Why do we have to do the Charleston?
A student asked me "Why do we have to do the Charleston?" in a tone reminiscent of a teenager asking why they have to unload the dishwasher or take out the trash. A typical parent response would be, "Because I said so" and the hasty teacher version would be something along the lines of, "Because thems the rules". But the why is actually pretty important. So, with a modicum of restraint to keep from launching into an overly verbose explanation complete with historical references, (I have been watching old episodes of The West Wing, and well, IYKYK.) I answered the question: Because it's your best chance of setting yourself up for a successful hand once the game begins.
To be fair, The Charleston is the most challenging part of the game. You have to assess your tiles and make a bazillion decisions all at once. You have to think, and act, and do it in a timely manner. And for new players all of this is done based on a card they are not familiar with yet. Enter cartoon characters with eyeballs spinning in opposite directions.
So let's break this down into bite sized, more digestible pieces. Flip the script and start by thinking of The Charleston as an opportunity. An opportunity to get rid of tiles you don't need. An opportunity to collect tiles you can use. An opportunity to set yourself up for a hand (or two) before the game even begins!
How to Charleston: (music optional!)
Organize your tiles. Put any jokers on the far left of the rack and make zero decisions based on them. Seriously. Ignore them. Don't even consider where or how to use them until the game begins and you've chosen a hand. Place any flowers to the immediate right of jokers. You're attempting to set up your tiles to mirror the card- and flowers are always the first thing in a hand that uses them. Next, group your tiles together by suit, and in numerical order within each suit. Set dragons with their suits. Last, place winds on the far right of your rack. Now you're ready to take a good look at what you have.
Notice pairs. Mahjong is a game where we make groups of identical tiles- if you have the beginnings of any group pay attention to that!
Choose a section-never a hand! Look at your tiles and choose a section that uses the majority of your tiles. If most are even numbered look in 2468. If most are odd numbers look in 13579. Have more 3s, 6s, and 9s than anything else? There's a section for that. If you have mish-mash, you're most likely in Consecutive Run.
Now pick three tiles that don't fit in the section you've chosen. Remember that if you've chosen a section like 2468 you should be keeping all the even numbered tiles in all three suits, flowers, and any dragons. Why? Because all of those tiles are found in one hand or another in that section. Until you choose a hand, keep everything that 'could' work.
When you pick up the tiles that were passed to you- reassess. But don't over think! If the tiles you received clearly change your section, do that. If not, stay the course and don't let a single tile derail you. Considering every single solitary possibility is not the goal. You'll make yourself bonkers and won't be any fun to play with!
Once your tray is filled with ten or more tiles that can all be found in your chosen section then start looking at specific hands. Choose one or two that use the most of your tiles. Count them! Notice which tiles wouldn't be used in either hand. Pass those. If the count is even between two hands choose the easier hand. Always. The easier hand is the one without the singles and pairs- unless you already have them. When you've chosen a hand it could mean that nearly half the tiles on your rack are now unneeded. That's normal.
Charleston missteps:
For beginners; unless you have four or more winds, chances are you're not going to make a hand in Winds and Dragons. Ignore them for a bit.
Don't pass flowers and dragons if you can help it.
Don't pass jokers, it's not allowed!
Don't pass pairs, like numbers, or tiles that could all be found in the same section, if possible. The idea is to make the three tiles you pass as disconnected from one another as you can. Example: One dot, seven bam, and four crak.
If you have a whole bunch of the same number in different suits you may be tempted to look in Any Like Numbers. But if you don't also have flowers and dragons, find a hand in another section that uses like numbers. They are all over the card!
If you have a bit of everything and no clear idea of a section- try dividing your tiles into upper and lower numbers. A majority of numbers five through nine? Pass the few ones and fours. It can be a great way to just start- especially on the first pass. The hope is that what you receive will help to clarify a section. Fingers crossed!
The motivational speaker Simon Sinek, encourages us to 'know our why'. Knowing the 'why' in mahjong is not just for information's sake. When we know why we do things, it helps us to do better in deciding what to do. Understanding that the Charleston is the part of the game where we give ourselves a leg up helps to clarify our choices.
Now go get your kids to empty the dishwasher.