A Scotch Plains center teaches Mahjong one rung at a time

The JCC of Central New Jersey, at 1391 Martine Avenue in Scotch Plains, has put its fall beginner Mahjong courses on the calendar well ahead of the first lesson. According to the center's registration pages, an evening course meets on four Mondays, November 9, 16, 23 and 30, from 7 to 9 p.m., and a daytime course meets on Wednesday mornings from 10 a.m. to noon, with five classes between Wednesday, November 4 and Wednesday, December 16, with a break partway through.

The prices sit right beside the dates. The evening course page lists $125, or $100 for members, and the daytime course page lists $156, or $124.80 for members. Both pages note that each course needs a minimum number of students to run.

What the beginner course covers

The JCC describes the class as a way to learn the American version of the ancient Chinese tile game, and says the course covers the rules as sanctioned by the National Mah Jongg League. It is written for two kinds of student: someone who has never played, and someone who needs a refresher.

One line on both pages stands out. To make sure everyone has a chance to learn, the center asks each person to register for no more than two beginner sessions.

This is not a new offering for the center. An archived copy of its arts and culture class page from January 2026 carries the same course description, with an evening beginner course on Mondays in January and February and a daytime course on Wednesdays in February and March. The schedule changes from season to season, but the pattern holds: one course in the evening, one in the morning.

“The game is easy to learn, fun to play, and a very sociable pastime.”JCC of Central New Jersey, beginner course description

The next rung up

Above the beginner course, the center has built further steps. The same January listing included a class called Mah Jongg for Advanced Beginners, a single Monday evening session on February 23, priced at $25, or $20 for members. The center described it as a class on strategy and decision making, with attention to tile efficiency, defensive play and reading opponents.

In the spring the JCC went a step further with a Mock Mini Mah Jongg Tournament on Monday, May 4, 2026, from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Its event page, as archived, described an educational, supportive evening meant to prepare players for competitive play in a low-pressure setting: two 70-minute rounds of four games each, scores tallied at the end, and prizes for the top scorers. It was led by Linda Rosenson, whom the page identifies as a moderator of the Facebook group Mah Jongg, That's It. The price was $64, or $54.40 for members.

Among the goals the page listed were learning how a mini tournament is structured, preparing for timed play, understanding scoring and table rotations, and easing the fear or anxiety some players feel about official tournaments.

How to take part

Registration for both fall beginner courses runs through the JCC's online registration pages, and the classes section of the center's adult programs page gathers its Mahjong offerings in one place. The center's main number, listed on its pages, is (908) 889-8800. As of this writing, the course pages are the place to check for open seats.

Order of the Tile is not affiliated with the JCC of Central New Jersey and sells no lessons.

Prim's view

I love a place that thinks past the first lesson. Teaching someone the tiles is the easy part. Keeping her at the table once the course ends is the real work, and Scotch Plains has been laying the steps for it: a beginner course, a class on strategy, and an evening that lets a nervous player feel a tournament clock with nothing riding on it.

I am also quietly charmed by that polite request to take no more than two beginner sessions. That is what a full room sounds like when it is being gracious. If you live within reach of Martine Avenue, take the course in November, and then take whatever they offer next. The second rung is where a learner turns into a regular.