a Chow AND go Mah Jongg. If you can make a Chow from tiles you have been dealt you can keep the Chow concealed on your stake.

Pungs:	You can only make a Pung by picking up a tile which has been discarded by any player and if you already have two identical tiles on your stake. If you can make a Pung from tiles you have been dealt you can keep the Pung concealed on your stake.

Kongs:	You can only make a Kong by picking up a tile which has been discarded by any player and if you already have three identical tiles on your stake. You can turn an Exposed Pung into an Exposed Kong only if you have been dealt the fourth identical tile from the Wall. Kongs completely collected from the Wall are displayed above your stake with the two tiles on the ends turned face downwards. Whenever you make a Kong you receive a replacement Loose Tile, that is taken from the Kong Box.

Mah Jongg:	You go Mah Jongg when you have completed four combinations of three or four tiles plus a pair of identical tiles. You can also go Mah Jongg if you have completed a Special Hand.


Minimum mouse and keyboard commands

Left Mouse Button, Enter or Spacebar:
To select a tile on your stake or to pick up a tile discarded by another player.

Arrow Keys, Home, End, Page Up/Down, Numbers:
To move across the tiles displayed on your stake.


Explanation of screen

When you start Mah Jongg a screen similar to the one illustrated below will be displayed:

Screen Displayed When Starting Mah Jongg

Click or use the Tab Key to select any part of this window that you would like to see further information about.

If you are a beginner and you want to see how the Game works you can chose the menu item "Options | Show all Hands" or press F6, this will display tiles on the other players stakes so you can see how the Game is played.

Compass, Wind of the Round, Players and Scores

Stakes

Status Bar


Exposed Tiles

The tiles displayed above a player's stake are called Exposed tiles for all players to see. You have no option but to Expose Chows, Pungs and Kongs which you have made by picking up a tile that another player has discarded. You must also Expose a Kong that you have made from tiles you have been dealt (as soon as you are dealt the fourth tile) and any Flower and Season tiles. This is because you will need to be dealt a Loose Tile as a replacement tile in order to keep the number of tiles in your Hand at the required number.


Compass, Wind of the Round, Players and Scores

The compass provides a lot of information about the Game. It tells you which winds have been assigned to players for a Hand, the Wind of the Round and scores for each player. It also indicates, in red, the name of the player who originally started the Game as East Wind player. This is important as it reminds you of how many more rounds are to be played to make up a complete Game. The compass is illustrated below:

The Compass Display

Click or use the Tab Key to select any part of the display for which you would like to see further

information about.

You can change player names and initial scores by using the General Setup Box. The Timer Bar provides a visual reminder of how much you have left in which to make your response to a tile that has been discarded.

For further information regarding the symbolism of the compass please see the Inverted Compass section.


Compass

The compass shows which wind is assigned to each player at the current moment.


Timer Bar

The Timer Bar provides a visual reminder of how much wait time is left for you to make your response and pick up a tile that has been discarded. You can set the wait time in the General Setup Dialog Box.


Wind of the Round

The wind represented by this tile is the Wind of the Round at the current moment. Collecting a Pung or a Kong of this wind will double your total score at the end of the Hand. The Wind of the Round is always East Wind at the beginning of a Game.


You

This shows your name, score and the wind you are playing as during this Hand. Collecting a Pung or a Kong of your own wind will double your total score at the end of the Hand. The name displayed in red is the name of the player who started playing as East Wind at the beginning of this Game.


Player to your right

This shows the name, score and wind of the player to your right during this Hand.


Opposite Player

This shows the name, score and wind of the player opposite you during this Hand.


Player to your left

This shows the name, score and wind of the player to your left during this Hand.


Stakes

A stake is simply a holder that a player uses to store tiles they have been dealt. The tiles which are placed on the stake are not visible for the other players. In the program, tiles dealt to the East Wind player will always be shown on a red background stake. All other players tiles are shown on black background stakes.

A Stake Display


Status Bar

The status bar at the bottom of the screen display provides you will valuable information throughout a Game, this is illustrated below.

Status Bar Display at the beginning of a Hand

The left-hand box shows how many tiles are left in the Wall - this number will obviously decrease during the Game!

The right-hand box is used to display informational or status messages as the Game proceeds. The message shown in the illustration above would appear at the start of a Game and tells you that you are playing as West Wind, and the Wind of the Round is East Wind. During a Game this message box will tell you what tiles you have been dealt, what tiles other players have picked up. It can also provide hints if you are undecided, for example, on what tile to discard. You do this by switching on the Quick Tip option - this option suggests a tile for you to discard, you can take it's suggestion or not, it's really up to you!

Messages in the right-hand box will also inform you when you cannot pick up a tile and the reason why not, and when a player goes Mah Jongg.

Status Bar Display while playing

See also Status Bar Messages.


Status Bar Messages

Apart from the messages displayed when you change parameters using the menus or information and message boxes, you might come across messages similar to the following:

Your Wind is East Wind and the Wind of the Round is South Wind. Good Luck!

You can use 6 Circle for a Pung.

You can't pick up 3 Wan! No Chow, Pung, Kong or Mah Jongg...

You can't pick up 7 Bamboo! No Pung, Kong or Mah Jongg...

You can only Chow a Tile discarded by "Player x", unless you go Mah Jongg.

You can't use a discarded Tile to turn an Exposed Pung into an Exposed Kong.

All the tiles have been played and nobody has gone Mah Jongg...

"Player x" has gone Mah Jongg.

"Player x" has gone Mah Jongg with Tile 2 Circle

"Player x" has gone Mah Jongg with a Chow.

No settlement of scores because all hands have been visible.

"Player x" calls a Standing Hand

You've called a Standing Hand and can only take 9 Bamboo

You've called a Standing Hand and have to discard Red Dragon

Select two tiles to complete the Chow with 4 Circle.

Complete Chow 3 and 4 Circle with either 2 or 5 Circle.

Note:	These last two messages can appear if you have selected the menu option "Options | Ask First". It enables you to complete a Chow of your choice, using the discarded tile you've just picked up. If you click on a tile on your stake and while using this selected tile for the Chow, and there is no other Chow combination possible anymore, then the second message of the two last messages will not appear. The program 'knows' already what you want to do. There is no way of undoing a Chow selection.

For more information see Rules.


Beginners Guide - Welcome
Absolute Beginners Guide To Mah Jongg

Welcome to the Absolute Beginners guide to Mah Jongg. This topic is intended to lead you step by step into the wonderful world of Mah Jongg. From some reactions on our first release of "Mah Jongg for Windows - The REAL Game!" we learned that an easier introductory section was needed to get you up and running with the game. The purpose of this section is to do just that and help you get to grips with the game quicker. To read the pages in this section just click on the picture of the folded corner of the paper (upper right corner).

Step 1:	Object of the Game

Step 2:	The Screen

Step 3:	The Tiles

Step 4:	How Do I Play The Game?

Step 5:	The Start

Step 6:	Tiles Dealt To You

Step 7:	Discarded Tiles: Pungs, Kongs and Chows

Step 8:	What Am I Looking For?

Step 9:	Keep on playing

Step 10:	Going Mah Jongg

P.S. 1	If you are not sure about Mah Jongg terms used in this section, try looking in the Glossary (click on the Glossary button displayed at the top of this page).


Beginners Guide - Object of the Game

To play Mah Jongg, you need to collect combinations of tiles. In Mah Jongg these combinations are known as Chows, Pungs and Kongs. A Chow is a consecutive sequence of three tiles of the same suit. A Pung is three identical tiles of the same suit. A Kong is four identical tiles of the same suit. These are illustrated below.

Chow Example:

Pung Example:

Kong Example:

(Kongs always have one or two tiles turned over)

Each player is dealt initially thirteen tiles - this is called a Hand. Play begins when the East Wind Player is dealt an extra tile. The East Wind player must then discard a tile for play to continue. The other players now have a chance to pick up the tile that has been discarded. There are strict rules applied to whether or not you are allowed to pick up a discarded tile, the program will tell you if you can't and why in the status bar at the bottom of the display.

To win a game is called "Going Mah Jongg". To go Mah Jongg you need to collect:

four combinations of three or four tiles (Chows and/or Pungs and/or Kongs) plus a pair of identical tiles

An example of a Hand you need to go Mah Jongg is shown below:

See also: Mah Jongg Examples.


Beginners Guide - The Screen

When you start MAHJONGG.EXE you are presented with a window showing a grey rectangle in the centre, a statusbar and four long black and red rectangles (representing stakes), with small white rectangles on top of them (representing the tiles).

Mah Jongg is played by four players, each player is assigned a Wind (East, South, West, or North). The grey rectangle in the middle shows you the names of the four players (the name of the player who started the game as East Wind is shown in red), the Wind assigned to each player, and the initial scores for each player. It also shows you which Wind is Wind of the Round at the moment. The significance of the Wind of the Round and your own Wind is that if you collect three or four tiles, a Pung or a Kong, of either of these Winds your score will be higher. There is also a sliding timer bar that indicates how much time you have left to pick up a discarded tile. As soon as the sliding bar time expires the game continues with the next player.

The long black or red rectangle at the bottom of the window is your stake, this shows you the tiles you have been dealt. The East Wind player will have his or her tiles displayed on a red stake, all other players will have their tiles displayed on a black stake. The grey statusbar at the bottom of the window shows you, in the left hand box, how many tiles there are left to play, and in the right hand box, various information when you move the cursor over parts of the screen including the menus.

See also: The Program - Full Explanation.


Beginners Guide - The Tiles

The three suits:

The Bamboos:

The Circles:

The Wans:

The Winds and Dragons:

In a game there are four tiles of each tile displayed above.

The Flowers and Seasons:

For the Flower and Season tiles there is only one tile of each in the game. The Flowers and Seasons are bonus tiles, and if you are lucky to be dealt enough of them they can give you a high score. You can't use the Flower and Season tiles to make Pungs, Kongs or Chows or to go Mah Jongg, and you can't discard them. Whenever you get a Flower or a Season tile it is immediately displayed above your stake and you are dealt another tile to replace it.

See also: Overview of all the Tiles.


Beginners Guide - How Do I Play The Game?

To play the game you click on the menu option "Start" and the East Wind player will be dealt the first tile. You will see a tile floating from the centre of the window to the red rectangle. The East Wind player will now discard a tile. If you have already two or three tiles on your stake identical to the tile discarded by another player, or the tile is discarded by the player sitting to your left and you can make a sequence of three tiles (e.g. 3 - 4 - 5, a Chow) using this discarded tile, click on the discarded tile as soon as it is displayed in the middle. Provided no other player wants to use the same discarded tile for a better combination (see Rules | Precedences), you will get the tile and the combination you have made with this tile will be displayed above your stake for everyone to see.

You now have to discard one of the tiles left on your stake. If none of the other players wants to pick up a discarded tile then the game continues with the player sitting to the right of the player who discarded the tile. This player will now be dealt a tile and must discard one of the tiles from his or her stake. You are allowed to discard a tile which you have just been dealt. When you discard a tile, first select the tile with the mouse or the ARROW keys and press ENTER or the SPACEBAR or click on the tile. The tile will now float to the centre to indicate that it has been discarded.

See also: The Program - Full Explanation.


Beginners Guide - The Start

Let's suppose you have the following thirteen tiles displayed on your stake in front of you:

The two identical tiles on the left are 1 Bamboos, represented by a bird, not to be confused with the Flower and Season tiles which look similar, see Beginners Guide - The Tiles.

Before you click on anything or select the menu option "Start", look at your hand and try to get an idea of what strategy you want to follow. The idea is to memorize tiles that you can use to make Pungs, Kongs and Chows (that is, three identical tiles, four identical tiles and a sequence of three tiles of the same suit, respectively).

In this example you need another 1 Bamboo to make a Pung; 2 or 5 Bamboo to make a Chow with the 3 and 4 Bamboo that you already have; another 7 Circle to make a Pung, and possibly a 1 or 5 Wan to make a Chow of 1, 2 and 3 Wan or 3, 4 and 5 Wan. But this last one is not necessary because you already have a complete Chow of 2, 3 and 4 Wan on your stake!

Now start the Game by clicking anywhere on the display or selecting the menu option "Start". Watch carefully if one of the other players discards a tile that you need. If they do, click on the discarded tile or press ENTER or the SPACEBAR as soon as the tile is displayed in the middle.

See also: Tactics.


Beginners Guide - Tiles Dealt To You

Assuming that you've had no luck so far and the player sitting to your left has discarded a tile that nobody wants, then it is finally your turn. You will now be dealt a tile which will be placed on your stake, let's say it's 7 Bamboo. You now have to discard a tile.

Aha, your hand is getting better, because now you can also try to collect a Pung of 7 Bamboo! But the choice of which tile to discard now becomes more difficult, because you can potentially make Pungs and Chows for three suits. You'll have to decide what you want to do; either to go Mah Jongg quickly with a marginal score (by discarding Wind and Dragon tiles early in the Game), or try to see if you can get a better hand by discarding (almost) completed combinations.

Well, because it's early in the game and we hope to get some more Wind and Dragon tiles, we'll try the second option. We'll discard one of the three Wan tiles, let's say 4 Wan, to do this click on the 4 Wan tile or select it using the ARROW keys and press ENTER or the SPACEBAR, the tile will float to the middle. You now have the option to change your mind, if you want to take the tile back click on the discarded 4 Wan tile again. You can only do this if none of the other players have claimed the tile and if the time indicated by the sliding timer bar in the middle has not expired.


Beginners Guide - Discarded Tiles: Pungs, Kongs and Chows

The game now continues. Every time you are dealt a tile you think hard and discard one of the tiles on your stake, thus trying to increase your chances to make Pungs, Kongs and Chows and ultimately to go Mah Jongg. Watch carefully what the other players are discarding, because if it's a tile you can use to make a Pung, Kong or Chow, you can pick it up by clicking on it or pressing ENTER or the SPACEBAR. The tile will be displayed above your stake, so all the players can see what you're doing with the tile. There are two limitations however, the first one concerns picking up tiles that another player wants (as well as you) and the second concerns Chows:

1.	If more than one player wants a discarded tile, then the player who can make the best combination will get the tile. See Rules | Precedences.

2.	You can only make a Chow with a discarded tile if the tile you want is discarded by the player sitting to your left. The only exception to this is if you can make a Chow with a discarded tile and go Mah Jongg at the same time. If you can then you can pick up the discarded tile you need from any player.

If you make a Kong (four identical tiles), either by making it out of tiles you have been dealt, or by picking up the fourth tile you need when one of the players discards the tile, you will be dealt an extra tile.

After you make a Pung, Kong or Chow with a discarded tile, and after you are dealt a tile, you must always discard one of the tiles on your stake.

See also: Rules.


Beginners Guide - What Am I Looking For?

You are looking for tiles discarded by other players which will allow you to make a Pung, Kong or Chow (that is, three identical tiles, four identical tiles and a sequence of three tiles of the same suit, respectively) or a Mah Jongg (four combinations which can be Pungs and/or Kongs and/or Chows plus a pair of identical tiles).

When tiles are discarded you will notice that they float from a player's stake to the middle, where you can click on them to pick them up. When you want to pick a tile up you must be able to use it for one of the following purposes, as follows:

1.	To go Mah Jongg with the tile, by making a Chow, Pung or Pair with the tile.

2.	To make a Kong; for this you need three identical tiles on your stake and the tile you want to pick up to make the fourth.

3.	To make a Pung; for this you need two identical tiles on your stake and the tile you want to pick up to make the third.

4.	To make a Chow; which is a consecutive sequence of tiles of the same suit, for example, 3 - 4 - 5 Bamboo. You can only make a Chow by picking up a tile that has been discarded by the player to your left.

If you can't use a discarded tile for one of these purposes then you won't be allowed to pick the tile up.

See also: Rules and Tactics.


Beginners Guide - Keep on playing

Bit by bit you collect what you need and maybe you'll have to change your plans several times as tiles are discarded which you wanted to pick up but which you weren't allowed to! Remember that you need to have on your stake at least two tiles out of a combination you want to make for you to be able to pick up a discarded tile.

If no-one manages to achieve a Mah Jongg before all the tiles run out (the counter in the statusbar will show you how many tiles are left in the game), then the Hand becomes dead and a new hand is dealt. No scores are calculated or settled.


Beginners Guide - Going Mah Jongg

You go Mah Jongg if you have four combinations which can be Pungs and/or Kongs and/or Chows plus a pair of identical tiles. The following picture shows a completed Hand:

Here we have:

A Pung of 1 Bamboo, a concealed Kong of 7 Bamboo, an exposed Kong of 7 Circles, a Chow of 3, 4 and 5 Bamboo and a pair of White Dragons.

The Pungs, Kongs and Chows are displayed above your stake to indicate that they are exposed (that is, you've made them by picking up discarded tiles). The only exception to this is the Kong which is shown with two blank tiles, one at each end, to indicate that it is a concealed Kong, this means that you've made the Kong from tiles you have been dealt.

The scores are now calculated and settled.

If the East Wind player does not go Mah Jongg (doesn't win), then the red stake is passed to the player sitting to the right of the East Wind player. All Winds are rotated counter clockwise, all players are assigned the Wind from the player sitting on their left. If after a couple of Hands the red stake comes back to the player who began the game as East Wind (this player's name is shown in red on the compass display), then the Wind of the Round becomes the next Wind (East - South - West - North). A new Hand is now dealt. The game is finished when all four winds have been Wind of the Round once and the red stake is about to come back to the player who began the game as the East Wind player.

See also:	Mah Jongg Examples, Rules and Scoring.


The Game - Full Explanation

This section provides you with more detail of rules, tactics and how to play the game. It also includes a detailed explanation on the complex scoring that is applied in Mah Jongg. The explanation of Mah Jongg as described in the following topics, is not specific to the program. This means that you can use this information when you would like to play the Game with a real Mah Jongg set.

Information is available on the following topics:

The Game

Rules

Tactics

Scoring

Mah Jongg Examples

Special Hand Examples

Bibliography


The Game

Starting a Game

Deciding which player is going to play as East Wind

Starting a Hand

Building the Wall

Deciding which side of the Wall is to be opened

Deciding which Tile is to be opened

Loose Tiles and the Kong Box

Dealing the Tiles to Players

Playing a Hand

East Wind Player starting a Hand

Claiming an Original Hand

Claiming a Standing Hand

Drawing Tiles from the Wall

Discarding Tiles

Picking Up Discarded Tiles

Picking Up Discarded Tiles for a Chow

Picking Up Discarded Tiles for a Pung

Picking Up Discarded Tiles for a Kong

Picking Up Discarded Tiles for a Mah Jongg

Finishing a Hand

A Dead Hand

A Player goes Mah Jongg

Scoring

Rotation of East Wind

Rotation of the Wind of the Round

Going to the next Hand

Finishing a Game

Final Winner of the Game

Starting a new Game


Rules

1.	The direction in which the Game advances is always counter clockwise.

2.	Flower and Season tiles are never discarded, but always immediately Exposed above a player's stake and the player is dealt a Loose Tile as a replacement.

3.	The tiles in the Kong Box including the Loose Tiles are only used as replacement tiles for Flowers, Seasons and Kongs. Otherwise they form no part of the Game.

4.	A Chow is always three consecutive tiles of the same suit, a Pung is always three identical tiles and a Kong is always four identical tiles.

5.	Whenever a player is dealt a tile from the Wall or a Loose Tile, providing the tile is not a Flower or Season and the tile does not enable the player to complete a Kong, then the player does not have to show this tile to the other players. Instead the player places the tile on his or her stake and discards one of the tiles he or she has on their stake, a player can discard a tile that they have just picked up should they wish to do so.

6.	Whenever a player is dealt a tile from the Wall or a Loose Tile, and this tile is a Flower or Season, then the player places the tile above his or her stake for all other players to see and is then dealt the next Loose Tile. If the same event happens again then the procedure is repeated until the player does not draw a Flower or Season tile. Rule 5 is then applied.

7.	Whenever a player is dealt a tile from the Wall or a Loose Tile, or uses a discarded tile to make a Chow, Pung or Kong, then the player has to discard one tile from his or her stake.

8.	An Original Hand can only be declared by East Wind.

9.	A Standing Hand can be declared by all players.

10.	Whenever a player claims a tile discarded by any of the other players for a Chow, a Pung or a Kong, the player must show to the other players the combination of tiles he or she made using the discarded tile. That is, the player must place these tiles above their stake so they are Exposed for all other players to see. The combination that the player has achieved will be an Exposed Chow, Pung or Kong. If the discarded tile is picked up and used to make an Exposed Kong, then the player will need a replacement tile and accordingly is dealt the next Loose Tile that is available. The player then discards one tile from his or her stake and the Game continues from this player, missing out the regular turns of players if necessary.

11.	Whenever a player claims a tile discarded by any of the other players to complete a pair of identical tiles AND to go Mah Jongg at the same time, the player can keep the pair of identical tiles on his or her stake. A player cannot pick up a tile discarded by any of the other players to complete a pair of identical tiles and NOT go Mah Jongg at the same time.

12.	When two or more players claim a discarded tile to make a similar combination of tiles (for example, an Exposed Chow) and no other player claims the discarded tile for a more valuable combination (for example, Mah Jongg), then the player positioned nearest in the playing direction to the player who discarded this tile, will get the tile. See Precedences for further information.

13.	A player can't change or take back any of the combinations already Exposed on the table. There is one exception, see rule 17.

14.	A player can't use a tile discarded by any of the other players to add to any of the combinations already Exposed on the table.

15.	A player can only make a Chow in the following situations:

Exposed Chows:

a.	When the player to the immediate left of a player discards a tile the player can pick this tile up to make a Chow - that is, to make a combination of three consecutive tiles of the same suit. A player cannot make a Chow by picking up a tile that has been discarded by any other player than the player that is to the immediate left of a player. The only exception to this rule is explained in the next point.

b.	If a player wishes to pick up a discarded tile to make a Chow AND to go Mah Jongg at the same time then a player can pick up a tile that has been discarded by any player. If a player is not allowed to pick up the discarded tile under these circumstances then see Precedences for further information.

Note:
In cases where a player wishes to pick up a discarded tile to make an Exposed Chow and one of the other players wishes to use the same discarded tile to make a more valuable combination (for example, a Pung) then the other player will get the tile. See Precedences for further information.

Concealed Chows:

A Concealed Chow is a Chow that a player may keep on their stake. This is because it is made from tiles that the player has been dealt and therefore does not have to be shown to the other players.

16.	A player can claim a Pung in the following situations:

Exposed Pungs:

By claiming a tile that has been discarded by any player to complete a combination of three identical tiles.

Note:
In cases where a player wishes to pick up a discarded tile to make an Exposed Pung and one of the other players wishes to use the same discarded tile to make a more valuable combination (for example, Mah Jongg) then the other player will get the tile. See Precedences for further information.

Concealed Pungs:

A Concealed Pung is a Pung that a player may keep on their stake. This is because it is made from tiles the player has been dealt and therefore does not have to be shown to the other players.

17.	A player can claim a Kong in the following situations:

Exposed Kongs:

a.	By picking up a tile that has been discarded by any player to complete a combination of four identical tiles. The Kong must be placed above the player's stake (Exposed) and one of the tiles at the end of the Kong must be placed face downwards to indicate that it is an Exposed Kong. The player must now be dealt the next Loose Tile that is available.

b.	If a player has already made an Exposed Pung then the player can turn the Exposed Pung into an Exposed Kong if the player is dealt a tile (from either the Wall or a Loose Tile) that matches the tiles in the Exposed Pung. In such cases the tile is added to the end of the Exposed Pung and placed face downwards to indicated that it is now an Exposed Kong. The player must now be dealt the next Loose Tile that is available. This is the only exception to rule 13. If, however, one of the other players can use this tile to go Mah Jongg, then they get this tile and snatch the Kong from the player.

Note:
In cases where a player wishes to pick up a discarded tile to make an Exposed Kong and one of the other players wishes to use the same discarded tile to make a more valuable combination (for example to go Mah Jongg) then the other player will get the tile. See Precedences for further information.

