It’s the game of a 1,000 intelligences’

It originated in China, was played by emperors, kings and local folk, then got Japan, America, Europe into its sway and now has India and Mumbai following its heady, sharp rules. We’re talking of Mahjong, the board game played with tiles.

“A thinking man’s game, something I’d call the game of a 1,000 intelligences,” smiles Tom Sloper, who was in the city at a Mahjong game session at expert Chandrakala Agrawala’s house in Colaba. Though Chandrakala has organised two other sessions like this, she says this one ‘is special as I’m hoping to form a Mahjong Association in Mumbai’.

And Sloper, a Smithsonian lecturer who’s played with the best names across the world and has several titles to his credit, says its time for that in Mumbai. “I love the Indian game. The rules change for every country but the one for India is by far most complex and challenging. You have two styles here – the Indian army wives’ style and the Mumbai way, both are intruiging,” he says.

One can relate Mahjong to rummy, he continues. “There’s not much one can learn about the exact origins of it, but as per some data found at the one of the two Mahjong museums in Ningbo City, it was borne out of the idea of old Chinese money suited cards that were combined with dominoes and then tiles. In fact, the name of the game means sparrow, as the sound that the tiles make when you shuffle them is like the chirping sounds of the bird,” he says.

There are four players in a game and while some play on plastic sets, others have delicately made ones. Sloper owns about 80 Mahjong game sets – some are made in bone and marrow, two of ivory, a few plastic and some in bakelite. “There’s one with Pokemon pictures too,” he informs.

The game can be played with children as young as eight. “Mahjong’s easy. All you need is to be able to think well, add numbers in the head and be reasonably good with the imagination – for when you have certain cards, you have to make and break the options in your head,” states Sloper.

One hears of a saying in Chinese – if you want to get your daughter married to someone or if you want to do business with that person, just play a game of Mahjong with him. “Quite true,” laughs Tom. “You become a face reader and it does give you a great insight into your co-player / opponent’s character.” There can be high stakes involved with the game. In Japan people have lost thousands of dollars,” he says.

Finally, Chandrakala has won the Mahjong Challenge Cup. She has learnt the game from Sushila Pratap Singh, who has been a Mahjong teacher in Mumbai for years. “It would be great to get more people involved,” says Chandrakala. “Mahjong is such a fun game,” she ends.