WO1996014118A1

WO1996014118A1 - American mah jong

Info

Publication number: WO1996014118A1
Application number: PCT/JP1994/001882
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ichiro Tatsumi
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1994-11-08
Filing date: 1994-11-08
Publication date: 1996-05-17
Anticipated expiration: 1997-05-08

Abstract

American Mah Jong is a new game which is based on the rules of the Japan Mah Jong Association. There are some revisions made to meet new players' needs not only in Japan but in foreign countries as well. Some of the major revisions are in its scoring system and its design. In addition, as a new invention, four sticks, holders, are created for this game. They will held to keep sound-softening sheet down firmly on the table, help to display tiles and help to line up tiles. They also show each direction. In this game, different color 'bones' are used for scoring. Each tiles's front is concave in a curved shape or a box shape.

Description

AMERICAN MAH JONG

-DESCRIPT10N-

Mah Jong has a long and puzzling history. There are many theories about its origin but none of them is valid or reliable. It has for centuries been a favorite game of the Chinese and the game found its way from China to America in the early nineteen twenties. Almost simultaneously, it was introduced into Japan, and became immensely popular. Today, the Japanese are the foremost players of the game. In America, none of these offshoots have retained their popularity for long. As first introduced to America, so many of the features which made it such a stimulating and enduringly popular game in China were deleated. As a result, it soon became burdened with a mass of additions contributed by various American players who found it unsatisfactory in its "original^" form. A number of authorities appeared who differed from one another so widely that disputes about the rules became a great hindrance to its popularity. By that time the groups of players in various parts of country had lost their enthusiasm for learning, or unlearning rules, and soon returned to bridge.

In Japan, fortunately, a group of interested expert players have codified the rules of the pure, original game, and made them available to the public, so that true Mah Jong has been able to remain undamaged by changes.

There has long been a need for a Mah Jong game made for America. It is my hope that this "American Mah Jong^" will fill this need. It is based on the true Mah Jong game, as codified by the Japan Mah Jong Association. I have revised the game to make it more attractive for the American players. The design of each tile will be revised as in Fig. 1. The design can be changed to suit the players' taste. Four sticks(holders) are used for this game. Each stick is used to keep the sound-softening sheet firmly on the table and to help to display tiles during games. They also help to line up tiles at the beginning of games.

The four sticks in Fig. 2 must be heavy enough to keep all four sides of the sheet down...Fig. 3.

The sheet can be a towel, a velvet sheet or the cloth used on pool tables. Each stick shows directions such as ^"EAST." "SOUTH." "WEST. " "NORTH. ^*

Only the "EAST" stick has a different color to make it obvious that the holder of the stick is the dealer. Each stick is about 35cm long to help to line up the 17 tiles straight. In addition to the tiles, the game set also contains a set of "bones^" used like the chips in poker, for scoring. There are four kinds of bones as in the Fig. 4. Each has a different color.

Each tile's front is concave in a curved shape or a box shape as in Fig. 5. The goal of the game is to "go out" by completing a hand composed of four sets of three tiles each, plus a pair, totaling fourteen tiles. A set may be any of the following, a sequence ( three consecutive tiles of one suit ) a triplet ( three identical tiles ) The game rules are based on the rules of the Japan Mah Jong Association. However, scoring of the game is extremely complicated and hence it has become a burden to many beginners of Mah Jong. The scoring has been revised so that the rules and scoring system are more easily understood. In original "Mah Jong," there are many combinations of winning hands. In this "American Mah Jong," most of the winning hands have been kept and are shown in table 6.

Claims

CLA IMS-

1. American Mah Jong besed on the rules of the Japan Mah Jong Association, and its revised scoring system.

2. The revised design.

3. Four sticks( holders )are used for American Mah Jong. Each stick shows the direction with its different color.

4. "bones^" are used like chips in poker, for scoring. Each bone has a different color.

5. Each tile's front is concave in a curved shape or a box shape.