Concealed Kongs:

If a player already has a Concealed Pung on their stake and they are dealt a tile (from either the Wall or the Kong Box) that can turn this Concealed Pung into a Concealed Kong, then the player can place the completed Kong above their stake and the tiles at the ends of the Kong are turned face downwards to indicate that this is a Concealed Kong. A player can choose to wait with showing a Concealed Kong to everybody else, if he or she wishes to do so. This player can at a later stage during the Hand and only when it's his or her turn, decide to put the Kong on the table. The player must now be dealt the next Loose Tile that is available.

18.	A player can claim a Mah Jongg in the following situations:

•	If a player is dealt a tile from the Wall or a Loose Tile and this tile is the tile that a player requires to complete their Hand and go Mah Jongg.

•	By picking up a tile that has been discarded by any player to complete their Hand and go Mah Jongg. In cases where one or more players wish to use a tile that has been discarded to go Mah Jongg then whichever player can make the highest valuable combination of Mah Jongg will be given the tile.
For further information see Precedences.

A completed Mah Jongg consists of:

•	Four combinations of three (Chow or Pung) or four (Kong) tiles plus a pair of identical tiles.

•	One of the Special Hands.


Tactics

The aim of this section is to give some hints on the tactics that are involved in playing Mah Jongg - remember these are guidelines only and the Game can be played with varying degrees of difficulty applied. For example, if you are a beginner then you can choose to see the hands of other players while you learn how to play. Experienced players will most certainly want to turn this option off. Likewise if you know how to play the Game then you can set yourself a lower time limit in which to respond in order to pick up a discarded tile.

Some Guidelines

•	Aim to play as quickly as possible - initially this may not be possible as you learn how to play the Game, but in time you will soon come to see just how fast Mah Jongg can be played - it's more exciting this way.

•	Aim to collect tiles that are going to give you doubles.

•	When the player to the right or opposite of you discards a tile, then you cannot pick this tile up for a Chow. The tile is therefore only of interest to you for a possible Pung, Kong or Mah Jongg.

•	When the player to the left of you discards a tile, then you can pick up this tile for either a Chow, Pung, Kong or Mah Jongg.

•	A difficult decision has to be made when you have on your stake two pairs of identical tiles of the same suit and the player to the left of you discards a tile which you could use to Chow with both a tile from each of the pairs. The decision you take must depend on the circumstances and the plans you have already decided upon for the hand. For example, it would be a good idea to remember what tiles have already gone out and base your decision on this - if you don't know turn the Quick Tip option on to see!

•	You should always try to be aware of what the other players are collecting. The object of the Game is obviously to complete your hand but at the same time you have to prevent other players from doing just this! It is helpful to know that in the program tiles are arranged on a player's stake from left to right - in highest value order, that is, from the left of the stake, the tiles are placed: first suits (Wan/Bamboo/Circles), then winds, then dragons. Depending on your level of playing experience you can choose to view where on a player's stake a tile that the player has been dealt will be placed, do this by pressing the F10 Key.

•	Keep your eye on the tile that is being discarded if you miss your chance to pick this tile up then tough - the Game keeps going and you may have to alter the strategy you have for the tiles in your hand.

•	It's not a good idea to discard Winds, Dragons or the 1 and 9 tiles of the suits early in a Game. These tiles score high points and are therefore usually sought after by most players.

•	Thought should always be given before discarding a tile that is the Wind of the Round or one's own Wind. Likewise it's often worth keeping a single Dragon tile in your hand or your own Wind tile in the hope of picking up another later, to score a pair or possibly a Pung and give yourself some double points.

•	Alternatively, you might want to discard single Winds or Dragons early during a Hand. The sooner these are discarded, the smaller the chance that one of the other players can complete a Pung or Kong with it.

•	Sometimes you can benefit from sacrificing a Concealed Pung in order to complete your Hand.

•	It is better to try to go Mah Jongg on a small score rather than hanging on to a few high scoring combinations and letting someone else go Mah Jongg first.


Scoring

The scoring in Mah Jongg in particularly complex, as you will see and has special significance - in China, Mah Jongg is played exceptionally fast and as a betting Game! The scoring can vary considerably from region to region and from country to country. This scoring does not pretend to be definitive or 'official' in any way.

Note that it is quite possible for players to have negative total value scores (this does not apply to hand scores), this is because points are paid to the other players if you lose! It is also possible during a Game for a player's fortune to change dramatically - from being in the lead one minute to last position the next! It is also worth knowing that the player who goes Mah Jongg does not necessarily have a higher score than the other players when scores are totalled for a hand.

To calculate the scores, there are a couple of basic rules applied: first the winner's hand is calculated, then the other players' hands. Next, everybody who loses pays the winner and then the three other losers pay the difference in their scores to each other.

Note:	You may be glad to know that the program will automatically total and display all players scores at the end of a Hand.

Calculating Scores for Players Hands

Default Scoring Values

Settling Scores

Scoring Exceptions

Scoring Sticks


 Mah Jongg Examples

The following samples give you some idea of a Hand you will need to go Mah Jongg.

This Hand scores: 20 for going Mah Jongg, 10 for having no Chows, 8 for the Flowers, 4 for the Exposed Pung of 9 Bamboo, 2 for the Exposed Pung of 6 Wan, 4 for the Exposed Pung of 5 Bamboo, 4 for the Concealed Pung of 8 Wan and two for the Pair of West Winds if they are the player's own Wind or the Wind of the Round. There would only be doubles if one of the two Flowers is the player's own Flower.

This Hand scores: 20 for going Mah Jongg, 2 for the Exposed Pung of 5 Circles, nothing for the Exposed Chow of 1, 2 and 3 Circles, 2 for the Exposed Pung of 4 Bamboo and nothing for the tiles Concealed on the stake. There are no doubles.

This Hand scores: 20 for going Mah Jongg, 8 for the Flower and the Season tiles, 4 for the Exposed Pung of 1 Wan, 8 for the Exposed Kong of 3 Wan, nothing for the two Exposed Chows and two for the Pair of Red Dragons. One double for having all tiles of the same suit except Winds and Dragons. There would only be more doubles if the Flower or the Season is the player's own Flower or Season.

This Hand scores: 20 for going Mah Jongg, 10 for having no Chows, 16 for the Seasons, 4 for the Exposed Pung of 1 Circles, 2 for the Exposed Pung of 5 Circles, 32 for the Concealed Kong of 9 Circles, 4 for the Concealed Pung of 6 Circles and two for the Pair of Green Dragons. One Double for the players' own Season, 3 Doubles for the complete set of Seasons and 1 double for having all tiles of the same suit except Winds and Dragons.

This Hand scores: 20 for going Mah Jongg, 4 for the Flower, nothing for the Exposed and Concealed Chows and nothing for the Pair of 4 Bamboo. It scores an extra 10 points for having no scoring value. All players pay double this score because in this case it is the East Wind player who has gone Mah Jongg.


Buried Treasure

Calling Nine Tile Hand

Enemies

Four Great Siamese Sisters

Four Small Siamese Sisters

Fourfold Homely Happiness

Great Green Major Hand

Great Green Minor Hand

Great Snake

Hand from Heaven

Heavenly Blessing

Imperial Mah Jongg

Little Snake

Mah Jongg of the Crazy Monkey

Mah Jongg of the Mandarin

Mah Jongg of Winds and Dragons

Natural Winning

Picked by the Golden Cock

Red and Green Hand

Rose of the Winds

Small Green Major Hand

Small Green Minor Hand

Snake of Dragons

Snake of the Four Winds

Terrestrial Blessing

Thirteen Odd Majors

Thirteen Wonderful Lanterns

Three Adopted Sons of Red Dragon

Three Adopted Sons of the Dragon Nine

Three Adopted Sons of the Dragon One

Three Adopted Sons of the Wind

Three Great Scholars

Yin and Yang


The Special Hands

Find

Specialist rules are applied to the hands that are known as the "Special Hands" these are explained below together with their scoring values.

Some of the Special Hands form exceptions to the rules on Kongs and Chows; no Loose Tiles for Kongs, Chows of four or more tiles and Chows of Winds and Dragons.

The Imperial Mah Jongg

Three Concealed Kongs of Dragons plus a Pair of the players' own Wind.

Score: 6000 points.

The Mah Jongg of the Mandarin

Three Concealed Kongs of Winds plus a Pair of the fourth Wind.

Score: 5000 points.

The Mah Jongg of the Crazy Monkey

Three Pungs of Dragons, a Chow of the Dragons plus a Pair of the players' own Wind.

Score: 4500 points.

The Fourfold Homely Happiness

Four Pungs or Kongs of the Winds plus a Pair of Dragons.

Score: 4000 points.

The Great Green Major Hand

Four Pungs or Kongs of 2 Bamboo, 4 Bamboo, 6 Bamboo and the Green Dragon plus a Pair of 8 Bamboo.

Score: 3600 points.

The Great Green Minor Hand

Four Pungs or Kongs of 2, 4, 6 and 8 Bamboo plus a Pair of Green Dragons.

Score: 3500 points.

The Red and Green Hand

Four Pungs of 1, 5, 7 and 9 Bamboo plus a Green Dragon and a Red Dragon.

Score: 3400 points.

The Three Adopted Sons of the Dragon Nine

Three Pungs or Kongs of all the nines, a Pung or Kong of Dragons plus a Pair of the players' own Wind.

Score: 3300 points.

The Three Adopted Sons of the Dragon One

Three Pungs or Kongs of all the ones, a Pung or Kong of Dragons plus a Pair of the players' own Wind.

Score: 3300 points.

The Small Green Major Hand

A Pung of 3 Bamboo, two Pungs of Bamboos of even numbers, a Pung of Green Dragons plus a Pair of Bamboos of even numbers.

Score: 3200 points.

The Small Green Minor Hand

A Pung of 3 Bamboo, three Pungs of Bamboos of even numbers plus a Pair of Green Dragons.

Score: 3000 points.

The Enemies

This Hand exists in two forms:

East and West:

Four Pungs or Kongs of East Wind, West Wind, ones and nines in the same suit and one South Wind and one North Wind.

South and North:

Four Pungs or Kongs of South Wind, North Wind, ones and nines in the same suit and one East Wind and one West Wind.

Score: 3000 points.

The Three Adopted Sons of Red Dragon

Three Pungs or Kongs of tiles of the same number, but in different suits, a Pung or Kong of Red Dragons and a Pair of Winds.

Score: 2800 points.

The Three Adopted Sons of the Wind

Three Pungs or Kongs of tiles of the same number, but in different suits, a Pung or Kong of a Wind and a Pair of Dragons.

Score: 2800 points.

The Four Great Siamese Sisters

In one suit: four Pungs or Kongs of consecutive numbers plus a Pair of Dragons.

Score: 2700 points.

The Four Small Siamese Sisters

In one suit: four Pungs or Kongs of consecutive numbers plus a Pair of Winds.

Score: 2500 points.

The Rose of the Winds or Yin and Yang

Pairs of all Winds and all Dragons.

Score: 2200 points.

The Three Great Scholars

Three Pungs or Kongs of Dragons, a Chow plus a Pair in the same suit.

Score: 2000 points.

The Mah Jongg of Winds and Dragons

Hand consisting completely of Pungs, Kongs and one Pair, all of Winds and Dragons.

Score: 1900 points.

Calling Nine Tile Hand

A Pung of ones, a Pung of nines, the complete sequence of 2 - 8 and any tile of the same suit to make the 14th tile in the hand.

Score: 1800 points.

The Thirteen Wonderful Lanterns

A tile of each Dragon, each Wind, all ones and all nines plus a one or nine.

Score: 1600 points.

The Great Snake

A complete set of one to nine in one suit, a Pung or Kong of a Wind or Dragon plus a Pair of Winds or Dragons.

Score: 1500 points.

The Snake of Dragons

A complete set of one to nine alternating through the suits, a tile of each Dragon plus a Pair of the players' own wind.

Score: 1400 points.

The Snake of the Four Winds

A complete set of one to nine alternating through the suits, a tile of each Wind plus the Red Dragon.

Score: 1200 points.

The Little Snake

A complete series consisting of all tiles in a suit, a tile of each Wind plus a Wind or a Dragon.

Score: 1000 points.

The Heavenly Blessing

East Wind going Mah Jongg with the first tile from the Wall. This is the same as an Original Hand. This Hand is also known as "The Heavenly Blessing", "Hand from Heaven" and "The Natural Winning".

Score: 3 times double.

The Terrestrial Blessing

Going Mah Jongg with the first tile discarded by East Wind.

Score: 800 points.

Hand of Thirteen Odd Majors

This Hand consists of a one and nine of each suit, a tile of each Wind and Dragon plus a tile that is identical to any of these tiles.

Score: 250 points.

The Buried Treasure

Hand consisting of all tiles of one suit plus Winds and/or Dragons, only Pungs and Kongs and completely Concealed.

Score: Value of the Hand plus 300 points.

Picked by the Golden Cock

Going Mah Jongg with the tile 5 Circles.

Score: Value of the Hand plus 100 points.


The Game: Starting a Game
Starting a Game

You start by getting four friends together or by starting Mah Jongg for Windows. East Wind is always the first Wind of the Round.

Note:	You can skip the following sections up to "Playing a Hand", because the program will do all this for you! These sections have only been included incase you are interested in knowing exactly how a Game is started.


The Game: Who is going to be East Wind
Who is going to be East Wind

To start a Game it first has to be decided which player is going to start playing as East Wind. This is done by each player throwing a die. The player who scores the highest will play as East Wind. This will be done by the program for you at the startup of a Game. The East Wind Player will always keep their dealt tiles on a red stake. All other players will be assigned black stakes for the tiles that they are dealt.

Note:	The program will do this automatically for you at the startup of a Game.


The Game: Starting a Hand
Starting a Hand

At the beginning of each Hand the Wall is rebuilt and the the Tiles dealt.

Note:	You can skip the following sections up to "Playing a Hand", because the program will do all this for you! These sections have only been included incase you are interested in knowing exactly how a Game is started.


The Game: Building the Wall
Building the Wall

At the start of a Game players need to build a Wall out of all 144 tiles in order to start a Game. To do this all the tiles are placed face down on the table and shuffled. Each player then takes an appropriate number of tiles (still keeping the tiles face down) in order to actually build the Wall. The Wall consists of four sides, each side is 2 tiles high and 18 tiles long.

Note:	The program will do this automatically for you at the startup of a Game.


The Game: Which side of the Wall is going to be opened
Which side of the Wall is going to be opened

It must now be decided which side of the Wall should be opened and which player will deal tiles to players. The method is quite elaborate (and it is used to defeat the possibility of any player cheating). This particularly applies in a physical Game where the players must actually build the Wall - in such a Game it could be possible that a player has had a peek at tiles when building the Wall and therefore has an advantage over the other players!

The procedure is for the East Wind player to throw two dice. The number is noted. The purpose of this is to identify the player who will deal tiles to the other players and which side of the Wall will be opened. To do this you need to start counting the number that has been thrown around the sides of the Wall. Counting always begins from the East Wind player and the order of players is East Wind/South Wind/West Wind/North Wind. The Walls are numbered (anti-clockwise) as follows:

The East Wind player's side of the Wall is: 1, 5 or 9.

The South Wind player's side of the Wall is: 2, 6 or 10.

The West Wind player's side of the Wall is: 3, 7 or 11.

The North Wind player's side of the Wall is: 4, 8 or 12.

Example:

If the number thrown by the East Wind player is "12". If you start counting from the East Wind player and continue around - you will find that the North Wind player will open the Wall that he or she is facing in order to deal tiles to the other players.


The Game: Which tile is going to be opened
Which Tile is going to be opened

After the East Wind player has decided which side of the Wall will be opened, as explained in "Which side of the Wall is going to be opened", the player who is facing this side of the Wall will have to decide at which position in his or her side of the Wall the breach will be made.

To take an example, we will assume that the East Wind player has thrown "12" and so the North Wind player will open his or her side of the Wall. To do this the North Wind player now throws the two dice. The number that is thrown is added to the previous number (thrown by the East Wind player) the total number indicates where the Wall be opened. For example, say the latest score is "4" and taking the previous score which was "12" - we now have a total of "16". The North Wind player now simply counts over the top of the tiles from the left hand side of the Wall that the player is facing until the number "16" (in our example) is reached. If the total number thrown is greater than "18" then simply continue counting around the right hand corner of the Wall. The tiles (there will be two tiles - remember that the Wall is 2 tiles high all around) that occupy position"16" mark the opening position of the Wall. The opening position tiles are now removed to one side - these tiles are referred to as the Loose Tiles - at this stage in the Game, the Loose Tiles are used to mark the end of the Wall. If you like this is simply a visual reminder in a Game of where the Wall actually finishes. The Loose Tiles are now placed as follows:

1.	The top tile is placed (face down) on top of the Wall immediately to the left of the opening in the Wall. (In our example, on top of the tiles that occupy position "15" in the Wall).

2.	The bottom tile is placed (again face down) on top of the Wall three positions to the left of the opening in the Wall. (In our example, on top of the tiles that occupy position "13" in the Wall).

The last 14 tiles in the Wall to the left of the opening and the Loose Tiles are referred to as the Kong Box. The purpose of the tiles in the Kong Box is to supply extra tiles to players during a Game. These tiles perform no other function throughout a Game.

Note:	Throughout the whole procedure it must be remembered that tiles are kept face down - at no time must any player see the markings on the tiles!

Note:	The program will do this automatically for you at the startup of a Game.


The Game: Dealing the Tiles
Dealing the Tiles

The player who opens the Wall now deals tiles to each player as follows starting with the tiles immediately to the right of the opening in the Wall:

First: 4 tiles are given first to East Wind Player, then South Wind Player, then West Wind Player, then North Wind Player.
Then: another 4 tiles are given to East Wind Player, then South Wind Player, then West Wind Player, then North Wind Player.
Then: another 4 tiles are given to East Wind Player, then South Wind Player, then West Wind Player, then North Wind Player.
Then: 1 tile is given to East Wind Player, then South Wind Player, then West Wind Player, then North Wind Player.

Note:	The program will do this automatically for you at the startup of a Game. You can actually watch the tiles being dealt in this manner or you can switch this option off - do this by checking "Show dealing" in the Tile Movements Box.

Note:	The program will do this automatically for you at the startup of a Game.


The Game: Loose Tiles and the Kong Box
Loose Tiles and Kong Box

Before play can begin each player's hand is examined for the following tiles:

1.	Flower and Season Tiles

2.	Kongs

If these occur in a player's hand then these tiles will be displayed above the player's stake and the player will need to be dealt replacement tiles.

Replacement tiles are dealt as follows:

All players get replacement Loose Tiles from the Kong Box for each Flower, Season or Kong, starting with East Wind player and progressing counter clockwise. If a Flower or Season tile is dealt as a replacement tile or a replacement tile completes a Kong then another replacement tile is given to the player, after all players have had replacement tiles for Flower, Season and Kong tiles originally dealt.

For more information, see the sections on Flowers and Seasons respectively.

Note:	The program will do this automatically for you at the startup of a Game.


The Game: Playing a Hand
Playing a Hand

At this stage, all players have 13 tiles in their hand. All players have had replacement tiles for Flowers, Seasons and Kongs. The tiles that each player has been dealt are shown on their stake. A red stake is used for the East Wind player - all other players are assigned black stakes.


The Game: East starts a Hand
East starts a Hand

After the tiles have been dealt and replacement tiles given to players as necessary the East Wind Player will be given an extra tile from the Wall. The hand starts by the East Wind Player discarding a tile.

From now on the East Wind Player will have 13 tiles the same as the other players and this pattern will remain in force until a player goes Mah Jongg in which case they will have 14 tiles.


The Game: Claiming an Original Hand
Claiming an Original Hand

If the East Wind player finds that the 13 tiles dealt to him or her from the Wall together with the first tile given to start the Game is a complete Mah Jongg Hand, then the East Wind player declares an Original Hand, goes Mah Jongg and gets three times extra doubling of his or her total score.

See also:	Rules.


The Game: Claiming a Standing Hand
Claiming a Standing Hand

If a player finds that after he or she has discarded their first tile they need only one more tile to complete their Mah Jongg Hand, then the player declares a Standing Hand. The player must keep on playing but cannot change the Hand or the strategy for his or her Hand and has to wait until the tile that is required is discarded by another player or dealt to the player during a Hand.

See also:	Rules.


The Game: Taking Tiles from the Wall
Taking Tiles from the Wall

When a player has discarded a tile and none of the other players want this tile, then the hand continues with the next player being dealt a tile from the Wall.


The Game: Discarding Tiles
Discarding Tiles

A player has to discard a tile from his or her stake after he or she has been dealt a tile from the Wall or has completed a Chow, Pung or Kong by picking up a tile discarded by another player. If the player completes a Kong or is dealt a Flower or Season tile, then the player first is dealt a Loose Tile as a replacement for this tile. A player does not discard a tile when they go Mah Jongg. If none of the other players claims a discarded tile, then this tile is out of the game and can't be claimed at a later stage. Play continues with the next player taking the next available tile from the Wall.


The Game: Claiming Discarded Tiles
Claiming Discarded Tiles

You can pick up a discarded tile to make a Chow, Pung, Kong or to go Mah Jongg.

See also :	Rules.


The Game: Claiming Discarded Tiles for a Chow
Claiming Discarded Tiles for a Chow

A "Chow" is three consecutive tiles of the same suit.

Example: 4 Wan + 5 Wan + 6 Wan. You are ONLY allowed to collect Chows from the suits, Circles, Bamboo or Wan.

There are three ways to make a Chow:

1.	By picking up a discarded tile BUT ONLY if the tile has been discarded by the player to the immediate left of you, if you make a Chow this way it is called an Exposed Chow and is displayed above your stake for all other players to see.

2.	You can make Chows if you wish from tiles you have been dealt. If you do this the Chow can stay in your hand, in such a case it is known as a Concealed Chow.

3.	You can make a Chow to go Mah Jongg, in such cases you are allowed to pick up a tile that has been discarded by any player in order to make the Chow and go Mah Jongg.

If you do not wish to include Chows in a Game then you can turn off this option using the "Rules Configuration Box" dialog box ("Options | Configure Rules").

Note:	There are some circumstances when you are not allowed to pick up a discarded tile to make a Chow - this occurs when two or more players want to pick up the same discarded tile. See Precedences section for more information.

See also :	Rules.


The Game: Claiming Discarded Tiles for a Pung
Claiming Discarded Tiles for a Pung

A "Pung" is three identical tiles.

There are two ways to make a Pung:

1.	By picking up a tile discarded by any player, if a Pung this made this way it is known as an Exposed Pung and it will be placed above a player's stake for all other players to see. The hand will then continue from the player who has made the Exposed Pung.

2.	You can make Pungs if you wish from tiles you have been dealt. If you do this the Pung is known as a Concealed Pung and can stay in your hand.

Note 1:	A player can turn an Exposed Pung into an Exposed Kong only if the player is DEALT a tile that is identical to the tiles in the Exposed Pung. When this happens the Exposed Kong will be displayed above the player's stake and the player will be dealt a replacement tile. The Game then continues from the player who has just made the Exposed Kong.

Note 2:	There are circumstances when you are not allowed to pick up a discarded tile to make a Pung. This occurs when two or more players want to pick up the same discarded tile. See Precedences section for more information.

See also :	Rules.


The Game: Claiming Discarded Tiles for a Kong
Claiming Discarded Tiles for a Kong

A "Kong" is four identical tiles.

There are three ways to make a Kong:

1.	By having three identical tiles on your stake and picking up the 4th tile from any player. If you make a Kong this way it is called an Exposed Kong and it will be placed above your stake for all other players to see. You will notice that one tile at the end of the Exposed Kong is displayed face downwards to indicate that it is an Exposed Kong. The player who makes the Exposed Kong is now dealt a replacement tile and the hand continues from this player.

2.	You can also make a Kong by having three identical tiles on your stake and from having the 4th identical tile dealt to you (this is called a Concealed Kong). If you make a Concealed Kong the tiles will be placed above your stake and you will notice that the tiles at either end of the Concealed Kong are placed face downward to indicate a Concealed Kong. The player who makes the Concealed Kong is now dealt a replacement tile and the hand will continue from this player.

