The Dispatch

Prim reads everything from the world of American Mahjong, so you don't have to.

Volume 2026 August 31

The Dispatch may be quoted or reprinted with credit to The Order of the Tile and a link to this page. Subscribe by RSS

The Dispatch for August 31, 2026Today’s Dispatch →

For Beginners

A Mission, Kansas parks department offers its beginner class nine different ways this fall

Mission Parks and Recreation lists Learn to Play Mahjongg on Mondays in three four week sessions, each of them running morning, afternoon and evening, at $80 a person.

Mission Parks and Recreation in Mission, Kansas lists a beginner course called Learn to Play Mahjongg at the Powell Community Center, in the Party Room. The listing names Charlotte Hatfield as the instructor, sets the fee at $80 for residents and non-residents alike, and opens it to ages 16 and up.

The scheduling is the interesting part. The listing shows three four week Monday sessions: September 14 to October 5, October 12 to November 2, and November 9 to November 30. Each session is offered at three times of day, 10am to noon, 1pm to 3pm, and 6pm to 8pm. That is nine separate ways to start the same beginner class between September and the end of November.

The course is the American game. The listing says four players "compete to create a winning hand matching one of dozens created by the National Mahjongg League," and calls it a game of skill, strategy and luck that will "keep your brain active and bring together new friends and old."

The evening slot is the one to watch. Beginner mah jongg has long been scheduled around daytime availability, which quietly decides who can learn. A 6pm class on a Monday is a different invitation, and a parks department running it three months in a row suggests somebody is signing up for it.

Read more at Mission Parks and Recreation →

More from the table

Set Your Rack

A creative arts center in Gloversville opens a room built only for American mah jongg

The Paul Nigra Center for Creative Arts says it has cut the ribbon on what it calls the Capital Region's premiere Mah Jongg Parlor, with memberships and beginner and intermediate classes open now.

August 31, 2026 · Paul Nigra Center for Creative Arts

Read more →