Johanna Kaufman
Forty-four PebbleCreek residents entered the tenth annual Mah Jongg Tournament, held in the Tuscany Falls Clubhouse on March 10. The day consisted of two rounds of play in the morning, followed by a lunch and two rounds of play in the afternoon. All rounds were timed. Rules were based on the National Mah Jongg League and questions were handled by the Tournament Arbitrator Alex Potapoff.
Each tournament participant understood there would be no house rules, how the Charleston would be handled, that there was no cold wall, what a dead hand was and of course, what was needed to declare Mah Jongg. The arbitrator was available to answer common questions such as whether there were bonus points for picking one’s own Mah Jongg tile or for making a pure hand, whether there was a penalty for giving someone Mah Jongg, as well as the rules pertaining to blind passing.
The top ten place winners were announced at the conclusion of the day, with third place going to Bill Callahan, second place to Janis Korba and the first prize of $110 dollars going to Sylvia Robinson. Entrance fees covered the cost of lunch and the prize money.
Recreational Mah Jongg Club President Janet Day will provide more information about next year’s tournament so interested players – stay tuned!