3.	You can turn an Exposed Pung into an Exposed Kong by having the 4th tile that you need to complete the Kong being dealt to you. You cannot pick up a discarded tile from another player to turn an Exposed Pung into an Exposed Kong.

In some exceptional circumstances you can make a Kong to go Mah Jongg - see the section on Special Hands for further information.

Note:	There are circumstances when you are not allowed to pick up a discarded tile to make a Kong - this occurs when two or more players want to pick up the same discarded tile. See Precedences section for more information.

See also :	Rules.


The Game: Claiming Discarded Tiles for a Mah Jongg
Claiming Discarded Tiles for a Mah Jongg

If a player discards a tile and this tile is the tile you need to go Mah Jongg, you can pick up the tile if it is to make an identical pair, a Chow or a Pung, and go Mah Jongg.

Note:	There are circumstances when you are not allowed to pick up a discarded tile and go Mah Jongg - this occurs when two or more players want to pick up the same discarded tile. See Precedences section for more information.

See also :	Rules.


The Game: Finishing a Hand
Finishing a Hand

The Game will continue until somebody goes Mah Jongg or until all the tiles up to the last 14 tiles plus the Loose Tiles, together these tiles are known as the Kong Box, have been played and a player has still not gone Mah Jongg.


The Game: Dead Hand
Dead Hand

If all tiles up to the last 14 tiles plus the Loose Tiles, the Kong Box, are played, then the Hand is finished and there are no winners. This is called a dead hand and usually occurs when players are collecting the same tile suits and it is regarded as a "no-win" situation.

In such cases, players scores are not calculated and the hand is considered finished. The Game continues with the next Hand.


The Game: Somebody Goes Mah Jongg
Somebody goes Mah Jongg

The hand is finished when somebody goes Mah Jongg. The complete Mah Jongg hand includes both Exposed sets (displayed above a player's stake) and Concealed tiles (kept on a player's stake). The tiles in the Mah Jongg hand will (with exceptions - see Special Hands for further information), consist of:

Four sets of either a Kong, Pung or a Chow, and a pair of identical tiles.

As soon as a player completes his or her hand they would normally call out "Mah Jongg" and all players Expose their hands ready for scoring. The player who goes Mah Jongg does not discard the final tile that they used in order to go Mah Jongg. Thus 14 tiles are needed to go Mah Jongg.

See also :	Rules.


The Game: Scoring
Scoring

If a player has gone Mah Jongg scores are counted and settled, else no scores are counted.

The scoring is quite complex and is explained fully in the topic "Scoring". The program will however, calculate all players scores and display these for you.


The Game: Rotation of East Wind
Rotation of East Wind

If a player other than the East Wind Player goes Mah Jongg then the red stake is handed over to the South Wind Player who now becomes the East Wind Player and all other players become the Wind of their left hand neighbour.


The Game: Rotation of the Wind of the Round
Rotation of the Wind of the Round

If the red stake comes back to the player who started playing as East Wind, then the Wind of the Round also rotates to the next Wind, in the following fixed order: always East to start, then South, then West and finally North.


The Game: Going to the next Hand
Going to the next Hand

If a Hand is finished then the Game continues with the next Hand, going up to "Starting a Hand".


The Game: Finishing a Game
Finishing a Game

A Games finishes when all four winds have been Wind of the Round, and all four players have been East Wind four times and the red stake of the East Wind returns to the player who originally started as East Wind player at the beginning of the Game.


The Game: Final Winner of the Game
Final Winner of the Game

The player who scores the highest is the Final Winner of the Game.


The Game: Starting a New Game
Starting a new Game

The only thing left to do after a Game has finished!


Calculating Scores for Players Hands

Only if a player has gone Mah Jongg scores are calculated and settled.

Scoring Chows

Chows have no scoring value whatsoever - they are simply used as a way to quickly finish a hand. If you go Mah Jongg and have no Chows you will score an extra 10 points.

Scoring Pungs

	Points
Tiles	Exposed	Concealed
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 of any suit	2	4
1 or 9 of any suit	4	8
Any Wind or Dragon	4	8
Pungs must consist of three identical tiles of the same suit.

Scoring Kongs

	Points
Tiles	Exposed	Concealed
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 of any suit	8	16
1 or 9 of any suit	16	32
Any Wind or Dragon	16	32
Kongs must consist of four identical tiles of the same suit.

Scoring the Pair that Completes the Hand

Tiles	Points

Pair of any Dragon	2

Pair of player's own Wind	2

Pair of Wind of the Round	2

The pair that completes the hand must consist of two identical tiles. There are no other score values given for pairs that complete a hand other than those given in the table above.

Scoring Flower and Season Tiles

Each Flower or Season tile: 4 points.

Bonus Scores Applied to Winner's Hand Only

Tiles	Points

For going Mah Jongg	20

Winning with a tile dealt from the Wall	2

Winning with only possible tile	2

Winning with a Standing Hand	100

Winning with the last tile dealt from the Wall:
"To catch a Fish from the Bottom of the Sea"	10

Winning with a Loose Tile	10

For having no Chows in the Hand: "Winning by Pairs"	10

For having no scoring value in the Hand	10

If there are doubles in the winning hand, the bonuses must first be added before the score is doubled.

Doubles Scores Applied to All Player's Hands

Tiles	Doubles

Pung or Kong of player's own Wind	1 Double

Pung or Kong of Wind of the Round	1 Double

Pung or Kong of any Dragon	1 Double

Player's own Flower or Season	1 Double

Hand entirely of one suit with Winds and/or Dragons	1 Double

Hand entirely of ones and nines with Winds and/or Dragons	1 Double

Hand entirely of one suit without Winds and Dragons	3 Doubles

Hand entirely of ones and nines without Winds and Dragons	3 Doubles

Hand entirely of Winds and Dragons	3 Doubles

All Four Flowers or Seasons	3 Doubles

Doubles Scores Applied to Winner's Hand Only

Tiles	Doubles

Snatching a Kong to go Mah Jongg	1 Double

Original Hand	3 Doubles

Calculating Doubles

For each Double the score is multiplied by two, as explained in the following table:

One Double	Multiply By 2	Five Doubles	Multiply By 32 (2x2x2x2x2)
Two Doubles	Multiply By 4 (2x2)	Six Doubles	Multiply By 64 (2x2x2x2x2x2)
Three Doubles	Multiply By 8 (2x2x2)	Seven Doubles	Multiply By 128 (2x2x2x2x2x2x2)
Four Doubles	Multiply By 16 (2x2x2x2)	Eight Doubles	Multiply By 256 (2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2)
Notes:

•	If a player's hand consists of only Pungs and Kongs and a pair to complete the hand - but no Chows, then this hand is called "Winning by Pairs" and scores an extra ten points. In the same way a winning hand consisting only of Chows and a non-scoring pair is called "Winning without Scoring Value" and scores an extra ten points.

•	When winning with the last tile in the Wall, that is, the last tile that is in play before the Kong Box tiles are reached, then this hand is called "To catch a Fish from the Bottom of the Sea" and scores 10 extra points. Winning with a Loose Tile after making an Exposed Kong or drawing a Season or Flower tile also scores 10 extra points.

The scoring of doubles can become a bit complicated, to avoid mistakes in a Game it is useful to write down the score, count up the number of doubles, and then multiply the score by the appropriate number.


Default Scoring Values

The table below shows the scoring as applied by the Mah Jongg program. This scoring will be used until you change it in the Scoring Configuration Box, or when you press either the "Default" button or the "Default All" button in this box.

See the Glossary (button at the top of this window) for explanations of the terms used and Special Hands for descriptions of the Special Hands.

Note 1:	See the Glossary (button at the top of this window) for explanations of the terms used and Special Hands for descriptions of the Special Hands.

Note 2:	All Special Hands are allowed by default.

Note 3:	All Special Hands are only allowed for the Mah Jongg Hand.

Note 4:	Only Special Hands may use the "Total Score" option in the Scoring Configuration Box.

Note 5:	If the word "Fixed" appears next to an item in the following table, then that means that you can't change it.

Note 6:	If the word "Fixed" appears in conjunction with a Special Hand in the following table, then that means that you can't change it, because under regular scoring rules these Hands would either have no value or an undetermined value, e.g. a Chow of Dragons.

Note 7:	If an asterisk (*) appears next to an item in the following table, then that means that you can't change it to doubles. This is because of the reason mentioned in note 5 or because it is no longer within the spirit of the Game, for example, rewarding doubles for regular Pungs.

Note 8:	If you make the option "No Chows in Hand" available for all players, then for the players who haven't gone Mah Jongg the program will only check the exposed combinations of tiles on the table for Chows.

Program Scoring Values

Regular Scoring Events	Points	Doubles	Mah Jongg Hand Only
Going Mah Jongg	20	-	Yes (Fixed)
Mah Jongg with an Original Hand	-	3	Yes (Fixed)
Mah Jongg with a Standing Hand	100	-	Yes (Fixed)
Mah Jongg while Snatching a Kong	-	1	Yes (Fixed)
Mah Jongg with the Last Tile from the Wall	10	-	Yes (Fixed)
Mah Jongg with a Drawn Tile	2	-	Yes (Fixed)
Mah Jongg with a Loose Tile	10	-	Yes (Fixed)
Mah Jongg with the Only Possible Tile	2	-	Yes (Fixed)
No Chows in Hand	10	-	Yes
No Scoring Value in Hand	10	-	Yes
Pair of Player's Own Wind	2	-	Yes
Pair of Wind of the Round	2	-	Yes
Pair of Dragons	2	-	Yes
Flower or Season	4*	-	No
Player's Own Flower or Season	-	1	No
Complete Set of Flowers or Seasons	-	3	No
Exposed Pung of Tile 2 to 8	2*	-	No
Exposed Pung of Tile 1 or 9	4*	-	No
Exposed Pung of Winds and Dragons	4*	-	No
Concealed Pung of Tile 2 to 8	4*	-	No
Concealed Pung of Tile 1 or 9	8*	-	No
Concealed Pung of Winds and Dragons	8*	-	No
Exposed Kong of Tile 2 to 8	8*	-	No
Exposed Kong of Tile 1 or 9	16*	-	No
Exposed Kong of Winds and Dragons	16*	-	No
Concealed Kong of Tile 2 to 8	16*	-	No
Concealed Kong of Tile 1 or 9	32*	-	No
Concealed Kong of Winds and Dragons	32*	-	No
Pung or Kong of Player's Own Wind	-	1	No
Pung or Kong of Wind of the Round	-	1	No
Pung or Kong of Dragons	-	1	No
One Suit with Winds and Dragons	-	1	No
All One Suit	-	3	No
One and Nines with Winds and Dragons	-	1	No
All One and Nines	-	3	No
All Winds and Dragons	-	3	No
The Special Hands	Points	Doubles	Total Value
Picked by the Golden Cock	100	-	No
Buried Treasure	300	-	No
Thirteen Odd Majors	250*	-	Yes (Fixed)
Terrestrial Blessing	800	-	Yes
Little Snake	1000*	-	Yes (Fixed)
Snake of the Four Winds	1200*	-	Yes (Fixed)
Snake of Dragons	1400*	-	Yes (Fixed)
Great Snake	1500	-	Yes
Thirteen Wonderful Lanterns	1600*	-	Yes (Fixed)
Calling Nine Tile Hand	1800*	-	Yes (Fixed)
Mah Jongg of Winds and Dragons	1900	-	Yes
Three Great Scholars	2000	-	Yes
Rose of the Winds	2200*	-	Yes (Fixed)
Four Small Siamese Sisters	2500	-	Yes
Four Great Siamese Sisters	2700	-	Yes
Three Adopted Sons of the Red Dragon	2800	-	Yes
Three Adopted Sons of the Wind	2800	-	Yes
Enemies	3000*	-	Yes (Fixed)
Small Green Minor Hand	3000	-	Yes
Small Green Major Hand	3200	-	Yes
Three Adopted Sons of Dragon Nine	3300	-	Yes
Three Adopted Sons of Dragon One	3300	-	Yes
Red and Green Hand	3400	-	Yes
Great Green Minor Hand	3500	-	Yes
Great Green Major Hand	3600	-	Yes
Fourfold Homely Happiness	4000	-	Yes
Mah Jongg of the Crazy Monkey	4500*	-	Yes (Fixed)
Mah Jongg of the Mandarin	5000*	-	Yes (Fixed)
Imperial Mah Jongg	6000*	-	Yes (Fixed)


Settling Scores

It is important to remember:

•	That every player always pays the player who has gone Mah Jongg.

•	The player who has gone Mah Jongg does not pay anybody else.

•	The East Wind player always pays or receives double.

To settle the scores first all players pay to the winner. If the winner is the East Wind player then all players pay double the winner's score, if the winner is another Wind player then all players pay the winner's score and the East Wind player pays double this score. The other players settle the difference of their respective scores and if the East Wind player loses then he or she settles double the difference.

Each of the three losers settle with each of the other two losers, by the player who scores the lower score of the two losing players paying the player with the higher score the difference between their scores. If the East Wind player is one of these losers then he or she has to pay double the difference.

East Wind Player goes Mah Jongg

The East Wind Player receives double the value of his or her score from each of the other three players, without the players deducting their score from this amount.

Example 1

If the East Wind Player goes Mah Jongg and the scores are as follows:

East Wind Player:	80	points

South Wind Player:	12	points

West Wind Player:	48	points

North Wind Player:	112	points

The East Wind player is paid double his score, 160, by the South, West and North Wind players. So in total the East Wind player will receive 480 points. The remaining losing players (South/West/North) pay each other the difference in their scores. The South Wind player pays to the West Wind player 48 - 12 = 36 points, and to the North Wind player 112 -12 = 100 points. The West Wind player pays to the North Wind player 112 - 48 = 64 points.

Another Player goes Mah Jongg

This player will receive the value of his or her score from each of the other three players, without the players deducting their scores from this amount. The East Wind player pays the winner double the winner's score and settles double the difference between his or her score and each of the other two losing players scores.

Example 2

If the North Wind player goes Mah Jongg, and the initial scores are as follows:

East Wind Player:	80	points

South Wind Player:	12	points

West Wind Player:	48	points

North Wind Player:	112	points

The East Wind player pays the North Wind player double: 224, and the South and West Wind players each pay the North Wind player 112. The North Wind player will therefore receive a total of 448 points. The remaining losing players pay each other the difference in their scores. The South Wind player pays the East Wind player double the difference 80 - 12 = 68 doubled is 136 points. The West Wind player pays the East Wind player 80 - 48 = 32 doubled is 64 points. And the South Wind player pays the West Wind player: 48 - 12 = 36 points.


Scoring Exceptions

You can if you like set a scoring limit of say 500 points maximum per player per hand - except for the East Wind player who can of course, receive up to double this amount. See also section on how to changing score limit values for further information.


Scoring Sticks

Some Mah Jongg Game Sets include sets of scoring sticks - the markings of which can vary considerably. These are used to settle the payments of scores at the end of a hand. The following table shows how score sticks can be used - note - this is an example only, you are advised to check documentation that is supplied with the score sticks that you buy!

Harmony

1 Red and 3 black dots, value 2 points.

Man

8 Red dots, value 10 points.

Earth

2 Red dots, value 100 points.

Heaven

6 Red and 6 black dots, value 500 points.

Score Sticks

Stick	Value	Each Player Receives	Value Per Player
Harmony	2	10 Sticks	20
Man	10	8 Sticks	80
Earth	100	4 Sticks	400
Heaven	500	1 Stick	500
Total			1000


Bibliography

If the information in this help file is not enough to satisfy your hunger for knowledge about Mah Jongg, then you might like to consult one of the books listed below.

P.Berger et J.M.Étienne, "Le Mah-Jongg", Éditions Chiron, Paris, 1994.

S.Culin, "The game of Mah-Jongg, its origins and significance", 1924.

Éditions Kirby, Beard & Co, "Le Mah-Jongg, règle complète du véritable jeu Chinois", 1930.

Éditions Flammarion, "Le Guide complet du Mah-Jongg", 1930.

G.Headley and Y.Seeley, "Mah-Jongg", A & C Black Publishers, London, 1987.

S.Kazaï and M.Farrell, "Mah-Jongg for beginners", 1975.

A.D.Millington, "Complete Book of Mah Jongg", London, 1977.

O.Racster, "Hints on Skill and Tactics of Playing Mah-Jongg", London, 1924.

O.Racster, "Mah-Jongg", London, 1924.

M.Robertson, "The Game of Mah Jongg", New Zealand, 1974.

E.N.Whitney, "A Mah Jongg Handbook", London, 1977.

And two more books on the esoteric side of Mah Jongg:

Aquarian, Wellingborough, "Fortune telling by the Mah Jongg".

D.Walters, "The Fortune Teller's Mah Jongg", Penguin Books, London, 1988.

You can always read the manuals that come with Mah Jongg sets, they can contain valuable information.


The Program - Full Explanation

The following topics describe in detail, how to use the program. It includes full explanations on the type of information you will be expected to enter, messages that might be displayed and tells you how to alter the program setup and game rules of play should you wish to do so.

Mouse Buttons

Keyboard

Menus

Information and Message Boxes

Explanation of the Screen Display

Compass, Wind of the Round, Players and Scores

Stakes

Status Bar


Mouse Buttons

Left Mouse Button:	To select a tile, or to undo a tile discard but only if the waiting time has not expired.

Right Mouse Button:	To bring up a floating menu, offering you the choice between undoing a discard or pausing the Game. When clicked on a discarded tile, the Game continues immediately with the next tile.


Keyboard

F1	Context Sensitive Help will display a corresponding help explanation when an information or message box is displayed or if a menu item is highlighted.

F2	New Game.

Alt + F2	Open Mah Jongg Game.

F3	Next Hand. This is only available at the end of a Hand.

Alt + F3	Save the Game.

Ctrl + F3	Show Timer Bar.

F4	Start Hand or restart the same Hand. This is not available at the end of a Hand.

Alt + F4	Exit Mah Jongg for Windows.

F5	Automatic Play. To stop either press this key again or click the left mouse button.

F6	Show All Hands.

F7	Show Tile Movement on Screen.

F8	QuickTip.

F9	Pause Game.

F10 or Ctrl + F4	Ask First.

F11	Show Tile Movement Direction.

F12 or Ctrl + F5	Show Speech Balloons.

0 (zero)	Continue with the next tile. Similar to the right mouse button.

Enter / Spacebar

To select a tile, or to undo a tile move, but only if the waiting time has not expired.

Up Arrow / Down Arrow / Left Arrow / Right Arrow / Home / End / Page Up / Page Down / Any number from 1 to 9

To move to a tile.

Key Pad + and Key Pad -

Used to set wait times, that is, the amount of time you require to make a decision on whether you want to pick up a discarded tile or not. Pressing either of these keys will result in the message in the status bar at the bottom of the screen changing, keep pressing the + key to increase, or - key to decrease and set the time you require in seconds. The default value is set to 1 second.

Ctrl plus Key Pad + or Ctrl plus Key Pad -

Used to set the tile movement speed in pixels per move. Increasing this value will speed up the movements.

Ctrl plus Alt plus Key Pad + or Ctrl plus Alt plus Key Pad -

Used to set the text font size for messages displayed in the status bar (three sizes available).

Esc	Minimizes the window.

Q or q	When QuickTip is on and its your turn to discard a tile, the cursor will jump to the QuickTip tile.


Menus

The Menu Bar

The Menu Bar allows you to access the following options. Click on each menu option name for further information.

Game	To open, save, start a new game or change a game setup.

Hand	To start playing another hand or to restart a current hand.

Options	Use to change rules and scoring parameters, to set game options such as autoplay and showing all other players hands. This option also allows you to set a prompt to inform you when you can go Mah Jongg.

Help	To display the contents listing of this Help and information on Mouse and Keys frequently used. To set the QuickTip function and to obtain further information about Mah Jongg and how to order the program.

Start!

Next Hand!	The options Start and Next Hand are not always available on the Menu Bar, and never together.

Kong!	To expose one or more Concealed Kongs which you still have on your stake.

Continue!	To continue playing the Game after it has been paused.

There is also a Floating Menu visible when you click the right mouse button.


Game

This option allows you to open, save, start a new game or change a game setup. Information is available for the following options:

New

Open

Save

Save As

Preferences

Exit


Game | New

Choose this menu option to start a completely new Game. Scores will be re-set to initial starting score values that you specify.


Game | Open

Choose this menu option to display the "Open Mah Jongg Game" message box which allows you to open a game that you previously saved. Valid file names will be of the format *.MAH.


Game | Save

Choose this menu option to quickly save the game that you are currently playing. If you have not yet specified a file name to save the game as, the "Save As" box will prompt you for a file name. If you are playing a previously saved game then the game will be saved to the file you are currently using. Valid file names will be of the format *.MAH.


Game | Save As

Choose this menu option to display the "Save Mah Jongg Game As" message box which allows you to enter a file name you would like the Game to be saved as. Valid file names will be of the format *.MAH.


Game | Preferences

Choose this menu option to display further menu items as listed below. Each of these menu options allow you to customise features of the Mah Jongg program.

Setup

Colours

Tile Sets

Tile Movements

Sound


Game | Exit

Choose this menu option to exit from Mah Jongg for Windows. On selection of this option you will be prompted to save the game before exiting, if the game has changed. When Autosave is switched on you will not be asked to save the game if there is no file name displayed in the title bar of the Mah Jongg window.


Game | Preferences | Setup

Choose this menu option to display the "General Setup" message box which allows you to enter players names, set timing parameters and to indicate whether you want speech balloons and the autosave option functions switched on. You can choose this menu option before or during a game to make your changes. When you close the general setup box the parameters you have changed will be applied and the game continues.


Game | Preferences | Colours

Choose this menu option to display the "Colours Setup" box. This allows you to change the colours of the screen background and the stakes. You change colours by first clicking on the button next to the name of the screen item you want to change, and then, clicking on the arrows either side of the Red, Green and Blue sliding bars until you find the colour you want to use for the screen item. The Default button is used to restore the standard colours supplied with the program.


Game | Preferences | Tile Sets

Choose this menu option to display the "Tile Sets" box. This allows you to select a new tile set for use in a game. The default tile sets that are provided with the program are: "Tiles With Numbers", "Tiles Without Numbers" and "Characters Only". If you select any of these tile sets you will see a sample of the tile set displayed in the Preview box. You can also use external tile sets, to do this click on the Open box. You will then be prompted to enter the name of a bitmap file (*.BMP) to open. If the bitmap is big enough, 324 by 230 pixels, then the tile set will be displayed in the Preview box. Don't worry about the black outlining on the tiles: Mah Jongg takes care of this. The only restriction on external tile sets is it's size: if you have a bitmap and its big enough, use it as a tile set! For information on how to create new tile sets, see the Changing Tile Sets topic.

Note: Mah Jongg uses standard bitmap files for the tile sets. The only restriction is the size of the bitmap you want to use: Mah Jongg needs a bitmap with a minimum size of 324 by 230 pixels (9 by 5 tiles).


Game | Preferences | Tile Movements

Choose this menu option to display the Tile Movements box  This allows you to set the movement, direction, display and speed options for tiles and to indicate whether or not you want to see tiles being dealt at the beginning of a new hand.


Game | Preferences | Sound

Choose this option to configure and customise sound functions. This option is only available if you have a sound card installed on your PC. On selection of this option the Sound Configuration box will be displayed, this allows you to control sound options for; warning beeps, tile sounds and players voices. You can also record your voice and your friends and relatives voices and use these sounds in the game, see Using Sound for more details.

Note:	If you haven't installed a soundcard on your system which can play *.wav files then this option is grayed out and not available.


Hand

This option allows you to start playing another hand or to restart a current hand. Information is available for the following options:

Next Hand

(Re)Start This Hand


Hand | Next Hand

Choose this menu option when you are ready to continue with the next Hand. Upon selection of this option a new Hand will be dealt.


Hand | (Re)Start this Hand

Choose this menu option to start playing a Hand that has already been dealt. Playing starts by the East Wind Player being dealt the first tile from the Wall. This option allows you to first look at your hand and define your strategy before you begin playing. This menu option also allows you to re-start the current Hand again.


