We of a certain age know what the Charleston is, but what is the etymology as far as its relationship to mahjongg? Does anyone know? Does anyone care? Here is my hypothesis: Mahj was at the peak of its popularity in the 1920s, and the Charleston, of course, was the popular dance of the day. If you watch people doing the dance you will see they place their right foot across the left leg and then the left leg across the right. Sound familiar? Of course.
Now, in theory passing sounds easy, but practice can prove otherwise.
First right is probably the easiest, since you've put all your pairs together, looked for families, done all the right things and can easily select three orphans that you want to dump on your opponents. You can afford to be a little reckless here, since it's anyone's guess as to what tiles are in play.
First across is a little more difficult. At this point you will be evaluating incoming information and honing the hand. If you don't have a definite direction, this is the time to find one, no matter how weak it may be. Mahjongg is about decision making, being firm and precise. A tile passed on the first across can come back to you on the second left, allowing you to draw some preliminary conclusions about the hands of others.
First left gives you the first opportunity to steal, but only do so if you are squeezed. Often times a steal will backfire, leaving you no better than you were before the pass. Keep in mind a tile you pass on the first left can come back to you on the option. Once you receive your first left stop and re-evaluate before passing the second left.
Second Left begins the second Charleston and is done only if no one has expressed a desire to stop the passing. Ideally as the tiles are passed, players should state which pass is taking place. State "Right" and then place the tiles to the right, "Across" and then "First Left." The Second Left is differentiated by stacking one tile atop the other two like a cap or "little house". Chatting should be kept to a minimum during passing, as it is easy to be distracted. Keep track of where you are or there will be trouble down the road!
Must across is just as it sounds. You must pass three tiles across. I sometimes whimsically refer to it as the Mustard Cross since I like the sound of those two words together and it creates and interesting visual. But cross you must. If you get back on the second left the same tiles you passed on the first across, just pass them across again. But if you got something good on the second left you may be reluctant to make this pass. If you do pass away a needed tile, be prepared to kiss it goodbye and make your adaptations.
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Last Right a/k/a last rites, is your last chance to get your house in order. At this stage you should have a strong inkling of what hand you are going for, and a plan B in place in case things don't pan out. You should not be surprised at what tiles get thrown out in the first few sets of discards, as they will have made their appearance a couple of times in the passing. Call your bettor over before you do the option.
Option is usually a futile effort, and it is rare you will see anything new; just the same old right-side-of-the-rack debris. Let the bettor see what you got and then start your play.
Answer to quiz: The player is picking up her across before her second left! This will lead to one player having too many tiles while another has too few. Avoid squabbles and do not pass your across until you see the second left has been taken.
Answer to quiz: The player is picking up her across before her second left! This will lead to one player having too many tiles while another has too few. Avoid squabbles and do not pass your across until you see the second left has been taken.
Last word: Another common cause of screwups is short walls being mistaken for passes. Make certain that if you have a wall that ends up with three or fewer tiles that it is added to the next wall so it does not inadvertently get picked up. If a screwup occurs before East discards, the proper remedy is to throw all the tiles in and start again, which is no fun especially if you have a decent hand.
In the past, my Mah Jongg group had often "screwed up" our Charleston. So now we use the iPhone app called Mah Jongg Groove to keep us on track. It's great! You can get it in the iTunes app store at: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-groove/id528492695?mt=8
ReplyDeleteOr learn more about it at https://www.facebook.com/MahJonggGroove
Should you wait for ALL players to be ready before passing during the Charleston? Are there rules or at least etiquette to guide this part of the game? In our game, people pass whenever they are ready, but that means that each player is on a different passing schedule - some passing right, some passing over, etc....
ReplyDeleteHi, Dina - In order to avoid mixups it is a good idea to have some sort of Charleston system. Some people state their intention and say the name of every pass, for example, "first left," then "second left." Others hold on to their tiles until they know that the previous pass has been completed. I, for one, do not pass a first left until I know the players have completed the first across. There's no point in hurrying if you have to throw it in at the end.
Deleteis it necessary to preannounce that you may wish to stop the 2nd left pass?
ReplyDeleteIt isn't necessary to preannounce but you should declare your intention before anyone looks at their second left. Once someone has picked up their second left the assumption is that the passing continues.
DeleteIf you stop the passing after the first left, can you still option and how many tiles?
ReplyDeleteIf the Charleston is stopped then you go immediately to the option. Many people will not give any optional tiles to the person who stopped the Charleston, but that is entirely up to the player.
DeleteA player in our group accidentally passed a joker to the player on her right. What should happen if this occurs?
ReplyDeleteThe player who received the joker should immediately return it and say, "you're not allowed to pass a joker," or, "you can't pass this."
DeleteI haven't played in awhile. Can you stop passing only on 1st left or other parts of Charleston?
ReplyDeleteThank You, Linda Miller - lindakmiller70@gmail.com
The first Charleston (right, across, left) is compulsory, so you must do the first three passes. The second Charleston is optional, but once it is started it cannot be stopped. So the only time you can stop is after the 1st left and before the 2nd left.
DeleteIn our group we call doing the Charleston : “rouging”, not even sure how to spell it but pronounced like the cheek makeup rouge. Does anyone have any info for this?
ReplyDeleteI've heard this before but do not know the origin.
DeleteTwo weeks ago, I was told by a player that I should continue after I'd requested to stop the Charleston. (We'd completed the 1st left.) She said that I stop the Charleston too often and had overheard players say that they don't like to play at my table because I frequently stop the Charleston. (Other players have said this is not true). I've played over 4,000 rounds of MJ over 10 years and might stop the Charleston 6 times a year. This is not even 1% of the time! When she said that other players didn't like to play at my table, I was so hurt that I left the game. Three days later, she came to my home and apologized. Thoughts?
ReplyDeleteThe back of the card states: First Charleston Compulsory, Second Charleston Optional. Any player may stop the passing after the first Charleston for any reason. Another player may not like it, but it is a rule. Some players may try to apply social pressure because they have to work a little harder to make a hand. This kind of grumbling is all part of the game and I wouldn't let it affect my strategy decisions or take it personally. I know of many games where they have dispensed with the second Charleston entirely as they feel they just keep getting the same old stuff, so it is a matter of personal preference. Stick to your guns!
DeleteThank you so much Linda! Bless you. I had a really hard time after that happened and was quite depressed over it. I felt bad that I'd left the game, but what she said was really hurtful. So anyway, I'll try to hold my head high...10 years of play behind me and 10 -15 more years to go!
DeleteWhen doing the charleston, can you just pass to the next player what you got from another player without looking at them and putting them on your wall if you want to keep what you have? I am not talking about steeling. In other works give what my over passed to me and just give to my left without looking at it because I want to keep what I have,
ReplyDeleteThe answer is no. You must pass three tiles from your hand before you can pick up the tiles passed to you. The only time you can pass the tiles without taking anything out of your hand is when you are stealing which is on the first left and the last right only.
DeleteSomeone playing with us said, when you steal one, you take the first tile; two, you take the first two tiles. She was unhappy when someone took the middle tile. I can't find this in the rules, but wondered if this is a rule. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThere is no rule as to which tile to take for the blind pass.
DeleteDuring the Charleston, if you receive three tiles you don’t want do you need to rack them before you pass on the next Charlston?
ReplyDeleteYou do not need to rack the tiles you are passed in the Charleston. You can look at them and pass them on. However, an observant player may notice and remember what they passed you, and by not taking the time to put them in your rack and move them around a bit, you are making it obvious that they are not tiles you are playing. It doesn't hurt to bluff!
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