Options

This option allows you to change rules and scoring parameters, to set game options such as autoplay and to control whether you want all players hands to be displayed. You can also use this option to indicate whether you want to be prompted in a game that you are in a position to go Mah Jongg. Information is available for the following options:

Configure Rules

Configure Scoring

Ask First

Auto Play

Show All Hands


Options | Configure Rules

Choose this menu option to display the Rules Configuration box. This option is used to set rule parameters, including whether Chows,Flower and season tiles and Special Hands are allowed in a game. Starting and maximum score values can also be set with this option. When you select the "OK" button in this box a new game will start and players scores will be re-set to initial starting scores.


Options | Configure Scoring

Choose this menu option to display the Scores Configuration box. This option is used to set the score values for hands, including for Special Hands and game events, such as going Mah Jongg.


Options | Ask First

Use this menu option to indicate whether you want to be asked (or not) when you pick up or are dealt a tile with which you can go Mah Jongg, or a tile which you can use for more then one combination, e.g. a Chow and a Pung, or a tile with which more than one Chow is possible, or when you are able to complete a Kong. When this option is checked, the following dialog boxes will appear at appropriate moments:

Can Go Mah Jongg Box

Choice Box

Concealed Kong Box

Exposed Kong Box

See also the topic on Status Bar Messages.


Options | Auto Play

Choose this menu option to let the computer play for you. This will continue until you interrupt the routine by clicking with the Mouse or by pressing the Enter or Spacebar Key.


Options | Show All Hands

Choose this menu option to display tiles in all players Hands.


Help

This option is used to display the contents listing of this Help and information on Keyboard and Mouse Buttons. It is also used to set the Quick Tip function on and off and to obtain further information about Mah Jongg and how to order the program. Information is available for the following options:

Index

Search

Quick Tip

Mouse

Keyboard

Register

Ordering Information

About Mah Jongg


Help | Index

Choose this menu option to start this help file and display the "Contents" topic.


Help | Search

Choose this menu option to display the search help information box, this enables you to search for items in this help file.


Help | QuickTip

Choose this menu option to toggle between QuickTip on and off.


Help | Mouse

Choose this menu option to start this help file and display the "Mouse Buttons" topic.


Help | Keyboard

Choose this menu option to start this help file and display the "Keyboard" topic.


Help | Register

This option is used to display the Registration for Mah Jongg box. Where you can enter details to register for Mah Jongg. You will be expected to enter your name and a code which you will be given when you pay for this program and become an official Mah Jongg user . From that time on the program will be unlocked and you will have the full registered version of Mah Jongg.


Help | Ordering Information
Help | Ordering Info

Choosing this menu option will start the help file displaying the "Ordering Information" topic.


Help | About Mah Jongg

Choose this menu option to display the "About Mah Jongg" box, which shows you information about this program and on the current state of your PC memory resources.


Menu bar | Next Hand!
Next Hand!

Choose this menu option when you are ready to continue to the next Hand. Upon selection of this option a new Hand will be dealt.


Menu bar | Start!
Start!

Choose this menu option to start playing a Hand that has already been dealt. Playing starts by the East Wind Player being dealt the first tile from the Wall. This option can be selected when you have first looked at your hand and defined your strategy.


Menu bar | Kong!
Kong!

Choose this menu option to expose Concealed Kongs, which are still on your stake, or to turn an Exposed Pung into an Exposed Kong if you have the fourth tile on your stake. A dialogbox will be displayed for each possible Kong. You will receive a Loose Tile every time you answer "Yes".


Menu bar | Continue!
Continue!

Choose this menu option to continue with a paused Game. Games which are opened are either paused or it is your turn to discard a tile.


Floating Menu

This menu appears when you click the right mouse button. It does not appear when it's your turn to discard a tile or when you click on a discarded tile. This menu allows you to pause the Game or to take a discarded tile back. Information is available for the following options:

Undo

Pause

Close Menu


Floating Menu | Undo

This menu option is only available after you have just discarded a tile and no other player has claimed this tile yet. It allows you to take the discarded tile back and discard another one instead.


Floating Menu | Pause

This menu option pauses the Game. To re-start the Game press F9.


Floating Menu | Close

This menu option closes the floating menu display.


Information and Message Boxes

The following topics describe all the information boxes you might encounter while playing Mah Jongg for Windows.

About Mah Jongg Box

Can Go Mah Jongg Box

Choice Box

Colours Setup Box

Concealed Kong Box

Error Reading Bitmap Box

Error Opening File Box

Error Not a Mah Jongg File Box

Exit Box

Expose this Kong Box

Exposed Kong Box

Game Finished Box

Only ".mah" Extensions Box

Open Mah Jongg Game Box

Overwrite This File Box

Registration for Mah Jongg Box

Rules Configuration Box

Save Mah Jongg Game As Box

Save Box

Scores Box

Scoring Configuration Box

General Setup Box

Sound Configuration Box

Standing Hand Box

Tile Movements Box

Tile Sets Box

Total Scores Box


Ok Button

Select this button to answer "yes" to a question or information displayed in an information box. You can also press the ENTER key.


Help Button

Select this button to get help on information displayed in a box. You can also press F1.


Cancel Button

Select this button to close an information box and restore the game to the state it was in immediately prior to this box appearing. You can also press ESCAPE.


OK Button in the Scores box

Select this button to close the box and continue to the next Hand. You can also press the ENTER key.


Cancel Button in the Scores  box

Select this button to close the box and NOT continue to the next Hand. A new menu "Next Hand" will appear in the menu bar. You can choose this menu option or choose the option "Hand | Next Hand" to continue to the next Hand. You can also press ESCAPE.


First name button in the Scores box

Select this button or the underlined letter to see your own score for this hand.


Second name button in the Scores box

Select this button or the underlined letter to see the score of the player to the right of you for this hand.


Third name button in the Scores box

Select this button or the underlined letter to see the score of the player opposite you for this hand.


Fourth name button in the Scores box

Select this button or the underlined letter to see the score of the player to the left of you for this hand.


Totals button in the Scores box

Select this button to re-display players total scores.


Yes Button

Choose this button to answer "yes" to a question displayed in an information box. You can also press the ENTER key.


No Button

Choose this button to answer "no" to a question displayed in an information box. You can also press ESCAPE.


About Mah Jongg Box

This box is displayed when you choose "About Mah Jongg" from the "Help" menu. It provides you with information about the program you are using and information on the current status of your PC memory resources. Press ENTER or ESCAPE or click on  the box to make it go away.


Can Go Mah Jongg Box

This box is displayed when you are dealt a tile from the Wall and you can use this tile to go Mah Jongg.

If you select the "yes" button you will go Mah Jongg, if you select the "no" button you will get the tile, but you must continue playing. You can dismiss the appearance of this box altogether by pressing F10 or Ctrl - F4, or by using the toggle feature on the "Options | Ask First " menu option.


Choice Box

Click with the mouse or use the Tab Key to select any part of the box for which you would like to see further information.

This box shows you which options you have with a discarded tile that you've claimed. Note that not all four possibilities might be available with a given tile.

This box will only appear if the menu Options | Ask First is checked and there are at least two different options available, e.g. a Pung and a Chow with the same tile.


Choice Box - Title
Title

The title shows you the name of the tile you've just claimed.


Choice Box - Mah Jongg
Mah Jongg Button

Select this button to go Mah Jongg with the tile.

Note:	This button is not available if you can't go Mah Jongg with this tile.


Choice Box - Kong
Kong Button

Select this button to complete a Kong with the tile.

Note:	This button is not available if you can't complete a Kong with this tile.


Choice Box - Pung
Pung Button

Select this button to complete a Pung with the tile.

Note:	This button is not available if you can't complete a Pung with this tile.


Choice Box - Chow
Chow Button

Select this button to complete a Chow with the tile.

Note:	This button is not available if you can't complete a Chow with this tile.


Colours Setup Box

Click with the mouse or use the Tab Key to select any part of the box for which you would like to see further information.

This box enables you change the background and the stake colours.


Colours - Background
Background

Use in conjunction with the "Red", "Green", and "Blue", colour options, to change the colour of the screen background. Default colour is cream (Red: 255, Green: 255, Blue: 230).


Colours - East Wind Stake
East Wind Stake

Use in conjunction with the "Red", "Green", and "Blue", colour options, to change the colour of the East Wind players stake. Default colour is red (Red: 255, Green: 0, Blue: 0).


Colours - Other Stakes
Other Stakes

Use in conjunction with the "Red", "Green", and "Blue", colour options, to change the colour of players stakes (not East Wind player). Default colour is black (Red: 0, Green: 0, Blue: 0).


Colours - Red
Red

Use in conjunction with the "Background", "East Wind Stake" and "Other Stakes" and the "Green", and "Blue" colour options to set the colours of these screen items.


Colours - Green
Green

Use in conjunction with the "Background", "East Wind Stake" and "Other Stakes" and the "Red", and "Blue" colour options to set the colours of these screen items.


Colours - Blue
Blue

Use in conjunction with the "Background", "East Wind Stake" and "Other Stakes" and the "Red", and "Green" colour options to set the colours of these screen items.


Colours - Default
Default

Use to restore the program default colours of the "Background", "East Wind Stake" and "Other Stakes" screen items.


Concealed Kong Box

This box is displayed when you are dealt a tile from the Wall and you can use this tile for a Concealed Kong.

If you select the "yes" button the Kong will be made and you will get a Loose Tile, if you select the "no" button you will get the tile and you continue playing. If you select "no" and at a later stage during the same Hand when it's your turn and you can still complete this Kong, a new menu item will appear in the menu bar called "Kong!", which enables you to complete the Kong at that moment and get a Loose Tile. You can dismiss the appearance of this box altogether by pressing F10 or Ctrl - F4, or by using the toggle feature on the "Options | Ask First " menu option.


Error Reading Bitmap Box

This box comes up when Mah Jongg could not open a bitmap file properly. In most cases this refers to the size of the bitmap you are trying to open. In rare cases it might be that a file with the extension ".bmp" is not in a Windows compatible format.


Error Reading File Box
Error Opening File Box

This box is displayed when a request by Mah Jongg to the system to open a file could not be fulfilled. Make sure that the file exists and that it only has the archive property set or no properties at all (File Manager: File | Properties).


Error Not a Mah Jongg File Box

This box is displayed when a file has been opened, but before it is displayed on the screen, and the internal structure of the file doesn't match the Mah Jongg specification. This means that either this file has not been originally saved in Mah Jongg, or that the file has been corrupted, probably due to an overfull disk. There is nothing you can do about this file and if you're absolutely sure that this file is a saved game from Mah Jongg then you might as well delete it, exit Windows and run scandisk from the DOS prompt. See your DOS documentation for more information.

Note:	Games saved in version 1.01 can't be opened in version 1.01A.


Exit Box

This box is displayed when you choose "Exit" from the "Game" menu and you have not started playing the new game yet. Selecting the "yes" button allows you to exit from the Mah Jongg program.


Expose this Kong Box

This box is displayed when you select them menu item "Kong!" from the menu bar. This menu item is only available, when it's your turn and if you have answered "No" to either the Concealed Kong Box or the Exposed Kong Box and you can still complete the Kong.

If you select the "yes" button the Kong will be made and you will get a Loose Tile, if you select the "no" button you will have to continue playing by discarding a tile.


Exposed Kong Box

This box is displayed when you are dealt a tile from the Wall and you can use this tile for an Exposed Kong.

If you select the "yes" button the Kong will be made and you will get a Loose Tile, if you select the "no" button you will get the tile and you continue playing. If you select "no" and at a later stage during the same Hand when it's your turn and you can still complete this Kong, a new menu item will appear in the menu bar called "Kong!", which enables you to complete the Kong at that moment and get a Loose Tile. You can dismiss the appearance of this box altogether by pressing F10 or Ctrl - F4, or by using the toggle feature on the "Options | Ask First " menu option.


Game Finished Box

This box shows you the name of the player with the highest score and his or her score, and is displayed at the end of a Game. At the same time the scores of the remaining three players is displayed in the Status Bar.


Only ".mah" Extensions Box
Only "*.mah" Extensions Box

This box is displayed when you try to open or save a file that has another extension then "*.mah". Mah Jongg will only work with the right extension, so use only "*.mah" extensions.


Open Mah Jongg Game Box

This box is displayed when you choose "Open" from the "Game" menu. You can choose any of the files listed in the "Files" list box by double clicking on a file name in the list box or by clicking on a file name in the list box and then selecting the OK button. Selecting the cancel button will not open a game and return you to the game you are currently playing. Mah Jongg files can only have the extension ".MAH".

Note:	Games saved in version 1.01 can't be opened in version 1.01A.


Overwrite This File Box

This box is displayed when you select a file name to save a Game as that's already existing. If you choose "Yes" this existing file will be overwritten, if you select "No" you get a chance to specify a different file name.


Registration For Mah Jongg Box

Click with the mouse or use the Tab Key to select any part of the box for which you would like to see further information.

Here you enter your name and number which you receive when you register for Mah Jongg for Windows. Follow the instructions which you have received with your registration. If the registration fails, then you will have to exit Mah Jongg and start it again to try once more.


Register - Your Name
Your Name

Enter here your name.


Register - Your Registration Number
Your Registration Number

Enter here your registration number.


Rules Configuration Box

Click with the mouse or use the Tab Key on any part of the box for which you would like to see further information.

This box is displayed when you choose "Configure Rules" from the "Options" menu. It allows you to change some of the rules of the game. A new Game will start when you select the OK button.


Chows are allowed

If this option is used then players are allowed to collect Chows and complete a Mah Jongg quicker.


Special Hands are allowed

If this option is used players can attempt to collect Special Hands which are difficult to achieve but very valuable. If this is checked, then the Special Hands which are allowed in the Scoring Configuration Box, are allowed, if this is not checked, then all Special Hands are not allowed.


Flowers are in Game

If this option is used Flower and Season tiles will be included in the Game. The Flower and Season tiles are purely honorary tiles and provide a player with bonus scores. These tiles cannot be used for Chows, Pungs or Kongs.


Scores: Start with:

Use this option to enter a positive number to indicate an amount of points at the start of a new Game. All players will receive the amount of points you enter at the start of a Game.


Scores: Maximum score per Hand:

If you select "yes" then you can enter a positive number to represent the maximum number of points that players can score per Hand. Players cannot score higher than this limit, apart from the East Wind Player who is allowed to score twice the maximum limit. This is only relevant for scores per a Hand. Total scores can of course be greater than the limit set by this option.


Save Mah Jongg Game As Box

This box is displayed when you choose "Save As" from the "Game" menu or when you select "Yes" to the question "Do you want to save this Game?" and there is at that moment no file name displayed in the title bar of the main Mah Jongg window. You can choose any of the files listed in the "Files" list box or type a new name in the "File name" box. You don't have to type in an extension, but if you do make sure it's ".MAH".


Save Box

This box is displayed when you choose "Exit" or "New" from the "Game" menu and you are at that moment in the middle of a game.


Scores Box

Click with the mouse or use the Tab Key on any part of the box for which you would like to see further information.

This box shows you the score of a player and is displayed at the end of a Hand.


Total Scores

This box shows you the scores obtained by all players, including the settling of scores between players and their new total scores. If you have used the "Maximum score Yes" feature in the "Change Rules" box you will see that no player is allowed to score higher than the maximum limit you have set.


Player Scores

This shows the score obtained by each individual player together with an explanation of how the score was calculated.


Scoring Configuration Box

Click with the mouse or use the Tab Key on any part of the box for which you would like to see further information.

This box is displayed when you choose "Configure Scoring" from the "Options" menu. It allows you to set the score values for specific 'scoring events', where a scoring event is any single event or combination of tiles for which you can score something, like a Pung, going Mah Jongg, the Special Hands, a set of Flowers, etc. See Default Scoring Values for all possible scoring events.

Note:	Selecting the OK button will start a new Game.


Scoring Configuration - Scoring Event
Scoring Event

Select here the scoring event for which you would like to change the scoring, see Default Scoring Values for all possible scoring events.


Scoring Configuration - Points
Points

Here you can enter the positive number of points rewarded for the selected scoring event. This option is not available if the "No Scoring Value" check box is checked.


Scoring Configuration - Doubles
Doubles

Here you can set the number of times doubling of the total score for the selected scoring event. This option is not available if either the "Total Score" or the "No Scoring Value" check box is checked, and for some scoring events where rewarding doubles is no longer within the spirit of the Game, and for some Special Hands which under regular scoring rules wouldn't score anything. See Default Scoring Values for more information.


Scoring Configuration - Mah Jongg Hand Only
Mah Jongg Hand Only

If you check this, then the selected scoring event will only be rewarded to the player who has gone Mah Jongg. This option is not always available, see Default Scoring Values for more information.


Scoring Configuration - No Scoring Value
No Scoring Value

If you check this, then the selected scoring event will no longer be treated as a scoring event and therefore will never be rewarded to anyone and will not appear in the Scores dialog at the end of a Hand. Checking this option will disable the points and the doubles check boxes.


Scoring Configuration - Allow This Special Hand
Allow This Special Hand

If the currently selected scoring event is a Special Hand, then you can set here if this is a Hand with which you are allowed to go Mah Jongg. All Special Hands are allowed by default. See Special Hands for descriptions of the Special hands.


Scoring Configuration - Total Score
Total Score

Only for the Special Hands, this option allows you to set whether the points rewarded for the selected Hand are the total score or whether scores are still added up in the regular manner (Pungs, Kongs, etc). If you check this option, then the doubles check boxes will be disabled (doubles can't be a total score: zero three times doubled is still zero). This option is not always available, see Default Scoring Values for more information.


Scoring Configuration - Default
Default

Selecting this button will reset the currently selected scoring event to it's default value. See Default Scoring Values for more information.


Scoring Configuration - Default All
Default All

Selecting this button will reset all scoring events to their default values. See Default Scoring Values for more information.


Scoring Configuration - Show
Show

This button is only available if the currently selected scoring event is a Special Hand and this Special Hand is a specific combination of tiles. A displayed Hand might NOT be the only combination of tiles possible to achieve this Special Hand, see Special Hands for more information.


General Setup Box

Click with the mouse or use the Tab Key to select any part of the box for which you would like to see further information.

This box is displayed when you choose "Setup" from the "Game" menu and it allows you to enter new names for you and your opponents, set the time the program waits for you to make a decision during a game before continuing with the next player.


General Setup - Names
Names

Use to change players names.


General Setup - Speech Balloons
Speech Balloons

Use to control the display of speech balloons for players during a game.


General Setup - Timer Bar
Timer Bar

Use to control the display of the Timer Bar in the Compass Display.


General Setup - Autosave
Autosave

Use to automatically save a game when you exit Mah Jongg, and open this Game where you left off the next time when you start Mah Jongg.

Note:	This option does not save the Game to a regular file with the extension ".mah". Instead it saves the Game to the configuration file called "mahjongg.cfg". This file cannot be opened using the menu option "Game | Open".


General Setup - Wait Time
Wait Time

To set a wait time in seconds for which an available tile will be displayed before continuing with the next tile.


Sound Configuration Box

Click with the mouse or use the Tab Key to select any part of the box for which you would like to see further information.

This box allows you to configure which sounds will be played at appropriate moments during a game. Mah Jongg searches for the tile sound files, "stake.wav" and "table.wav" in the directory where the "MAHJONGG.EXE" file is installed, and for players voices in a directory called "VOICES" (this has to a which has to be a sub-directory of where the "MAHJONGG.EXE" file is installed. If files cannot be found in these specific directories nothing will be played.

For example, if this is where Mah Jongg resides on your drive:

C:\MAHJONGG\MAHJONGG.EXE

then the files "table.wav" and "stake.wav" should be in the directory C:\MAHJONGG\ and the voice files should be in the directory:

C:\MAHJONGG\VOICES\

See Your Recording Voices for use in Mah Jongg for more information. See your Windows documentation or the file "WINFILE.HLP" which should reside in your Windows directory, for more information on creating directories and moving files.

Note 1:	Mah Jongg uses standard *.wav files for the sounds.

Note 2:	If a voice or part of a voice of a player cannot be found, then the voice files for the human (you) player will be used. If these can't be found, nothing will be played.


Sound - Warning Beeps
Warning Beeps

Use this option to set game warning beeps on or off. If it is set to on the default beep as configured in Control Panel - Sound will be played. See your Windows documentation for more information.


Sound - Tile Sounds
Tile Sounds

Use this option to set tile sounds for tiles on or off.


Sound - Dealing
During Dealing

Use this option to set tile sounds for tiles during the dealing on or off. This option is not available when the Tile Sounds option in this box is not checked.


Sound - Voices
Players Voices

Use this option to set the players voices on or off. The voices that are supplied with the program call out after each tile discarded, for example, "3 Circles", and when a "Pung", "Chow", "Kong" and "Mah Jongg" have been made. You can however record your voice and those of your friends and relatives and use these sounds in the game! For further information on how to do this, see Recording Voices for use in Mah Jongg.


Sound - Your Voice
Your Voice

Use this option to set the your voice on or off. The voices that are supplied with the program call out after each tile discarded, for example, "3 Circles", and when a "Pung", "Chow", "Kong" and "Mah Jongg" have been made. You can however record your voice and those of your friends and relatives and use these sounds in the game! For further information on how to do this, see Recording Voices for use in Mah Jongg.

This option is not available when the Players Voices option in this box is not checked.


Sound - 1 *.WAV per tile
1 *.WAV per tile

Check this option to use a separate *.WAV file for each tile that is discarded. This option is only used for the tiles in the three suits: Bamboo, Circles and Wan. Normally Mah Jongg combines two *.WAV files for these tiles: the file that calls out the number and the file that calls out the suit. Because *.WAV files tend to become very large, no files in this format are supplied with this version of Mah Jongg, in order to keep the required free space on your harddisk and the size of the zip file within exceptable limits. For further information on how to create *.WAV files for each tile, see Recording Voices for use in Mah Jongg.

This option is not available when the Players Voices option in this box is not checked.


Standing Hand Box

This box is displayed when the Hand, after your first discarded tile needs one more tile to go Mah Jongg. The winning tile is the tile you have to get. See Standing Hand for further information.


Tile Movements Box

Click with the mouse or use the Tab Key to select any part of the box for which you would like to see further information.

This box allows you to control the speed and the display of the tiles when they move across the screen.


Tile Movements - Movements
Movements

Use this option to control whether the movement of tiles is displayed or not. If you choose not to display tile movements the speed of the game will be faster however the game becomes more difficult to follow. If this option is not checked, then the scrollbar which controls the speed is not available.


Tile Movements - Direction
Direction

Use to see the direction movement of tiles that are picked up by players. In a game, tiles are placed on a stake from left (lowest value) to right (highest value). This option allows you to see where a player places a tile on their stake and consequently the significance of the tile in terms of value. If this option is not checked the tiles will float to the middle of the stake.


Tile Movements - Dealing
Dealing

To indicate whether the dealing of tiles at the beginning of a new hand should be visible, or not.


Tile Movements - Shading
Shading

Use to indicate whether shading is required on tile movements. If it is then you can also control the amount of shading displayed by changing settings in the Shadow Size box. If this option is not checked, then the scrollbar which controls the Shadow Size is not available.

Note: On dark colour screen backgrounds shadows on tile movements may not be visible.


Tile Movements - Shadow Size
Shadow Size

Only valid with the Shading option set on. Use to control the amount of shadow appearing on tile movements.

Note: On dark colour screen backgrounds shadows on tile movements may not be visible.


Tile Movements - Speed
Speed

To control the speed of tile movements.


Tile Movements - test
Test

After changing tile movement parameters in the Tile Movements box, click on the Test button to test the changes you have made.


Tile Sets Box

Click with the mouse or use the Tab Key to select any part of the box for which you would like to see further information.

This box allows you to select a new tile set for use in a game. The default tile sets that are provided with the program are: "Tiles With Numbers", "Tiles Without Numbers" and "Characters Only". If you select any of these tile sets you will see a sample of the tile set displayed in the Preview box. You can also use external tile sets, to do this click on the Open box. You will then be prompted to enter the name of a bitmap file (*.BMP) to open. If the bitmap is big enough, 324 by 230 pixels, then the tile set will be displayed in the Preview box. Don't worry about the black outlining on the tiles: Mah Jongg takes care of this. The only restriction on external tile sets is it's size: if you have a bitmap and it's big enough, use it as a tile set! For information on how to create new tile sets, see the Changing Tile Sets topic.

Note: Mah Jongg uses standard bitmap files for the tile sets. The only restriction is the size of the bitmap you want to use: Mah Jongg needs a bitmap with a minimum size of 324 by 230 pixels (9 by 5 tiles).


Tile Sets - Preview
Preview

Used in conjunction with the "Tiles With Numbers", "Tiles Without Numbers", "Characters Only" and "External" options to display a selected tile set. If a tile set is not immediately correctly displayed, then move the scroll bar and it should come up properly.


Tile Sets - Tiles With Numbers
Tiles With Numbers

Default tile set provided with Mah Jongg for Windows. To view this tile set click on the button next to this name and look in the "Preview" box where a sample of this tile set will be displayed.


Tile Sets - Tiles Without Numbers
Tiles Without Numbers

Default tile set provided with Mah Jongg for Windows. To view this tile set click on the button next to this name and look in the "Preview" box where a sample of this tile set will be displayed.


Tile Sets - Characters Only
Characters Only

Default tile set provided with Mah Jongg for Windows. To view this tile set click on the button next to this name and look in the "Preview" box where a sample of this tile set will be displayed.


Tile Sets - External
External

Used in conjunction with the "Preview" box to display a sample of an external tile set. To use this option you first need to open a bitmap file (of the format *.BMP) by clicking on the "Open Tile Set" button. Once you have done this, the Preview box will show a sample of the tile set you have opened.


Tile Sets - File name
File Name

Here is the file name displayed of the Bitmap file you've opened to use as a tile set..


Tile Sets - Open Tile Set
Open Tile Set

Choose this option if you wish to specify an external tile set to use in the game, the Select A Bitmap File To Open box will be displayed.


Tile Sets - Open Bitmap File
Select a Bitmap File to Open

Enter the name of a bitmap file (in the format *.BMP) that you wish to open and use in a game. See also explanation for External option.


Total Scores Box

Click with the mouse or use the Tab Key to select any part of the box for which you would like to see further information.

This box shows you the settlement of scores between players and is displayed at the end of a Hand. Each column shows the old score of a player, what a player has scored in this Hand, what this player receives from or pays to the other three players, the total of the settlement with the other three players and this player's new total score.


The Program - Customizing Mah Jongg

This section tells you how to customize various features available in Mah Jongg. Information is available for the following topics:

Changing Tile Sets

Using Sound

Changing Program Colours

Setting Score Values


Changing Tile Sets

This program is supplied with default tile sets for you to choose from, these are: Tiles With Numbers, Tiles Without Numbers and Characters Only. You can also use external tile sets in the program. In principle can any bitmap file be used as a tile set, as long as it's big enough, try it! The topic Game | Preferences | Tile Sets explains in detail how to use these features.

See Creating New Tile Sets for a full explanation on how to create tile sets of your own that will work with Mah Jongg.


Using Sound

A new feature of this program is the inclusion of sound. The program is supplied with a default voice for the players that calls out when each tile is discarded, when a game event occurs, for example, going Mah Jongg, and for tile dealing and movement. You can however record your voice and the voices of your relatives and friends if you wish and use these sounds in the program. The following topics provide full information on how to do this.

The Game | Preferences | Sound Option

The Sound Configuration Box

Recording Voices for use in Mah Jongg

Mah Jongg Script For Voices and Filenames


Changing Program Colours

You can use the default colours for the background and the stakes that are supplied with this program, or you can choose colours that you prefer. For more information on how to do this see the topics: Game | Preferences | Colours Menu Option and the Colours Setup Box.


Setting Score Values

Score handling has been extensively revised since the previous version of this program. You can now set score values for individual scoring events, for example, Going Mah Jongg, a Pung, etc., and you can also set score values for Special Hands. For further information see the topics: Options | Configure Scoring Menu Option and the Scores Configuration box.


Recording Voices for use in Mah Jongg

PLEASE READ ALL OF THIS TOPIC AND DO NOT SKIP PARTS OF IT IF YOU WANT TO MAKE NEW VOICES EFFECTIVE IN MAH JONGG!

To record voices for use in Mah Jongg you need to have a sound card fitted in your PC and a microphone. Before recording voices for Mah Jongg, take the time to read the documentation that came with your sound card, particularly the section(s) on how to record *.WAV files because this is what you will need to do. In fact it might be a good idea to have a practice at recording a few *.WAV files before you start to do the sounds for Mah Jongg. Play these practice files back and if you are happy with the quality of the sound then start recording your Mah Jongg *.WAV files.

First, a technical overview on the voice files in Mah Jongg.

Technical Note on Voice Files in Mah Jongg

The default voices that are available for Mah Jongg are stored in *.WAV files. In total there are 25 files for each voice, making a total of 100 files for four players. You can make new versions of all these files if you wish. You do this by recording new *.WAV files for your voice and the voices of your friends and relatives if you wish. The only restriction imposed upon you is that in order to make your new voice files effective in Mah Jongg, you must save your new *.WAV files to precisely the file name you will be given for each sound to be recorded. This information is given in Mah Jongg Script for Voices and Filenames. As you can see, for each player, the file names are stored with a number prefix, as shown below:

The human player (you) will have files stored in the format:	0_xxx.WAV.
The player to the right of you will have files stored in the format:	1_xxx.WAV.
The player opposite you will have files stored in the format:	2_xxx.WAV.
And, the player to the left of you will have files stored in the format:	3_xxx.WAV.

You must observe this file naming convention if you are to use your own voice files effectively in Mah Jongg.

The default *.WAV files supplied with Mah Jongg, should be stored in a sub-directory called VOICES in your MAHJONGG directory, as stated in the file called "mjreadme.txt".

If you haven't already done this, then please do this now using Windows File Manager. If you are not sure what to do, in File Manager; click on the name of the directory where you installed Mah Jongg, then select the menu option "File", and then the option "Create Directory", you will be prompted to enter a name, enter: VOICES. the path for your new sub-directory should now look something like the following:

C:\MAHJONGG\VOICES

While still in File Manager, go back up to your MAHJONGG directory and perform a search to find all the *.WAV files in this directory. Do this by selecting the menu option "File", and then the option "Search", in the box that appears, enter *.WAV and then press the "OK" box. A list of *.WAV files found will now be displayed. To move these files to the VOICES sub-directory, select the menu option "File", and then the option "Move". Enter in the box that appears (in the "To" box) the name of the directory which you want to move the files to, in our example, this will be as follows:

C:\MAHJONGG\VOICES

Note:	The two wave files called stake.wav and table.wav, a tile landing on a stake and a tile landing on the table respectively, should be in the same directory where "mahjongg.exe" is located. In our example this would be: C:\MAHJONGG\.

Once you have isolated all the Mah Jongg *.WAV files in your sub-directory called VOICES, you are ready to continue, as explained in the following step-by-step instructions.

Step 1

FIRST TAKE A BACKUP COPY OF THE DEFAULT *.WAV FILES IN THE VOICES DIRECTORY. This is because you may want to re-use all or some of these files later. Using Windows File Manager, it is recommended that you now store these files on an external floppy disk or in a separate directory (not the MAHJONGG\VOICES directory).

Step 2

Now you need to record and save Mah Jongg *.WAV files to a temporary directory area. You may need to create a temporary directory in File Manager first. Only record the *.WAV files after you have had a trial run at recording (as explained in the introduction above).

Tip:	Try to make a bit of peace and quiet in which to record the *.WAV files - for example, if a dog is barking, or the doorbell rings in the middle of your recording session all this will be included in your *.WAV file! Its best to record a file, then play it back and if you are happy with the file save it (to the appropriate name) and then go on to record the next file.

Before you can record the *.WAV files you need a script and you need to know what name to save each file to. The file name is very important if you want your files to work. You must save each file precisely to the file name that you are given. You also need to decide whether you want to record just your own voice or if you are going to record all (or perhaps just one other players) voices. This is because depending on the option you choose, you can reduce the number of files you have to record and this decision also influences what *.WAV files you leave in your MAHJONGG\VOICES sub-directory.

Now click on this text to see your script. As you can see each sound you must record is listed together with the filename you must save it to for each player. If English is not your first language you can of course record your Mah Jongg *.WAV files in your native language if you wish, but you MUST save files to the exact filename given for each player.

Step 3

If you chose to record files for just your own voice, and you have taken backups of all the default *.WAV files as explained in step 1, then :

1:	In File Manager, go to your MAHJONGG\VOICES sub-directory, and delete all .WAV files that start with the prefix 0_***.WAV.

2:	Now, copy your new 0_***.WAV files from your temporary directory to the MAHJONGG\VOICES sub-directory. Once you have checked that your new *.WAV files are in the MAHJONGG\VOICES sub-directory, you can of course, keep the temporary directory as a backup for your new voice files, or you can delete the temporary directory if you wish.

3:	Now, see step 4 below.

Note:	The above procedure is also valid if you chose to record files for individual players, the only modification being of course in points 1 and 2, where you would delete and copy filenames beginning with the appropriate prefix numbers for a player. That is: 0_***.WAV = You, 1_***.WAV = Right Player, 2_***.WAV = Opposite Player and 3_***.WAV = Left Player.

Step 4

In the Mah Jongg game, you must now select your new Mah Jongg *.WAV files to use in the program in order for these files to become effective. To do this see the topic Sound Configuration Box for further information.

Note 1:	This description is based on two separate *.wav files for the tiles in the three suits Bamboo, Circles and Wan. See Mah Jongg Script for Voices and Filenames for a description of the file naming conventions used for one *.wav file per tile in these suits.

Note 2:	If you've produced some fine voices, then don't hesitate to share it with the world! You can always send me a copy and I will make sure that it gets available for many Mah Jongg users. How you can contact me can be found in the ordering information.


Mah Jongg Script For Voices and Filenames

Note 1:	If a particular voice file can't be found, then the voice file for the human player will be used. If this one can't be found, then nothing will be used.

Note 2:	These files must reside in a subdirectory called "VOICES", which must be a subdirectory of the directory where you've installed "MAHJONGG.EXE".

Note 3:	The default voice supplied with Mah Jongg uses two *.wav files for each tile in the suits Bamboo, Circle and Wan: the first file calls out the number and the second file calls out the suit. This is done in order to keep the required free space on your harddisk and the size of the zip file within exceptable limits. You can however record sounds for these tiles using only one *.wav file per tile. The file names used for these sounds are listed at the bottom of this page under the heading "Filenames for each individual tile in the three suits Bamboo, Circle and Wan".

Note 4:	The default voice supplied with Mah Jongg uses one *.wav file per player for all the flower tiles and one *.wav file per player for all the season tiles. You can record sounds for each tile of the flowers and the seasons. The file names used for these sounds are listed at the bottom of this page under the heading "Instead of 'flower' you can use the following files for each individual flower" for the flowers and under the heading "Instead of 'season' you can use the following files for each individual season" for the seasons.

Default file names for Voices

Sounds	Human Player (you)	Right Player	Opposite Player	Left Player
one	0_ONE.WAV	1_ONE.WAV	2_ONE.WAV	3_ONE.WAV
two	0_TWO.WAV	1_TWO.WAV	2_TWO.WAV	3_TWO.WAV
three	0_THR.WAV	1_THR.WAV	2_THR.WAV	3_THR.WAV
four	0_FOU.WAV	1_FOU.WAV	2_FOU.WAV	3_FOU.WAV
five	0_FIV.WAV	1_FIV.WAV	2_FIV.WAV	3_FIV.WAV
six	0_SIX.WAV	1_SIX.WAV	2_SIX.WAV	3_SIX.WAV
seven	0_SEV.WAV	1_SEV.WAV	2_SEV.WAV	3_SEV.WAV
eight	0_EIG.WAV	1_EIG.WAV	2_EIG.WAV	3_EIG.WAV
nine	0_NIN.WAV	1_NIN.WAV	2_NIN.WAV	3_NIN.WAV
bamboo	0_BAM.WAV	1_BAM.WAV	2_BAM.WAV	3_BAM.WAV
circle	0_CIR.WAV	1_CIR.WAV	2_CIR.WAV	3_CIR.WAV
wan	0_WAN.WAV	1_WAN.WAV	2_WAN.WAV	3_WAN.WAV
east wind	0_EAS.WAV	1_EAS.WAV	2_EAS.WAV	3_EAS.WAV
south wind	0_SOU.WAV	1_SOU.WAV	2_SOU.WAV	3_SOU.WAV
west wind	0_WES.WAV	1_WES.WAV	2_WES.WAV	3_WES.WAV
north wind	0_NOR.WAV	1_NOR.WAV	2_NOR.WAV	3_NOR.WAV
green dragon	0_GRE.WAV	1_GRE.WAV	2_GRE.WAV	3_GRE.WAV
red dragon	0_RED.WAV	1_RED.WAV	2_RED.WAV	3_RED.WAV
white dragon	0_WHI.WAV	1_WHI.WAV	2_WHI.WAV	3_WHI.WAV
flower	0_FLO.WAV	1_FLO.WAV	2_FLO.WAV	3_FLO.WAV
season	0_SEA.WAV	1_SEA.WAV	2_SEA.WAV	3_SEA.WAV
chow	0_CHO.WAV	1_CHO.WAV	2_CHO.WAV	3_CHO.WAV
pung	0_PUN.WAV	1_PUN.WAV	2_PUN.WAV	3_PUN.WAV
kong	0_KON.WAV	1_KON.WAV	2_KON.WAV	3_KON.WAV
mah jongg	0_MAH.WAV	1_MAH.WAV	2_MAH.WAV	3_MAH.WAV
Instead of 'flower' you can use the following files for each individual flower:

plum blossom	0_PLU.WAV	1_PLU.WAV	2_PLU.WAV	3_PLU.WAV
orchid	0_ORC.WAV	1_ORC.WAV	2_ORC.WAV	3_ORC.WAV
chrysanthemum	0_CHR.WAV	1_CHR.WAV	2_CHR.WAV	3_CHR.WAV
bamboo	0_BMB.WAV	1_BMB.WAV	2_BMB.WAV	3_BMB.WAV
Note:	If these files can't be found, then first the file for the human player is searched for and if this one isn't there also then the default file "X_FLO.WAV" is used, where "X" is the player (0 is human, 1 is right, 2 is opposite and 3 is left).

Instead of 'season' you can use the following files for each individual season:

spring	0_SPR.WAV	1_SPR.WAV	2_SPR.WAV	3_SPR.WAV
summer	0_SUM.WAV	1_SUM.WAV	2_SUM.WAV	3_SUM.WAV
autumn	0_AUT.WAV	1_AUT.WAV	2_AUT.WAV	3_AUT.WAV
winter	0_WIN.WAV	1_WIN.WAV	2_WIN.WAV	3_WIN.WAV
Note:	If these files can't be found, then first the file for the human player is searched for and if this one isn't there also then the default file "X_SEA.WAV" is used, where "X" is the player (0 is human, 1 is right, 2 is opposite and 3 is left).

Filenames for each individual tile in the three suits Bamboo, Circle and Wan

If you want to create different *.WAV files for each tile in the three suits Bamboo, Circle and Wan, then the following naming convention is used for these tiles:

"X_Y_BAM.WAV"	for the suit Bamboo
"X_Y_CIR.WAV"	for the suit Circle
"X_Y_WAN.WAV"	for the suit Wan

where "X" is the player (0 is human, 1 is right, 2 is opposite and 3 is left) and "Y" is the number of the tile in the range of 1 to 9. For example; three circle for the opposite player would be the file called "2_3_CIR.WAV" and seven bamboo for the human player would be the file called "0_7_BAM.WAV". These files should also be stored in the subdirectory called "VOICES" which has to be a subdirectory of the directory where "MAHJONGG.EXE" is installed. Filenames for all the tiles which are not part of these three suits remain the same as listed above in the table, because the *.WAV files for these tiles are already individually named. After you've created them you can use them in Mah Jongg by checking the option "1 *.WAV per tile" in the Sound Configuration Box.


Creating New Tile Sets

Don't worry, it's really simple!

Mahjongg.exe will read and display any bitmap that is at least 324 by 230 pixels big, try it with any bitmap you might have! The minimum size restriction is because of the way mahjongg.exe 'cuts' out the 43 tiles needed: three rows of nine tiles, one row of seven tiles and one more row of nine tiles, as displayed in the following picture:

The bitmap files supplied with this program form a good starting point for the creation of new sets. Start your favourite graphics program (PaintBrush for instance...) and open one of these two bitmaps. First save it with a different name, so you always have the original to create even more sets! Draw whatever you like, but keep in mind that each tile is 36 pixels wide and 46 pixels high, and that the pixel in the upper left corner of your bitmap does not have the coordinates (1, 1) but (0, 0). Don't worry about the black outlining and the rounded corners on the tiles, mahjongg.exe draws these on top of your bitmap as soon as you open the new tile set in Mah Jongg. These outlines will however not be stored in the bitmap file, so the next time you open this bitmap file in a graphics program there won't be any black outlines. When you've finished drawing, save the bitmap again and switch to the Mah Jongg window. Now select the menu option "Game | Preferences | Tile Sets" and click on the "Open" button. Select your newly created tile set and press "OK". The Tile Sets dialog will now show a preview of what your new tile set will look like in the Game. Then press "OK" to select your tile set into the Game.

Note:	If you've produced a real work of art, then don't hesitate to share it with the world! You can always send me a copy and I will make sure that it gets available for many Mah Jongg users. How you can contact me can be found in the ordering information.


This is the picture used for the back of the tiles.


The Game - History and Symbolism

Mah Jongg and the tiles that make up the Game are rich with symbolism and history relating to Chinese mythological legend and philosophy. Not only is Mah Jongg regarded as a Game, which can be played in it's own right or as a betting Game, but the Mah Jongg tiles can also be used as an Oracle. Mah Jongg as an Oracle is used in a similar way to the I Ching which is used to reveal to a querent advice relating to questions that are posed.

Both historical facts and the symbolism of Mah Jongg are explained in this section - although it must be stressed that these descriptions give you a general idea and do not attempt to present a definitive guide to Mah Jongg. If you would like to find out more, look up the Bibliography section for further information.

History

The Inverted Compass

144 Tiles

Overview of all the Tiles

The Symbolism of Colours

Wall

Mah Jongg as an Oracle

Bamboo's, Circles and Wan

Winds

Dragons

Flowers

Seasons


History

Although the game Mah Jongg as it is presented here can only be traced back to the end of the last century, the line of games that evolved to Mah Jongg is long and extensive. From around 800 AD card games were played which resembled the way Mah Jongg is played, in the fact that you have to collect Chows, Pungs and Kongs. The cards used in these games resembled the money used in those days.

It was not before the turn of this century until the West got a glimpse of Mah Jongg, when it was introduced in the international colony of Shanghai and from then onwards in the USA, Japan and finally Europe. When it was introduced in the West, it was claimed that it's origins were shrouded in the mists of time, but most evidence seems to point to the game being developed in the late 1900's in the Ningpo area of China. Most books on Mah Jongg published early this century confirm this. During those first years after its introduction a real craze developed around Mah Jongg, but like all fashions it came and went. But recently a growing number of people are realizing the intellectual challenge Mah Jongg poses and the beauty and excitement of the game itself. In China Mah Jongg was decreed as illegal during the Cultural Revolution, because it is a betting game, but these days it is tolerated again.


Inverted Compass

You may notice that the winds shown in the compass are reversed. If you have and are wondering why, it is because Mah Jongg is a ritual Game that reflects Chinese philosophical principles, for example, there is a ritual of building the Wall - which mirrors the boundaries of an ancient Chinese city, with the four sides of the Wall given the name of the four winds. However the winds are named in reversed order because they do not reflect terrestrial directions but rather represent a celestial map, that is, the winds are shown in the directions that you would expect to see if you were looking from a heavenly perspective rather than an earthly one. You can visualize this by looking up to the sky, work out where East and West are and realise then that they are reversed.


144 Tiles

A Mah Jongg Game set consists of tiles - of which there are 34 different types. These are the four Winds, East, South, West and North, the three Dragons, Green, Red and White, the nine tiles of Bamboo, numbered one to nine, the nine tiles of Circles, numbered one to nine, and the nine tiles of Wan, numbered one to nine. For each of the 34 different tile types there are four identical pieces provided in a Mah Jongg set. The total number of playing tiles in Game is therefore 136 tiles.

However in a set there are also 8 special tiles that are used solely for the purpose of scoring bonus points, the Flower and Season Tiles, we therefore have a total of 144 tiles in a Mah Jongg set.

See also: Overview of all the Tiles.


Overview of all the Tiles

This ordering is called the Symbolic Square of Mah Jongg and shows all 144 tiles in the Game.


The Symbolism of Colours

Mah Jongg sets are mainly coloured using only three colours: Red, Blue and Green. These together represent the Three Extremities: Mankind, Heaven and Earth.

Red signifies blood and therefore Mankind and more generally Life.

Blue signifies the sky, the Heavens and therefore dignity and purity.

Green symbolizes the Earth and nature, fertility and natural richess.


Wall

The square Wall symbolizes the Great Wall of China or the Walls around a city and also the fourfoldness of the Three Extremities. The Heavens manifest their fourfoldness in the four Seasons, the Earth in the four directions or regions and Mankind in his four manifestations; Life, Death, Man and Woman.


Mah Jongg as an Oracle

The tiles in a Mah Jongg Game set can also be used as an oracle to interpret the future should you wish to do so. This is because each unique tile in the set has a symbolism or meaning - the means of using the oracle are not included in the scope of this program, but the symbolism of each tile is given incase you are interested.

Mah Jongg as an Oracle

An oracle naturally requires an interpreter if the meaning of it's secrets are to be divined. The person who performs this role is known as the "diviner" and the person who wishes to have a reading, is known as the "querent".

To begin a reading the diviner and querent sit across a table facing each other. Ideally, and if practicable, the table should be oriented in a North and South direction, with the diviner and querent sitting facing each other in East (querent) and West (diviner) positions. If possible the table should not be placed in a direct line towards a door as this is regarded as unsympathetic to the oracle.

Next, all the Mah Jongg tiles are spread face down at random on the table and the querent shuffles the tiles until satisfied.

The diviner now asks the querent if they have a specific question in mind or whether a general reading is required. The querent may tell the diviner what the question is or not as they wish.

The querent now pushes the tiles to the sides in order to clear a central area, the 'lake', the tiles pushed to the sides must form a circle with no breaks. Next the querent selects 13 tiles from the outer circle and pushes these towards the center of the circle. Note: the tiles are kept face down throughout this process.

Next, the querent re-shuffles the 13 tiles that he or she selected and placed in the center. When satisfied, the querent pushes 3 tiles towards the West sector of the spread, then 3 tiles towards the East sector, then 3 tiles towards the North sector and then 3 tiles towards the South sector. Finally one tile is pushed towards the center. Again, note that the tiles are kept face down throughout this process. The querent now arranges the tiles in each sector as shown in the diagram below.

West
7 [image] 8 [image] 9

North 10 [image] 11 [image] 12 [image]     [image]     4 [image] 5 [image] 6 [image] South

1 [image] 2 [image] 3
East

The tiles are now ready to be read by the diviner.

First the diviner turns over the center tile, then the tiles in the positions marked 1-3-2, then 4-5-6, then 7-9-8 and then 10-11-12.

The tile that marks the center represents the point or focus of the reading - or what is central to present problems.

The tiles in the East (Spring) sector, positions 1 and 3 represent the querent's exterior personality and factors that dominate the present situation, while the tile in position 2 reveals the querent's inner unspoken wishes.

In the South (Summer) sector, the tiles represent the near future and refer particularly to events which are already taking place or being considered.

The tiles in the West (Autumn) sector represent obstacles and objectives and their solution. The first obstacle in revealed by the tile occupying position 7, other factors or objectives are shown by the tile occupying position 9, and the solution to these problems or a means of overcoming these obstacles is given by the tile in position 8.

The North (Winter) sector represents the eventual outcome of present or future developments. The tiles in positions 10 and 11 may warn of difficulties or perhaps continue to unravel the train of events indicated by previous tiles. The tile in position 12, represents the final outcome of events.

West

North [image] [image] [image]   [image]   [image] [image] [image] South

East

To find out the symbolism of the tiles see the following sub-sections.

Note:	It must be emphasized that the tile symbolism descriptions give a general idea of the qualities expressed by the tiles, and that the symbolism of a tile can be positively or negatively aspected depending upon where the tile occurs in a reading. Likewise the significance of a tile will be emphasized if the same tile appears more than once in a spread. Tile symbolism has been included to give you a general flavour but no way does it attempt to give you a definitive guide to the meanings represented by the tiles.


Bamboos, Circles and Wan
Bamboo's, Circles and Wan

In a Mah Jongg Game Set there are four pieces of each of the tiles that make up these suits, as described below. For scoring purposes the 1's and 9's of the Bamboo, Circles and Wan suits are known as major tiles and combinations that you collect of these will be assigned higher score values. The 2's - 8's of the Bamboo, Circles and Wan suits are known as minor tiles and consequently score lower value points.

For each of these suits you may collect Chows, Pungs, Kongs or a pair of identical tiles (the latter only for the purpose of going Mah Jongg).

Bamboo's

Circles

Wan


Winds

East Wind, South Wind, West Wind and North Wind.

Click on each tile in the display for more information on the symbolism of each tile.

In a Mah Jongg set there are four pieces of each of these tiles, that is, there are four East Wind tiles, four South Wind tiles, four West Wind tiles and four North Wind tiles.

For scoring purposes the Wind tiles are known as the Simple Honour Tiles and this means that Wind tile suits that you collect will be assigned higher score values.

For a Wind suit - you may collect Pungs, Kongs or a pair of identical wind tiles (the latter only for the purpose of going Mah Jongg) - Chows are not allowed.


Dragons

Green Dragon, Red Dragon and White Dragon.

Click on each tile in the display for more information on the symbolism of each tile.

In a Mah Jongg Game Set there are four pieces of each of these tiles, that is, there are four White Dragons, four Green Dragons, and four Red Dragons.

For scoring purposes the Dragons are known as the Superior Honour Tiles and this means that Dragon tile suits that you collect will be assigned higher score values.

For the Dragon suit - you may collect Pungs, Kongs or a pair of identical Dragons (the latter only for the purpose of going Mah Jongg) - Chows are not allowed.


Flowers

Plum Blossom, Orchid, Chrysanthemum and Bamboo.

Click on each tile in the display for more information on the symbolism of each tile.

The Flower and Season tiles have a special significance and only one piece is provided of each tile in a Mah Jongg set. These tiles together with the Season tiles are known as the Supreme Honour Tiles. The tiles are numbered from 1 - 4 in one of the top corners and belong to the players as shown below:

Number	Player	Flower(1)	Season(2)

1	East Wind	Plum Blossom	Spring

2	South Wind	Orchid	Summer

3	West Wind	Chrysanthemum	Autumn

4	North Wind	Bamboo	Winter

Note 1:	The number for each tile will be shown in either black or green.

Note 2:	The number for each tile will be shown in red.

Although the Flower and Season tiles are used when playing a Mah Jongg Game they are not regarded as a suit to be collected, you cannot collect Chows, Pungs, or Kongs of these tiles.

The only purpose these tiles serve is to provide bonus scoring points. For a detailed explanation of the scoring of these tiles see the Scoring section.

During a Game if a player is dealt one of these tiles then they will be given a replacement tile. For example, at the start of Game it is possible that a player could be dealt a Flower and a Season tile, for example, the Summer tile and Bamboo tile. In such a case the player will be given two replacement tiles, which are taken from the Loose Tiles that mark the end of a Wall. Similarly during a Game if a player is dealt a Flower or Season tile they will receive a replacement tile. Again this is taken from the Loose Tiles that mark the end of the Wall.

Both Flower and Season tiles are displayed in the program above a player's stake, this is because these tiles must always be Exposed.

Symbolism

The Flower tiles together with the Season tiles make up a set of tiles that are known as the "Eight Guardians". The Flowers; Plum Blossom, Orchid, Chrysanthemum and Bamboo are known in Mah Jongg as the "Four Nobles" and they were chosen not only to compliment the four Seasons but to provide an example of different kinds of plants.

Together the tiles that make up the eight guardians are representative of the Eight Guardians of Taoism - eight mortal beings who through their asceticism and pious works were transported to the celestial realms.


Seasons

Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.

Click on each tile in the display for more information on the symbolism of each tile.

These tiles together with the Season tiles are known as the Supreme Honour Tiles.

Number	Player	Flower(1)	Season(2)

1	East Wind	Plum Blossom	Spring

2	South Wind	Orchid	Summer

3	West Wind	Chrysanthemum	Autumn

4	North Wind	Bamboo	Winter

Note 1:	The number on each tile will be shown in either black or green.

Note 2:	The number on each tile will be shown in red.

Although the Season and Flower tiles are used when playing a Mah Jongg Game they are not regarded as a suit to be collected, you cannot collect Chows, Pungs, or Kongs of these tiles.

The only purpose these tiles serve is to provide bonus scoring points. For a detailed explanation of the scoring of these tiles see the Scoring section.

During a Game if a player is dealt one of these tiles then they will be given a replacement tile. For example, at the start of Game it is possible that a player could be dealt two Flower and Season tiles, for example, the Autumn tile and the Plum Blossom tile. In such a case the player will be given two replacement tiles which are taken from the Loose Tiles that mark the end of a Wall. Similarly during a Game if a player is dealt a Flower or Season tile they will receive a replacement tile. Again this is taken from the Loose Tiles that mark the end of the Wall.

Both Season and Flower tiles are displayed in the program above a player's stake, this is because these tiles must always be Exposed.

Symbolism

The Season tiles together with the Flower tiles make up a set of tiles that are known as the "Eight Guardians". The Seasons; Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter are not only associated with the Flower tiles, but also represent the occupations - Fisherman, Woodcutter, Farmer and Scholar which are considered to be poor but noble, industrious and honest callings in life.

Together the tiles that make up the eight guardians are representative of the Eight Guardians of Taoism - eight mortal beings who through their asceticism and pious works were transported to the celestial realms.


Bamboos
Bamboo's

Tiles in this suit are numbered from 1- 9 as illustrated below.

Click on each tile in the display for more information on the symbolism of each tile.

The Bamboo suit is considered the first of the three suits (the others being Circles and Wan). It is important not to confuse the Bamboo suit with the Bamboo Flower tile, these are quite different.

Bamboo is a most versatile plant that is used for a vast range of purposes. It's leaves and shoots are used for food, and it's stems can be utilized for sewing needles, writing implements, cooking utensils, furniture, for house and boat building, etc. Thus the many uses of the Bamboo plant are signified by the virtues of strength, uprightness, integrity and service.


Circles

Tiles in this suit are numbered from 1- 9 as illustrated below.

Click on each tile in the display for more information on the symbolism of each tile.

The Circles suit is the original suit of the Mah Jongg tiles, the Bamboo and Wan suits were added later. The similarity of the circles to coins leads to the belief that the majority of the Circles suit tiles are connected to money or business.


Wan

This suit is sometimes known in English as "Characters". Tiles in this suit are numbered from 1 - 9 as illustrated below.

Click on each tile in the display for more information on the symbolism of each tile.

The third and final suit of the three suits (Bamboo and Circles being the others), it is usually known to Western players as the "character" or "signs" suit. Wan literally means "ten thousand" although it can also be taken to mean any large number or unlimited. The significance of "ten thousand" is that it is taken to mean the entire universe, the entire world or eternity. The Wan suit therefore represents abstract ideals rather than everyday living.

The Chinese have three different characters to represent "ten thousand". The classical character that is used represents a scorpion, but as this is a complex character to write a second abbreviated form is also in use. The third character that is used is the swastika, this is only used in Buddhist religious texts to represent the "ten thousand things" that symbolize the heart of the Buddha.


1 Bamboo

Chinese Character: "K'ung"

The first tile of the first suit, of the three suits (the others being Circles and Wan) - it signifies primarily success. However success can lead to pride, which in turn can lead to vanity. It is symbolised by a peacock - an emblem of beauty that represents a lady, in the prime of her life, gazing in a mirror. The mirror is the symbol of the cosmos, depending on interpretation, the lady can be admiring her own reflection or contemplating her own mortality. The mirror frequently indicates a change of direction in life.


2 Bamboo

Chinese Character: "Ya"

Represented by the duck - the Chinese believe that a pair of ducks remain together for life, so the symbolism of the duck is an enduring partnership and/or fidelity.


3 Bamboo

Chinese Character: "Min"

Represented by the toad. To Western people the flecks on the moon's surface are regarded to be the face of the "man in the moon", the Chinese however, regard these markings to be two creatures, the hare and the toad. The hare is attributed with knowledge of the elixir of life, whereas the three-legged toad is symbolic of a long life and the unattainable. It is also associated with medicine, where it represents both sickness and cure. The major qualities represented by this tile are therefore, healing and over-ambition.


4 Bamboo

Chinese Character: "Li"

Represented by the carp - a symbol of peace, inner calm and tranquillity, qualities if practised lead to a long life. The carp signifies contemplation, freed from the cares and pressures of modern life and the rich colours of the carp signify wealth and refinement.  This tile therefore signifies peace and contentment.


5 Bamboo

Chinese Character: "Lien"

Symbolised by the lotus flower and representing new birth, possibly a spiritual awakening, or on a more material level, the birth of a child. It can also suggest regeneration following an experience of extreme or endured hardship, indicating that there is a need to come to terms with the present and begin life anew.


6 Bamboo

Chinese Character: "Shui"

Represented by the element water and signifying communication (correspondence) or travel (particularly short frequent journeys).


7 Bamboo

Chinese Character: "Kuei"

Symbolised by the tortoise, and often indicates a dissatisfaction with the length of time that is being taken to resolve an issue. The tile therefore signifies that thought is required and that progress will be achieved gradually. It is also a symbol of longevity, given the great age that a tortoise can achieve. The tortoise is one of the four great Chinese astrological constellations covering the Northern part of the sky and is therefore associated with the North Wind, Winter and Water.


8 Bamboo

Chinese Character: "Chün"

Represented by a mushroom, it is a symbol of immortality and eccentricity. This is because the mushroom is a plant lacking leaves of flowers yet resembles both - this has led to it becoming interpreted as a symbol of the bizarre. The general significance that this tile portrays is the occurrence of an unexpected event the nature of which will be remarkable, curious and of lasting impression.


9 Bamboo

Chinese Character: "Liu"

Symbolised by the willow tree, it's meaning is strength through flexibility, in a word - diplomacy. This is because the willow bends to the wind during winter, survives, and once more flourishes again upright and strong in the spring.


1 Circle

Chinese Character: "Chu"

The first of the Circles suit and represented by the pearl - it's Chinese name is "the Moon from the Bottom of the Sea". Pearls indicate the refinement of a connoisseur and so this tile suggests luxury and wealth.


2 Circle

Chinese Character: "Sung"

Represented by the pine tree and symbolising the qualities of the tree, that is, firmness and strength - and therefore is often linked to a young man. Perhaps a lover, younger brother or son. It is also linked with writing and drawing (not painting), this is because the wood of the pine makes the finest charcoal and its soot the finest ink. It can therefore indicate a resolute person who chooses diplomacy rather than violence.


3 Circle

Chinese Character: "Feng"

Symbolised by the phoenix - in Chinese legend it is the phoenix is a bird that is said to appear only at the beginning of a reign of a benign Emperor, when Earth and Heaven are in harmony. It is therefore signifies happiness, joy and splendour.

It is the symbol of the Red Bird of Summer, one of the four great Chinese astrological constellations and it is therefore associated with the South Wind.


4 Circle

Chinese Character: "Yü"

Represented by jade, in China it is prized above gold. But jade when taken from the ground is a dull piece of rock, it only acquires value when time, work and skill have transformed the raw stone to an object worth of admiration. Jade does not fade, rust or decay, it is a treasure that survives for all time. Jade therefore represents hard work, but work to a worthy end. It also represents lasting values, long friendships, long life a sense of justice.


5 Circle

Chinese Character: "Lung"

Symbolised by the dragon - a symbol of good luck and fortune. It represents sudden and unexpected fortune rather than rewards through diligent efforts. It is therefore associated with gamblers and gaming. 5 Circle can also be symbolised by the Plum Blossom, being the first sign of spring it can represent the hopes for luck and fortune in the newly arrived year.


6 Circle

Chinese Character: "Tao"

Symbolised by the peach, the softness and fragrance of which express the qualities of feminine beauty. It often denotes the influence, appearance or interference of a young girl who can be a lover, daughter or younger sister. The peach can also represent extravagance and indolence.


7 Circle

Chinese Character: "Ch'ung"

Represented by the insect, and signifying industrious, because of the behaviour of the insect, for example, the silk worm spinning its thread, the ant building its city and  the bees gathering food. The insect is the counterpart of jade (4 Circles). Whereas jade represents sustained effort bringing lasting reward, the insect represents a period of busy activity over a short period, perhaps for no eventual purpose, but the reward can be temporary achievement. The fragility of the insect also represents weakness and therefore can indicate that a situation is not as weighty as first thought.


8 Circle

Chinese Character: "Hu"

Symbolised by the white tiger, and the most masculine of all tiles. It represents authority and bravery, but also aggression. It can mean an officer, a person in uniform, or one's superiors, the police or bureaucrats. It can also reveal a father, the elder of two boys.  The white tiger is a constellation of autumn and is therefore associated with the West Wind.


9 Circle

Chinese Character: "Ch'i"

The symbol is the unicorn - in Chinese legend one of the signs that appear in the reign of a good Emperor. The unicorn is regarded as having powers to see into the future, a talent that was passed on to mortals who gazed into pools of water by the light of the unicorn's burning horn. The significance of the unicorn is therefore the ability to foresee events and can signify the gift of clairvoyance. On a more material level it indicates a natural ability of a person to keep ahead of events or rivals - a sense of being able to judge other people's characters with uncanny accuracy by "seeing through" them.


1 Wan

Chinese Character: "Ju"

Represented by the Chinese character for one and resembling the bar of a door. Therefore the significance is of a barrier being lifted, or a door being opened, bringing new opportunities ahead.


2 Wan

Chinese Character: "Chien"

Symbolised by the sword. A double-edged sword denotes a balance or a decision. It can therefore represent the joining together or the severance of something, for example, in relation to people or an event. Either way it indicates that something is held in balance and that no progress can be made until a decision is made. The sword is associated to the season Autumn, the West Wind, the element metal and the colour white.


3 Wan

Chinese Character: "Ti"

Represented by the Earth, one of the five elements of Chinese philosophy. It symbolises the fixed centre and does not therefore belong to any season or compass direction. This tile represents Earth element's attributes which include stability, more generally it is interpreted to mean land, estate, wide open spaces or the countryside.


4 Wan

Chinese Character: "Ch'in"

Symbolised by the lute and representing the performing arts. It is a symbol of music, leisure and relaxation - a time for enjoyment after a day or lifetime's work.


5 Wan

Chinese Character: "Fang"

Represented by the symbol of a house and meaning any building, for example, a home, place of business, administrative offices, school or hospital. The symbol essentially represents a physical building rather than an organisation or society.


6 Wan

Chinese Character: "Huo"

Symbolised by the element fire and the third element in the five elements of Chinese philosophy. It represents the personal attributes of intelligence and inspiration. This tile above all others in the Mah Jongg set provide the greatest warning of danger. It can indicate the burning up of resources; mental, physical and financial. It can also (when associated with certain other tiles) indicate an accident to a person or property.


7 Wan

Chinese Character: "Tuo"

Represented by the "seven stars" and indicating imagination. The "seven stars" denote the seven stars that make up the constellation of the Plough - part of the Great Bear of Western astronomy. This constellation was believed to be the seat of the gods - and was particularly associated with literary excellence in ancient Chinese mythology. Consequently this tile can represent writing, mathematics or literature. The essential qualities represented by this tile are therefore hope, imagination and literary excellence.


8 Wan

Chinese Character: "Chieh"

The most enigmatic of all the tiles and represented by a knot. A knot can represent the tying or untying of something, related to persons of an event.


9 Wan

Chinese Character: "Tien"

Represented by Heaven and symbolising completion, not necessarily an end because as one cycle closes another begins. It therefore represents achievement and fulfilment.


East Wind

Chinese Character: "Tung"

The East Wind is associated with spring, the colour green, the dragon constellation (5 Circles) and the element wood.


South Wind

Chinese Character: "Nan"

The South Wind is associated with summer, the colour red, the phoenix constellation (3 Circles)  and the element fire.


West Wind

Chinese Character: "Hsi"

The West Wind is associated with autumn, the colour white, the tiger constellation (8 Circles) and the element metal.


North Wind

Chinese Character: "Pei"

The North Wind is associated with winter, the colour black, the tortoise constellation (7 Bamboo) and the element water.


Green Dragon

Chinese Character: "Fa"

The true name of this tile is represented by the Chinese character "Fa" which means "to commence".  The "Fa" character is a stylised interpretation of a bow being drawn with an arrow about to be fired. The meaning of this tile is therefore - proceed, start or begin. It is commonly called "The Green Dragon" in western Mah Jongg sets because the "Fa" character is frequently drawn in green ink.


Red Dragon

Chinese Character: "Chung"

The true name of this tile is represented by the Chinese character "Chung" which means "centre" or "middle".  The "Chung" character represents interpretation an arrow striking the centre of a target. The meaning of this tile is therefore - success, achievement. This tile is the counterpart of the "The Green Dragon" tile which show the arrow about to leave the bow. It is commonly called "The Red Dragon" in western Mah Jongg sets because the "Chung" character is generally drawn in red ink.


White Dragon

Chinese Character: "Pai"

Historically, the White Dragon tile used to be part of the spare tiles in a Mah Jongg set, but later became used in the game itself. The representation of the tile varies in Mah Jongg sets, it is shown as a plain (blank) tile: sometimes marked with the lettering "WHITE", or perhaps with a simple border enclosing the letter "B" (for Blank) or "P" (to represent the Chinese character "Pai"), or with a decorative border only. The White Dragon is a blank tile that represents the mysterious unknown.


Plum Blossom

Chinese Character: "Li"

Known as "Plum" or "Plum Blossom" and represented by the Chinese character "Li". The plum blossom is one of the first signs of spring and thus symbolises innocence and inexperience and reflects happiness. It can also be a sign of renewed vitality and new fortune.  The plum flower is associated with the East Wind and the season Spring.


Orchid

Chinese Character: "Lan"

The orchid is rare and exquisite plant - the pleasures of which are generally reserved for those who can afford it. It therefore indicates refinement and it is a symbol of the rare and precious. It is represented by the Chinese character "Lan". The orchid flower is associated with the South Wind and season Summer.


Chrysanthemum

Chinese Character: "Chü"

In China the chrysanthemum is regarded as a symbol of the sun and it is represented by the Chinese character "Chü". The chrysanthemum represents pleasure, social activities, leisure and entertainment. It is associated with the West Wind and the season Autumn.


Bamboo

Chinese Character: "Chu"

The bamboo is a most versatile plant with thousands of uses ranging from house-building to painting and writing, where a small stem of bamboo can be carved into a nib. The bamboo flower represented by the Chinese character "Chu" is associated with writing, learning and scholarship. It is also associated with the North Wind and the season Winter.


Spring

Chinese Character: "Yu"

Spring is represented by the "fisherman".  Chinese miniatures of the fisherman often represent the ancient philosopher Chiang T'ai Kung who was discovered by King Wen of the Chou dynasty. King Wen is attributed with the compilation of the commentaries in the I Ching.

The fisherman's philosophy is simple common sense, it is that good management leads to good working relationships which in turn bring prosperity to all. The fisherman is also renowned for his patience and can represents this quality also.

The fisherman / spring is represented by the Chinese character "Yu", is associated to the East Wind, the colour green, the element wood and the Plum Blossom flower.


Summer

Chinese Character: "Ch'iao"

Summer is represented by the "Woodcutter". The woodcutter chopping firewood is a representation of three of the five elements of Chinese philosophy: Fire and Wood and Metal (represented by the woodcutter's axe). Fire is the dominant element which controls wood and metal, and it represents all the positive influences of vitality, drive, ambition and industry. The meaning signified by the woodcutter is success through activity. The woodcutter / summer is represented by the Chinese character "Ch'iao" and is associated to the South Wind, the element fire and the Orchid flower.


Autumn

Chinese Character: "Keng"

Also represented by the "Farmer" and signifying the tasks and toil of bringing in a harvest. It is associated with physical and arduous labour, but all the same, labour which brings its own rich rewards. The farmer specifically indicates that bodily effort is required to achieve a task, it is not an oblique reference to perseverance or patience but rather indicates that one needs to get up and put one's back into a job!

The farmer / autumn is represented by the Chinese character "Keng" and is associated with the West Wind, the colour white, the element metal and the Chrysanthemum flower.


Winter

Chinese Character: "Tu"

Also represented by the "Scholar" - the scholar in question being Confucius. The scholar is usually depicted carrying a fly-whisk, which Taoist philosophers would wave to emphasise certain points during discussions. Winter can be a fallow time when little can be successfully achieved outdoors, the scholar therefore indicates that those of a cultured mind can turn their attentions towards works of literary or artistic merit. For practical minded people the scholar indicates that administrative paperwork must not be forgotten. The qualities of prudence and preserving one's reserves are therefore most significant.

The scholar / winter is represented by the Chinese character "Tu" and is associated with the North Wind, the colour black, the element water and the Bamboo flower.


Precedences

In cases where two or more players want to pick up the same discarded tile, the following rules are applied.

The player who wants the tile for:

1:	Mah Jongg with a Special Hand - will get the tile, if not;

2:	Mah Jongg with a Pung - will get the tile, if not;

3:	Mah Jongg with a Chow - will get the tile, if not;

4:	Mah Jongg with a Double - will get the tile, if not;

5:	Kong - will get the tile, if not;

6:	Pung - will get the tile, if not;

7:	Chow (but only if the tile is discarded by the player who is to the immediate left of the player who wants to pick up the tile)

In cases where this is still not decisive, the player sitting nearest to the player who discarded this tile in the playing direction, will get the tile.


Loose Tiles

Loose Tiles mark the end of the Wall. At the start of a Hand, the opening two tiles are moved to one side and are then called "Loose Tiles". These tiles are placed to show the closing position of the Wall. If you like, it is a visual reminder to the players where the Wall actually ends.

During play, replacement tiles are drawn from the Loose Tiles that mark the end of the Wall. Replacement tiles are given to a player who has achieved a Kong or has been dealt a Flower or Season tile. At no time during a Hand is the Wall left unmarked so if two Loose Tiles are removed (when dealing out replacement tiles to a player) then the last two tiles in the Wall are placed immediately in the position occupied by the Loose Tiles that have just been removed.

See also Kong Box explanation.


Original Hand

Winning with an original hand means that the hand dealt to the East Wind player at the start of a hand is complete to go Mah Jongg. Since the East Wind player is the only player to have 14 tiles at the start of a hand then the East Wind player is the only player who can possibly win with this type of hand. It is a very rare event if this happens, but all the same is possible - the Chinese call this hand the "Hand from Heaven" or "The Natural Winning".


Combinations to get Doubles

Collecting combinations of tiles that are going to double your score is the quickest way to achieve high scores. Here are all the combinations, the easiest ones first:

1	Your own Flower or Season.

1	Having only tiles of one suit except for Winds and Dragons.

1	Any Pung or Kong of Dragons.

1	Any Pung or Kong of your own Wind or the Wind of the Round.

1	Having only ones and nines except for Winds and Dragons.

3	Having only tiles of one suit without any Winds or Dragons.

3	Having only ones and nines without any Winds or Dragons.

3	All Flowers or all Seasons.

3	Having only Winds and Dragons.

3	Winning with an Original Hand.


The Software - Licensing and Ordering Information

Enjoying the Game? Then you must register as this program is ShareWare which means that you are free to evaluate this program for 30 days, after that, if you continue to use the program then you are doing so illegally unless you register - this topic tells you all you need to know to do this.

What's New?

What's In and What's Not in the ShareWare Version?

What's Coming Next?

Ordering Information

Order Form

Licensing Information

Disclaimer


What's New

The program you are using is Mah Jongg for Windows - The REAL Game! Version 1.01A. This version resolves some problems in version 1.01 of which we weren't aware at the time of shipping. If you are familiar with its very first implementation (Version 1.00) the first thing you will notice is that there are many new features included in the Game. This has been as a direct result of your feedback for which we thank you for taking the time to do. We hope you will be happy with the improvements that have been made and feel that we listened! As ever our goal is to continually improve this program to mirror as closely as possible an authentic game of Mah Jongg. The main highlights of this latest version of the program are explained as follows.

Differences between versions 1.01A and 1.01

•	An opened game will now change the Wind of the Round and end at the correct player. Games saved in version 1.01 can't be opened in this version.

•	The text balloons will now display correctly on most systems.

•	Repainting of the screen has been optimized.

•	The shading on the floating tiles has been improved.

•	Problems with the "Scoring Configuration Box" are fixed.

•	The players will try harder to achieve a Special Hand.

Differences between versions 1.01 and 1.00

General

•	The wait time can now be set to 10 seconds maximum.

•	The area in which a mouse click is interpreted as an attempt to pick up a discarded tile, has increased by 100%.

•	If you click on the right mouse button, or press the '0' (zero) key, on a discarded tile, play immediately continues with the next player.

•	The program will now ask first what you want to do with a claimed or dealt tile.

•	Autosave will save the game when you exit Mah Jongg and open it when you start Mah Jongg the next time.

•	Floating tiles now appear to come off the screen.

•	The scores box has been reorganized to provide an easier understanding of the scoring system.

•	Concealed kongs can now be kept on your stake until an appropriate moment arises to display this to other players. You will be given a Loose Tile when you reveal the concealed kong.

•	Mah Jongg now has a demo mode in which the game will run endlessly. This is particularly great for displaying in your shop, or using as a screen saver in work, or just for showing others how the game works. You start the demo by running the program "demorun.exe". You can specify the time for which boxes are displayed on the screen by adding it to the command line: "demorun.exe x" where "x" is a number from 1 to 9, indicating 1 to 9 seconds. The default is 3 seconds.

•	After a player has gone Mah Jongg, with the exception of going Mah Jongg with one of the Special Hands, his or her Hand will be displayed in sets of three from left to right, from the player's perspective, with the winning pair as the last two tiles on the right.

•	You can open a Game by dragging it from File Manager to the Mah Jongg window and dropping it there.

•	You can open a Game by double clicking it's file name in File Manager.

•	There are cheat codes in the program...

Sound

This program is supplied with default voices that call out each time a tile is picked up or when a game event occurs (Going Mah Jongg for example), it also includes sounds for tile dealing and movement. One particularly advanced facility offered with the sound option is the ability for you to record your own voice and that of your friends and relatives if you wish, to use in the program. This procedure is a little complex but should make your enjoyment of the game all the greater when you get fed up with the default voices supplied!

Colours

You can now customize colour settings for screen items, in particular the screen background and players stakes. This has been included because it was mentioned that to use the default green colour supplied in Version 1.0 can become a bit tiresome on the eyes after a while. This facility should take care of this problem.

Tile Sets

Much work has gone into the handling of tile sets, again as a direct response from your feedback. New default tile sets are now supplied with Mah Jongg, these allow you to use tile sets with and without numbers included or a symbolic tile set which shows Chinese characters only and no numbers. Another new feature is the ability to use any standard bitmap file as an external tile set and to use this as a tile set in the program. In the course of time we will also be releasing special tile sets for use with this program.

Special Hands

These are now fully functional and playable in this program. You can also configure which special hands are allowed and which ones are not.

This Help File

This Help file has been completely reorganized and updated. New features include a Table Of Contents,an Index and a Tree Climber facility (to show you exactly where you are in this Help file). Click on the  "T.O.C." button to see the Table Of Contents and Index. Click on the Tree Climber icon in the upper left corner of each page, to see exactly where you are in the Help file and to move to another item simply click on the name that you want. You can also use the "Up" button to move up one step at a time in the tree display.

All the old features still work, for example, if you press F1 on a dialog or information box in the program, a corresponding explanation in the Help file will be displayed. Similarly, if you press F1 when a menu item is highlighted an explanation of the menu item will be displayed.

Score Values

This is another area on which considerable work has been done. You can now set scores for each game event that occurs, for example, setting a value for "Snatching a Kong" or  "Going Mah Jongg". You can also set scoring values for special hands.

For more information on new features see Customizing Mah Jongg.


What's what and what's not in the ShareWare version
What's what and what's not in the ShareWare version?

Although this version is fully playable and you should have no problem enjoying it, not all of the features are implemented in the ShareWare version.

You can't open any files.

You can't go Mah Jongg with any of the Special Hands.

You can't configure scoring values.

You can't cheat.

You can't use this software after 30 days.

You see it's not too bad...


What's Coming Next?

For existing Mah Jongg players who have taken this program to heart, we want to continue to improve this program until we cover all major international playing standards for Mah Jongg, that is, we want to take into account all major international playing variations that occur in Mah Jongg for each country that actively supports this game. This is a very big aim, but one we hope to fulfill. If you have information concerning playing variations, then we would like to hear from you.

This version and its predecessor have, we hope, introduced this fascinating game to new people who would otherwise not be able (for lack of finding three other knowledgeable players) to learn this game. From your feedback this seems to be the case. To new players we hope you enjoy Mah Jongg and we hope that this program release will challenge your skill.


Ordering Information

Why order?

Because you are honest, because you like a challenge, because the 30 days have flown by and you still have not beaten the other players, because we will be able to make even better versions, because you can use this software forever, because we will keep you informed about cheap upgrades to even better versions, because there might be a network version in the pipeline, because it's cheaper than buying a set in a shop, because it's a great game!

The price for the registered version of this software is US$ 29.95. For this amount you will receive a key number to unlock all the features which are only available in the registered version. If you would like to receive the program on a diskette (3.5" by default, if you want 5.25" mention it in your registration) send an extra US$ 5 for posting and packaging within Europe and US$ 10 elsewhere.

Prices for Mah Jongg for Windows Version 1.01A

Order:	US$	UK£	French Francs

Registration Number Only:	29.95	20.00	150.00

Registration Number and
Mah Jongg on 3.5" diskette:

Europe:	34.95	23.50	175.00

Elsewhere:	39.95	27.00	200.00

Mah Jongg is available on SWREG (GO SWREG) on CompuServe. The ID number is: 5675. If you order this way you will get a Registration Number as soon as possible via email on CompuServe.

We've had a lot of complaints about the difficulty of payments from around the world to France. This time we've really tried hard to get something suitable set up, but the banks we've dealt with don't cater for individuals like us. So unfortunately getting the money to us is still a bit of a problem, but we would like to ask you to persevere. It might well be possible that your bank allows you to write out a cheque in French Francs, which would be a perfect solution. If you are not sure, ask your bank. Otherwise we can only accept cash (at your own risk), cheques drawn on French banks or UK banks, Thomas Cook Foreign Exchange cheques or similar, Euro Cheques (in French Francs) or International Money Orders, available at your local Post Office. If your order is not complete, that is you forget to give us a return address or the right money, then we can't return it. You can use the Order Form to register.

Here is the address to send your order to:

Bloem

69, Allée des Plaqueminiers

Île Verte

06560 Valbonne

France

The CompuServe address is:

Name:	Berrie Bloem

Address:	100545,2530

From the Internet you can reach us on this address:

Name:	Berrie Bloem

Address:	100545.2530@compuserve.com

If you can be reached on either CompuServe or the Internet, please send us your net address as well.


Order Form
Order Form for Mah Jongg for Windows(TM) Version 1.01A

Mah Jongg for Windows(TM) Copyright © 1995 By Berrie Bloem.

I would like to register your program called "Mah Jongg for Windows(TM) Version 1.01A".

I enclose a payment as advised in the "mahjongg.hlp" file.

Here are my details: (please print)	Date:...............................

Name:	.......................................................................................

Address:	.......................................................................................

.......................................................................................

.......................................................................................

.......................................................................................

.......................................................................................

Postal Code:	.......................................................................................

City:	.......................................................................................

State:	.......................................................................................

Country:	.......................................................................................

E-Mail Address (optional):	.......................................................................................

Fax Number:	.......................................................................................
(optional, if you would like to receive your Registration Number quickly)

I would like to receive:

.... Registration Number only at:

US$29.95 or UK£20.00 or FF150.00:	.................................

or:

.... Registration Number and 3.5" diskette at:

Europe: US$34.95 or UK£23.50 or FF175.00:	.................................

World: US$39.95 or UK£27.00 or FF200.00:	.................................

_________________

Total payment enclosed:	.................................

I found out about your program in/on: (optional)

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................

Signed,

Please return this form, together with your payment, to the following address:

Bloem

69, Allée des Plaqueminiers

Île Verte

06560 Valbonne

France


License Information

Mah Jongg for Windows Copyright © 1995 By Berrie Bloem.

Please carefully read the following information:

Your license to use this software expires after 30 days.

This software is distributed as ShareWare, it is not for free. This means that you can use it for a limited period only and if you would like to continue using this software, you will have to register it with the author. See Ordering Information for full details on how to get your own registered copy.

Please feel free to upload this ShareWare software to any electronic bulletin board, include it on the cover disk of your magazine, give it to anyone who might be interested, so as many people as possible will have a chance to enjoy this software, provided you distribute it in full, containing all the files in an unaltered state. See the mjreadme.txt file.

By using this software you agree to the following:

•	You agree to register and pay for this software after the trial period has expired to enable you to continue using this software.

•	You agree that the copyright for this software is the property of the authors and that you shall not change any copyright notice whatsoever.

•	You agree that you will not attempt to reverse compile, modify, translate, or disassemble the software in whole or in part.

•	You agree that although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this software, the authors cannot assume any responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of this software or the information contained herein.

•	You agree to have a good time using this software.

If you do not agree to one or more of the points listed above, exit now and remove this software from your computer.

What's In and What's Not in the ShareWare Version?

And now it's time to start playing!


Disclaimer

WARNING:	Sitting in front of a computer screen for a prolonged period of time can and seriously will damage your health. Please do take a break at least every hour.

Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

Mah Jongg for Windows Copyright © 1995 By Berrie Bloem.

Mah Jongg for Windows - The REAL Game! Copyright © 1995 By Berrie Bloem.

All rights reserved.

Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this software, the authors assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of this software or the information contained herein.


The Program - Technical Information

This section tells you all you need to know on how to setup and use the program. Information is available on the following topics:

System Requirements

Installation Notes

Monitor Information

Error Messages


System Requirements

Mah Jongg for Windows will run on any system that runs Microsoft Windows(TM) version 3.10 or higher. It has been tested on Windows 3.10, Windows for Workgroups 3.11, Windows NT 3.50 and 3.51 and Windows 95 June 95 and March 95 releases.


Monitor Information

The screen display has been optimized for 256 colours. If you find that the redrawing of the tiles takes a long time, try setting your system to 256 colours. You can do this with the "Setup" program which should be in your "Main" group in Program Manager.


Error Messages

If you are unlucky Mah Jongg for Windows might show one of the following error messages:

Note:	Games saved in version 1.01 can't be opened in version 1.01A.

Error:	The movements of tiles across the screen leaves black lines all over the window.

Solution:	Obviously something has gone wrong in the communication between Mah Jongg and the display. In this case try adding "-e:x" without the quotation marks to the Mah Jongg command line to force a better cleanup of the screen. Replace the "x" with a number from 1 to 9, indicating the extra area around the tile to clean up. Higher numbers will slow down the tile movements. For example, choose "File | Run..." in Program Manager and type: "c:\mahjongg\mahjongg.exe -e:3".

Error:	The menu option "Game | Save" is grayed and not accessible.

Solution:	The current game hasn't been played yet or Mah Jongg doesn't know a file name to save the game as. On some systems this menu will be grayed out even when there is a file name available. In this case try adding "-a" without the quotation marks to the Mah Jongg command line to force enabling of the menu. For example, choose "File | Run..." in Program Manager and type: "c:\mahjongg\mahjongg.exe -a".

Error:	The menu option "Game | Preferences | Sound" is grayed and not accessible.

Solution:	Mah Jongg could not detect a compatible soundcard. Either you haven't got a soundcard or your soundcard doesn't recognize wave (*.wav) files. Otherwise consult the documentation that came with the soundcard and the documentation that came with Windows. If the problem persists, add "-s" without the quotation marks to the Mah Jongg command line. For example, choose "File | Run..." in Program Manager and type: "c:\mahjongg\mahjongg.exe -s".

Error:	You can't hear any sound.

Solution:	Check the items in the following list:

Do you have a soundcard (not just the speaker inside your computer)?

Are the speakers plugged in?

Is the volume turned up?

Have you installed and named the *.WAV files properly? See Customizing Mah Jongg.

Have you set a sound for the Default Beep in your Windows Control Panel - Sound?

Error:	You've checked the option "1 *.WAV per tile" in the Sound Configuration Box and you can't hear any sound.

Solution:	*.WAV files for this option are not supplied with this program. This would make the zip file about 2MB bigger. Make sure you have created those files and named them correctly. Also make sure that you've installed them in the right directory. See Customizing Mah Jongg for more information.

Error:	Can't find "TILES.DLL"

Solution:	Move the files: TILES.DLL, MAHJONGG.HLP, MJREADME.TXT and MAHJONGG.EXE all to the same directory.

Error:	Old version of "TILES.DLL"

Solution:	Make sure that the right version of TILES.DLL is in the same directory as mahjongg.exe. You can check the version numbers in File Manager if you select the menu "View | All File Details". The version numbers of MAHJONGG.EXE and TILES.DLL are shown in the time stamp of those files: 01:01:00. The version of TILES.DLL that came with release 1.00 (January 1995) will not work with this new version.

Error:	You are using an old version of "BWCC.DLL". Copy the version from the Mah Jongg zip file to your Windows\System directory. Mah Jongg will now exit.

Solution:	Make sure that the correct version of BWCC.DLL (4.50) is loaded in memory. You can check the version number in File Manager if you select the menu option "View | All File Details". The time stamp on the copy of BWCC.DLL should read 04:50:00. If the copy of BWCC.DLL that came with the Mah Jongg zip file is newer than the copy found in your Windows or Windows\System directory, then copy the version from the Mah Jongg zip file to your Windows\System directory and delete any copies found in your Windows directory. Try running Mah Jongg again.

If the problem remains then you have to search all directories listed after the "PATH=" and possibly "SET PATH=" statements in your autoexec.bat file and your Windows and Windows\System directory for copies of BWCC.DLL. Close all applications except Program Manager and File Manager. Make backup copies of all versions on a floppy and include information from which directory a particular copy came from. Delete any versions of this DLL in your Windows directory and copy the newest version you can find of this DLL to your Windows\System directory. Try running Mah Jongg again.

If the problem still remains, then delete all versions of this DLL on your system, except for the copy in your Windows\System directory. Mah Jongg should run now.

Error:	Sorry... You are using a version prior to Windows 3.1. Mah Jongg needs Windows 3.1 or higher. Mah Jongg will now exit.

Solution:	I'm afraid you'll have to install a version of Microsoft Windows (TM) newer than the version you have now. Versions onwards from 3.10 should run Mah Jongg properly.

Error:	Mah Jongg has a problem allocating memory. Free up memory by closing other applications. Mah Jongg will now exit.

Solution:	The memory on a computer is limited. Other applications have taken up so much of it that Mah Jongg can't get enough to run properly. Close all applications you're not working on at the moment and try running Mah Jongg again.

Error:	Could not Create Timer

Solution:	There are only a limited number of timers in Windows. Other applications have taken up so many of them that Mah Jongg can't get the timers needed to run properly. Close all applications you're not working on at the moment and try running Mah Jongg again.

Error:	Error opening Help. Can't find "MAHJONGG.HLP". Make sure it is in the same directory as "MAHJONGG.EXE".

Solution:	Move the files: TILES.DLL, MAHJONGG.HLP, MJREADME.TXT and MAHJONGG.EXE all to the same directory.

You can contact me if problems persist, see Ordering Information on how to contact me.


Table of Contents   Index   Close

Chow

Concealed

Dead Hand

East Wind Player

Eight Guardians

Exposed

Game

Hand

Kong

Kong Box

Loose Tiles

Mah Jongg

Original Hand

Pung

QuickTip

Rack

Red Name

Rotation of East Wind

Round

Scoring Sticks

Snatching a Kong to go Mah Jongg

Special Hands

Stake

Standing Hand

The Suits

The Three Suits

Tile

Wait Time

Wall

Wind of the Round

Winning with a drawn Tile

Winning with a Loose Tile

Winning with the last Tile from the Wall

Winning with the only possible Tile


Chow

A Chow is three consecutive tiles of the same suit.

Example:

You are ONLY allowed to collect Chows from the suits, Wan, Bamboo or Circles. There are two varieties of Chow - Exposed and Concealed.


Concealed

This refers to tiles that you have in your hand (or stake) - that is, tiles that are not exposed on screen for the other players to see. The significance of concealed tiles is that you will get double points for suits you have collected in this way, when scores are totalled at the end of a Hand.


Dead Hand

A Dead Hand means that all the Tiles in the Wall have been played and nobody has gone Mah Jongg. All Tiles are reshuffled, a new Wall is built and a new Hand started. No scores are counted and the  East Wind player remains the same.


East Wind Player

This is the player who plays as East Wind during a hand and whose tiles will be shown on a red background stake.


Eight Guardians

The Eight Guardians of Taoism: the four Flowers and the four Seasons.


Exposed

This refers to tiles that are displayed above your stake. An Exposed Chow, Pung or Kong can only be made from tiles that you have picked up that have been discarded by other players. In such cases you have no option but to reveal to the other players the tile suit you have been collecting. Exposed tile suits score lower points at the end of a Hand.


Game

A Game consists of four Rounds and is played until each of the four Winds have played as Wind of the Round once and all players have played as an East Wind player four times. A game will always start with East Wind being as the Wind of the Round and it is finished when East Wind after all other Winds have played as Winds of the Round.


Hand

A Hand is one dealing of tiles to each player and it is played until either the hand becomes dead or a player goes Mah Jongg.


Kong

A Kong is four identical tiles of the same suit.

You can collect Kongs for all suits. There are two varieties of Kong - Exposed and Concealed.

Tiles on the ends of a Kong are positioned face down to indicate whether the Kong is of an exposed or a concealed variety.

Exposed Kong:

Concealed Kong:


Kong Box

The last 14 tiles in the Wall, to the left of the opening of the Wall, and the loose tiles are referred to as the Kong Box. The purpose of the tiles in the Kong box is to supply extra tiles to players during a Game. These tiles perform no other function throughout a Game.


Loose Tiles

The Loose Tiles are the last two tiles of the Kong Box used to supply replacement tiles for Kongs, Flowers and Seasons.


Mah Jongg

To go Mah Jongg in a game, in general, a player's Hand must consist of four sets of three or four tiles, (that is, Pungs, Kongs and Chows) which can be Exposed or Concealed, plus a pair of identical tiles. The topic Mah Jongg Examples can give you an idea of the type of hand you will need to go Mah Jongg. A Mah Jongg hand can also consist of any of the Special Hands.


Original Hand

An Original Hand is a very rare event and can only be achieved by an East Wind player. This hand  occurs when the East Wind player is able to go Mah Jongg from the tiles they are initially dealt plus the first tile that is drawn by the East Wind player from the Wall. For such a hand the East Wind player's score will be an extra three times doubled. This Hand is also known as "The Heavenly Blessing", "Hand from Heaven" and "The Natural Winning". See Special Hands for more information.


Pung

A Pung is three identical tiles of the same suit.

Example:

You can collect Pungs for all suits. There are two varieties of Pung - Exposed and Concealed.


QuickTip

An option you can use to tell you the status of tiles in a game or if you are unsure which tile to discard it can suggest a tile for you to discard. When QuickTip is switched on you can point the cursor at the tiles on your stake and it will tell you how many times each tile has gone out. You can either take the suggestion or choose another tile to discard. When QuickTip is active the cursor can also change to a hand symbol over a tile that has been discarded by another player - this indicates that you might like to pick this tile up and use it to complete a suit in your hand.


Rack

A term that is sometimes used instead of "Stake".


Red Name

This indicates the name of the player who started the Game as the East Wind player. As the name implies, this player's name is shown in red in the centre compass display.


Rotation of East Wind

When a player other than the East Wind player goes Mah Jongg, the player to the right of the East Wind player will then become the East Wind Player. All winds are rotated one player to the right.


Round

A Round is a minimum of four Hands, which is played until all players have played as East Wind once. A Wind of the Round is assigned and this will remain in force until the Round is complete. The significance of the Wind of the Round is that you can score higher points if you can manage to collect Pungs or Kongs of this tile. The length of a Round can vary considerably because it is determined by the time it takes to give each player a chance of playing as East Wind - and this can vary enormously if,  for example, the East Wind player continues to win, because in such circumstances the East Wind player will remain as the East Wind player until they lose!


Scoring Sticks

A set of sticks - the markings of which can vary considerably, that are used to help players total their scores at the end of a hand. Note - these are not necessary in this program, but rather can be used in a physical Game as the scoring process can be quite complex.


Snatching a Kong to go Mah Jongg

This rare event occurs when a player draws a tile from the Wall and uses this tile to convert an exposed Pung into an exposed Kong, at the same time this tile is required by another player to complete a Chow in order to go Mah Jongg. In such a case, the tile is given to the player who needs it to go Mah Jongg and they score an extra double for the total score for their hand.


Special Hands

Special Hands are special cases of a Mah Jongg. They are rare occurrences and score fixed high scores. See Special Hands examples for further information.


Stake

A stake is the name given to a stand that you use to hold tiles that you are dealt - so other players cannot see what you have. Sometimes it is called a "rack". Stakes come in two colours, red and black. The red stake is always given to the player who is East Wind during a hand. All other players will have their tiles placed on a black stake.


Standing Hand

A Standing Hand means that after the first tile discard by a player, the player only needs one specific tile to complete a Mah Jongg. The player keeps discarding picked up tiles until this specific tile is available to pick up. The tile that is required can become available from the Wall or it may be discarded by another player. For this type of hand the player scores an extra one hundred points. Obviously this is a very rare event.


The Suits

All tiles except the Flowers and Seasons.


The Three Suits

The suits Wan, Bamboo and Circle.


Tile

Tiles are comparable to the playing cards that make up a deck of cards. They are the most basic items that you need in order to play a Game. Tiles used to be made of bamboo, bones or ivory, but luckily this last material has been replaced in recent years by synthetic ivory look-a-likes. They are engraved and painted with the symbols they represent in the Game.

See also :	144 Tiles
Overview of all the tiles


Wait Time

The time the program allows for you to decide whether to pick up a tile discarded by any other players or to take back a tile discarded by yourself.


Wall

The Wall is made of all 144 tiles, it is a square with sides that are 18 tiles long and it is two tiles high. All tiles positioned face downwards in the Wall.


Wind of the Round

The Wind of the Round is the Wind displayed next to the compass. Collecting a Pung or a Kong of this Wind will double your score. East Wind is always the first Wind of the Round and after each Round the Wind of the Round is rotated to the next Wind on the compass in counter clockwise direction. A Game is finished after North Wind has been Wind of the Round and all four players have been East Wind four times.


Winning with a drawn Tile

This means that the tile a player uses to go Mah Jongg has been drawn from the Wall and it is not a tile that has been discarded by any other player. For winning in this way the player scores an extra two points.


Winning with a Loose Tile

This means that the tile a player uses to go Mah Jongg has been drawn from the Kong Box (as a replacement tile for a Flower, Season or Kong) and it is not a tile that has been discarded by any other player. For winning in this way the player scores an extra ten points.


Winning with the last Tile from the Wall

This means that the tile a player uses to go Mah Jongg is the last tile in the Kong Box and therefore the last tile before the Hand goes dead. For winning in this way the player scores an extra ten points.


Winning with the only possible Tile

This means that the tile a player uses to go Mah Jongg is the only possible tile that the player could use in order to complete their hand and go Mah Jongg.


Table of Contents
Index   Glossary   Close

Contents

The Game - How to quickly start using this program

The Game - Full Explanation

The Game - History and Symbolism

The Program - Full Explanation

The Program - Customizing Mah Jongg

The Program - Technical Information

The Software - Licensing and Ordering Information

Epilog


The Game - How to quickly start using this program

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

How to quickly start using this program

If You Are New To Mah Jongg

Object of the Game

Minimum Rules to get playing

Minimum mouse and keyboard commands

Explanation of screen


Explanation Of The Screen

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

Explanation of screen

Compass, Wind of the Round, Players and Scores

Stakes

Status Bar


Status Bar

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

Status Bar

Status Bar Messages


Beginners Guide

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

Welcome

Object Of The Game

The Screen

The Tiles

How Do I Play The Game

The Start

Tiles Dealt To You

Discarded Tiles: Pungs, Kongs and Chows

What Am I Looking For?

Keep On Playing

Going Mah Jongg


The Game - Full Explanation

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

The Game - Full Explanation

The Game

Rules

Tactics

Scoring

Mah Jongg Examples

The Special Hands

Bibliography


The Game

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

The Game

Starting A Game

Who Is Going To Be East Wind

Starting A Hand

Building The Wall

Which side of the Wall is going to be opened

Which tile is going to be opened

Dealing The Tiles

Loose Tiles

Playing A Hand

East Wind Starts A Hand

Claiming An Original Hand

Claiming A Standing Hand

Taking Tiles From The Wall

Discarding Tiles

Claiming Discarded Tiles

Claiming Discarded Tiles For A Chow

Claiming Discarded Tiles For A Pung

Claiming Discarded Tiles For A Kong

Claiming Discarded Tiles For A Mah Jongg

Finishing A Hand

A Dead Hand

Somebody Goes Mah Jongg

Scoring

Rotation Of East Wind

Rotation Of The Wind Of The Round

Going To The Next Hand

Finishing A Game

Final Winner Of The Game

Starting A New Game


Scoring

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

Scoring

Calculating Scores for Players Hands

Default Scoring Values

Settling Scores

Scoring Exceptions

Scoring Sticks


The Special Hands

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

The Special Hands

Imperial Mah Jongg

Mah Jongg Of The Mandarin

Mah Jongg Of The Crazy Monkey

Fourfold Homely Happiness

Great Green Major Hand

Great Green Minor Hand

Red And Green Hand

Three Adopted Sons Of Dragon Nine

Three Adopted Sons Of Dragon One

Small Green Major Hand

Small Green Minor Hand

Ennemies

Three Adopted Sons Of Red Dragon

Three Adopted Sons Of The Wind

Four Great Siamese Sisters

Four Small Siamese Sisters

Rose Of The Winds

Three Great Scholars

Mah Jongg Of Winds And Dragons

Calling Nine Tile Hand

Thirteen Wonderfull Lanterns

Great Snake

Snake Of Dragons

Snake Of The Four Winds

Little Snake

Heavenly Blessing

Terrestrial Blessing

Thirteen Odd Majors

Buried Treasure

Picked By The Golden Cock


The Program - Full Explanation

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

The Program - Full Explanation

Mouse Buttons

Keyboard

Menus

Information and Message Boxes

Explanation of screen

Compass, Wind of the Round, Players and Scores

Stakes

Status Bar


Menus

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

Menus

Game

Hand

Options

Help

Floating Menu

Next Hand!

Start!

Kong!

Continue!


The Game Menu

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

Game

New

Open

Save

Save As

Preferences

Exit


The Game | Preferences Menu

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

Preferences

SetUp

Colours

Tile Sets

Tile Movements

Sound


The Hand Menu

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

Hand

Next Hand

(Re)Start this Hand


The Options Menu

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

Options

Configure Rules

Configure Scoring

Ask First

Auto Play

Show All Hands


The Help Menu

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

Help

Index

Search

QuickTip

Mouse

Keyboard

Register

Ordering Information

About Mah Jongg


The Floating Menu

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

Floating Menu

Undo

Pause

Glossary   Close


Information and Message Boxes

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

Information and Message Boxes

Standard Buttons

About Box

Can Go Mah Jongg Box

Choice Box

Colours Box

Concealed Kong Box

Error Reading Bitmap Box

Error Opening File Box

Error Not a Mah Jongg File Box

Expose this Kong Box

Exit Box

Exposed Kong Box

Game Finished Box

Only ".mah" Extensions Box

Open Mah Jongg Game Box

Overwrite This File Box

Registration Box

Rules Configuration Box

Save Mah Jongg Game As Box

Save Box

Scores Box

Scoring Configuration Box

General Setup Box

Sound Configuration Box

Standing Hand Box

Tile Movements Box

Tile Sets Box

Total Scores Box


Standard Buttons

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

Ok

Help

Cancel

Yes

No


The Choice Box

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

Choice Box

Title

Mah Jongg

Kong

Pung

Chow


The Colours Box

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

Colours Box

Background

East Wind Stake

Other Stakes

Red

Green

Blue

Default


The Register Box

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

Registration Box

Your Name

Your Registration Number


The Rules Configuration Box

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

Rules Configuration Box

Chows Are Allowed

Special Hands Are Allowed

Flowers Are In The Game

Scores: Start At

Scores: Maximum Score


The Scores Box

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

Scores Box

Players Score

Ok

Cancel

First Name

Second Name

Third Name

Fourth Name

Totals Button


The Total Scores Box

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

Total Scores Box

Totals

Ok

Cancel

First Name

Second Name

Third Name

Fourth Name

Totals Button


The Scoring Configuration Box

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

Scoring Configuration Box

Scoring Event

Points

Doubles

Mah Jongg Hand Only

No Scoring Value

Allow This Special Hand

Total Score

Default

Default All

Show


The General Setup Box

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

General Setup Box

Names

Speech Balloons

Timer Bar

Autosave

Wait Time


The Sound Configuration Box

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

Sound Configuration Box

Warning Beeps

Tile Sounds

Dealing

Voices

Your Voice

1 *.WAV per tile


The Tile Movements Box

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

Tile Movements Box

Movements

Direction

Dealing

Shading

Shadow Size

Speed

Test


The Tile Sets Box

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

Tile Sets Box

Preview

Tiles With Numbers

Tiles Without Numbers

Characters Only

External

File name

Open Tile Set

Open Bitmap File


The Game - History And Symbolism

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

The Game - History and Symbolism

History

Inverted Compass

144 Tiles

Overview of all the Tiles

The Symbolism of Colours

Wall

Mah Jongg as an Oracle

Bamboos, Circles and Wan

Winds

Dragons

Flowers

Seasons


Symbolism - Bamboos, Circles and Wan

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

Bamboos, Circles and Wan

Bamboos

Circles

Wan


The Program - Customizing Mah Jongg

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

The Program - Customizing Mah Jongg

Changing Tile Sets

Using Sound

Changing Program Colours

Setting Score Values


Using Sound

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

Using Sound

Recording Voices for use in Mah Jongg

Mah Jongg Script For Voices and Filenames


Changing Tile Sets

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

Changing Tile Sets

Creating New Tile Sets


The Software - Licensing And Ordering Information

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

The Software - Licensing and Ordering Information

What's New

What's what and what's not in the ShareWare version

What's Coming Next

Ordering Information

Order Form

License Information

Disclaimer


The Program - Technical Information

Up   Index   Glossary   Close

The Program - Technical Information

System Requirements

Monitor Information

Error Messages


index
Table of Contents   Glossary   Close

A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T U W Y

About Box

About Mah Jongg (Help)

Allow This Special Hand (Scoring Configuration)

Ask First (Options)

Auto Play (Options)

Background (Colours)

Bamboos

Bamboos, Circles and Wan

Beginners Guide - Discarded Tiles: Pungs, Kongs and Chows

Beginners Guide - Going Mah Jongg

Beginners Guide - How Do I Play The Game?

Beginners Guide - Keep on playing

Beginners Guide - Object of the Game

Beginners Guide - The Screen

Beginners Guide - The Start

Beginners Guide - The Tiles

Beginners Guide - Tiles Dealt To You

Beginners Guide - Welcome

Beginners Guide - What Am I Looking For?

Bibliography

Blue (Colours)

Building The Wall

Buried Treasure

Calculating Scores for Players Hands

Calling Nine Tile Hand

Can Go Mah Jongg Box

Cancel Button

Changing Program Colours

Changing Tile Sets

Characters Only (Tile Sets)

Choice Box - Chow

Choice Box - Kong

Choice Box - Mah Jongg

Choice Box - Pung

Choice Box - Title

Choice Box

Chows are allowed (Rules Configuration)

Circles

Claiming A Standing Hand

Claiming An Original Hand

Claiming Discarded Tiles

Claiming Discarded Tiles For A Chow

Claiming Discarded Tiles For A Kong

Claiming Discarded Tiles For A Mah Jongg

Claiming Discarded Tiles For A Pung

Close (Floating Menu)

Colours (Game | Preferences)

Colours - Background

Colours - Blue

Colours - Default

Colours - East Wind Stake

Colours - Green

Colours - Other Stakes

Colours - Red

Colours Box

Compass

Compass, Wind of the Round, Players and Scores

Concealed Kong Box

Contents

Continue (Menu Bar)

Configure Rules (Options)

Configure Scoring (Options)

Creating New Tile Sets

Customizing Mah Jongg

Dead Hand

Dealing (Tile Movements)

Dealing The Tiles

Default (Colours)

Default (Scoring Configuration)

Default All (Scoring Configuration)

Default Scoring Values

Direction (Tile Movements)

Discarding Tiles

Discarded Tiles: Pungs, Kongs and Chows (Beginners Guide)

Disclaimer

Doubles (Scoring Configuration)

Dragons

East Wind Player

East Wind Stake (Colours)

East Wind Starts A hand

Enemies

Epilog

Error Messages

Error Not a Mah Jongg File Box

Error Reading Bitmap Box

Error Opening File Box

Exit (Game)

Exit Box

Explanation of screen

Expose this Kong Box

Exposed Kong Box

Exposed Tiles

External (Tile Sets)

Final Winner Of The Game

Find Special Hand

Finishing A Game

Finishing A Hand

First Name Button In Scores Box

Floating Menu

Floating Menu | Close

Floating Menu | Pause

Floating Menu | Undo

Flowers

Flowers Are In The Game

Four Great Siamese Sisters

Four Small Siamese Sisters

Fourfold Homely Happiness

Fourth Name Button In Scores Box

Full Explanation (The Game)

Full Explanation (The Program)

File Name (Tile Sets)

Game

Game | Exit

Game | New

Game | Open

Game | Preferences

Game | Preferences | Colours

Game | Preferences | Setup

Game | Preferences | Sound

Game | Preferences | Tile Movements

Game | Preferences | Tile Sets

Game | Save

Game | Save As

Game Finished Box

General Setup - Autosave

General Setup - Names

General Setup - Speech Balloons

General Setup - Timer Bar

General Setup - Wait Time

General Setup Box

Going Mah Jongg (Beginners Guide)

Going To The Next Hand

Great Green Major Hand

Great Green Minor Hand

Great Snake

Green (Colours)

Hand

Hand | (Re)Start this Hand

Hand | Next Hand

Heavenly Blessing

Help

Help | About Mah Jongg

Help | Index

Help | Keyboard

Help | Mouse

Help | Ordering Information

Help | QuickTip

Help | Register

Help | Search

Help Button

History

History and Symbolism (The Game)

How Do I Play The Game? (Beginners Guide)

How to quickly start using this program (The Game)

Imperial Mah Jongg

Index (Help)

Information and Message Boxes

Inverted Compass

Keep on playing (Beginners Guide)

Keyboard

Keyboard (Help)

Kong (Choice Box)

Kong (Menu Bar)

Kong Box

License Information

Licensing and Ordering Information (The Software)

Little Snake

Loose Tiles and the Kong Box

Mah Jongg (Choice Box)

Mah Jongg as an Oracle

Mah Jongg Examples

Mah Jongg Of The Crazy Monkey

Mah Jongg Of The Mandarin

Mah Jongg Of Winds And Dragons

Mah Jongg Hand Only (Scoring Configuration)

Mah Jongg Script For Voices and Filenames

Maximum Score

Menu Bar | Continue

Menu Bar | Kong

Menu Bar | Next Hand

Menu Bar | Start

Menus

Message Boxes

Minimum mouse and keyboard commands

Minimum Rules to get playing

Monitor Information

Mouse (Help)

Mouse Buttons

Movements (Tile Movements)

New (Game)

Next Hand (Hand)

Next Hand (Menu Bar)

No Button

No Scoring Value (Scoring Configuration)

North Wind Player

Object of the Game

Ok Button

Open (Game)

Open Bitmap File (Tile Sets)

Open Mah Jongg Game Box

Open Tile Set (Tile Sets)

Only ".mah" Extensions Box

Options

Options | Ask First

Options | Auto Play

Options | Configure Rules

Options | Configure Scoring

Options | Show All Hands

Order Form

Ordering Information

Other Stakes (Colours)

Overview of all the Tiles

Overwrite This File Box

Object of the Game (Beginners Guide)

Ordering Information (Help)

Pause (Floating Menu)

Picked By The Golden Cock

Playing A Hand

Points (Scoring Configuration)

Preferences (Game)

Preview (Tile Sets)

Pung (Choice Box)

QuickTip (Help)

Recording Voices for use in Mah Jongg

Red (Colours)

Red And Green Hand

Register (Help)

Register - Your Name

Register - Your Registration Number

Registration Box

Restart this Hand (Hand)

Rose Of The Winds

Rotation Of East Wind

Rotation Of The Wind Of The Round

Rules

Rules Configuration Box

Rules Configuration - Chows are allowed

Rules Configuration - Special Hands are allowed

Rules Configuration - Flowers are in Game

Rules Configuration - Scores: Start with

Rules Configuration - Scores: Maximum score per Hand

Save (Game)

Save As (Game)

Save Mah Jongg Game As Box

Save Box

Scores: Start with (Rules Configuration)

Scores: Maximum score per Hand (Rules Configuration)

Scores Box

Scoring

Scoring Configuration - Allow This Special Hand

Scoring Configuration - Default

Scoring Configuration - Default All

Scoring Configuration - Doubles

Scoring Configuration - Mah Jongg Hand Only

Scoring Configuration - No Scoring Value

Scoring Configuration - Points

Scoring Configuration - Scoring Event

Scoring Configuration - Show

Scoring Configuration - Total Score

Scoring Configuration Box

Scoring Exceptions

Scoring Sticks

Search (Help)

Seasons

Second Name Button In Scores Box

Setting Score Values

Settling Scores

Setup (Game | Preferences)

Shading (Tile Movements)

Shadow Size (Tile Movements)

ShareWare version

Show All Hands (Options)

Small Green Major Hand

Small Green Minor Hand

Snake of Dragons

Snake Of The Four Winds

Somebody Goes Mah Jongg

Sound (Game | Preferences)

Sound - Dealing

Sound - Tile Sounds

Sound - Voices

Sound - Warning Beeps

Sound - Your Voice

Sound - 1 *.WAV per tile

Sound Configuration Box

South Wind Player

Special Hands

Special Hands are allowed (Rules Configuration)

Speech Balloons (General Setup)

Speed (Tile Movements)

Stakes

Standing Hand Box

Start (Menu Bar)

Start Score

Start this Hand (Hand)

Starting A Game

Starting A Hand

Starting A New Game

Status Bar

Status Bar Messages

Symbolism of Colours

System Requirements

Tactics

Taking Tiles From The Wall

Technical Information (The Program)

Terrestrial Blessing

The Game

The Game - Full Explanation

The Game - History and Symbolism

The Game - How to quickly start using this program

The Game Scoring

The Program - Customizing Mah Jongg

The Program - Full Explanation

The Program - Technical Information

The Screen (Beginners Guide)

The Software - Licensing and Ordering Information

The Special Hands

The Start (Beginners Guide)

The Tiles (Beginners Guide)

The Symbolism of Colours

Third Name Button In Scores Box

Thirteen Odd Majors

Thirteen Wonderfull Lanterns

Three Adopted Sons of Dragon Nine

Three Adopted Sons of Dragon One

Three Adopted Sons Of Red Dragon

Three Adopted Sons Of The Wind

Three Great Scholars

Tile Backs

Tile Movements (Game | Preferences)

Tile Movements - Dealing

Tile Movements - Direction

Tile Movements - Movements

Tile Movements - Shading

Tile Movements - Shadow Size

Tile Movements - Speed

Tile Movements - Test

Tile Movements Box

Tile Sets (Game | Preferences)

Tile Sets - Characters Only

Tile Sets - External

Tile Sets - File Name

Tile Sets - Open Bitmap File

Tile Sets - Open Tile Set

Tile Sets - Preview

Tile Sets - Tiles With Numbers

Tile Sets - Tiles Without Numbers

Tile Sets Box

144 Tiles

Timer Bar

Timer Bar (General Setup)

Title (Choice Box)

Total Score (Scoring Configuration)

Total Scores Box

Totals Button

Tile Sounds (Sound)

Tiles Dealt To You (Beginners Guide)

Undo (Floating Menu)

Using Sound

Wait Time (General Setup)

Wall

Wan

1 *.WAV per tile (Sound)

Welcome (Beginners Guide)

West Wind Player

Warning Beeps (Sound)

What Am I Looking For? (Beginners Guide)

What's Coming Next

What's New

What's what and what's not in the ShareWare version

Which side of the Wall is going to be opened

Which tile is going to be opened

Who Is Going To Be East Wind

Wind of The Round

Winds

Yes Button


Mah Jongg Overview

How to quickly start using this program


Mah Jongg Overview

How to quickly start using this program

Beginners Guide


Mah Jongg Overview

How to quickly start using this program

Beginners Guide

Object of the Game


Mah Jongg Overview

How to quickly start using this program

Beginners Guide

The Screen


Mah Jongg Overview

How to quickly start using this program

Beginners Guide

The Tiles


Mah Jongg Overview

How to quickly start using this program

Beginners Guide

How Do I Play The Game


Mah Jongg Overview

How to quickly start using this program

Beginners Guide

The Start


Mah Jongg Overview

How to quickly start using this program

Beginners Guide

Tiles Dealt To You


Mah Jongg Overview

How to quickly start using this program

Beginners Guide

Discarded Tiles: Pungs, Kongs and Chows


Mah Jongg Overview

How to quickly start using this program

Beginners Guide

What Am I Looking For?


Mah Jongg Overview

How to quickly start using this program

Beginners Guide

Keep On Playing


Mah Jongg Overview

How to quickly start using this program

Beginners Guide

Going Mah Jongg


Mah Jongg Overview

How to quickly start using this program

Object of the Game


Mah Jongg Overview

How to quickly start using this program

Minimum Rules to get Playing


Mah Jongg Overview

How to quickly start using this program

Minimum Mouse and Keyboard Commands


Mah Jongg Overview

How to quickly start using this program

Explanation of the Screen


Mah Jongg Overview

How to quickly start using this program

Explanation of screen

Compass, Wind of the Round, Players and Scores


Mah Jongg Overview

How to quickly start using this program

Explanation of screen

Stakes


Mah Jongg Overview

How to quickly start using this program

Explanation of screen

Status Bar


Mah Jongg Overview

How to quickly start using this program

Explanation of screen

Status Bar

Status Bar Messages


Mah Jongg Overview

The Game - Full Explanation


Mah Jongg Overview

The Game - Full Explanation

The Game


Mah Jongg Overview

The Game - Full Explanation

Rules


Mah Jongg Overview

The Game - Full Explanation

Tactics


Mah Jongg Overview

The Game - Full Explanation

Scoring


Mah Jongg Overview

The Game - Full Explanation

Scoring

Calculating Scores for Players Hands


Mah Jongg Overview

The Game - Full Explanation

Scoring

Default Scoring Values


Mah Jongg Overview

The Game - Full Explanation

Scoring

Settling Scores


Mah Jongg Overview

The Game - Full Explanation

Scoring

Scoring Exceptions


Mah Jongg Overview

The Game - Full Explanation

Scoring

Scoring Sticks


Mah Jongg Overview

The Game - Full Explanation

Mah Jongg Examples


Mah Jongg Overview

The Game - Full Explanation

The Special Hands


Mah Jongg Overview

The Game - Full Explanation

Bibliography


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Mouse Buttons


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Keyboard


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Menus


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Menus

Game


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Menus

Game

Preferences


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Menus

Hand


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Menus

Options


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Menus

Help


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Menus

Floating menu


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Information and Message Boxes


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Information and Message Boxes

About Box


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Information and Message Boxes

Can Go Mah Jongg Box


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Information and Message Boxes

Choice Box


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Information and Message Boxes

Colours Setup Box


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Information and Message Boxes

Concealed Kong Box


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Information and Message Boxes

Error Reading Bitmap Box


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Information and Message Boxes

Error Opening File Box


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Information and Message Boxes

Error Not a Mah Jongg File Box


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Information and Message Boxes

Expose This Kong Box


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Information and Message Boxes

Exit Box


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Information and Message Boxes

Exposed Kong Box


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Information and Message Boxes

Game Finished Box


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Information and Message Boxes

Only "*.mah" Extensions Box


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Information and Message Boxes

Open Mah Jongg Game Box


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Information and Message Boxes

Overwrite This File Box


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Information and Message Boxes

Registration Box


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Information and Message Boxes

Rules Configuration Box


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Information and Message Boxes

Save Mah Jongg Game As Box


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Information and Message Boxes

Save Box


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Information and Message Boxes

Scores Box


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Information and Message Boxes

Scoring Configuration Box


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Information and Message Boxes

General Setup Box


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Information and Message Boxes

Sound Configuration Box


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Information and Message Boxes

Standing Hand Box


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Information and Message Boxes

Tile Movements Box


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Information and Message Boxes

Tile Sets Box


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Full Explanation

Information and Message Boxes

Total Scores Box


Mah Jongg Overview

The Game - History and Symbolism


Mah Jongg Overview

The Game - History and Symbolism

History


Mah Jongg Overview

The Game - History and Symbolism

Inverted Compass


Mah Jongg Overview

The Game - History and Symbolism

144 Tiles


Mah Jongg Overview

The Game - History and Symbolism

Overview of all the Tiles


Mah Jongg Overview

The Game - History and Symbolism

The Symbolism of Colours


Mah Jongg Overview

The Game - History and Symbolism

Wall


Mah Jongg Overview

The Game - History and Symbolism

Mah Jongg as an Oracle


Mah Jongg Overview

The Game - History and Symbolism

Bamboos, Circles and Wan


Mah Jongg Overview

The Game - History and Symbolism

Bamboos, Circles and Wan

Bamboos


Mah Jongg Overview

The Game - History and Symbolism

Bamboos, Circles and Wan

Circles


Mah Jongg Overview

The Game - History and Symbolism

Bamboos, Circles and Wan

Wan


Mah Jongg Overview

The Game - History and Symbolism

Winds


Mah Jongg Overview

The Game - History and Symbolism

Dragons


Mah Jongg Overview

The Game - History and Symbolism

Flowers


Mah Jongg Overview

The Game - History and Symbolism

Seasons


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Customizing Mah Jongg


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Customizing Mah Jongg

Changing Tile Sets


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Customizing Mah Jongg

Changing Tile Sets

Creating New Tile Sets


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Customizing Mah Jongg

Using Sound


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Customizing Mah Jongg

Using Sound

Recording Voices For Use In Mah Jongg


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Customizing Mah Jongg

Using Sound

Mah Jongg Script For Voices And Filenames


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Customizing Mah Jongg

Changing Program Colours


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Customizing Mah Jongg

Setting Score Values


Mah Jongg Overview

The Software - Licensing and Ordering Information


Mah Jongg Overview

The Software - Licensing and Ordering Information

What's New


Mah Jongg Overview

The Software - Licensing and Ordering Information

What's what and what's not in the ShareWare version


Mah Jongg Overview

The Software - Licensing and Ordering Information

What's Coming Next


Mah Jongg Overview

The Software - Licensing and Ordering Information

Ordering Information


Mah Jongg Overview

The Software - Licensing and Ordering Information

License Information


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Technical Information


Mah Jongg Overview

The Program - Technical Information

Error Messages


Mah Jongg Overview

Epilog