Churches, libraries and bars: how American Mahjong found a home across Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh has quietly become a mahjong town. In a story published November 2, The Tartan, the student newspaper of Carnegie Mellon University, reports that groups of players have popped up in churches, libraries and bars across the city, part of the national surge that has filled tables across the country this year.

The reporters, Seth Kelly and Michelle Yang, followed the game from a church hall in Shadyside to a social club in the Strip District, and talked with players who learned at a grandmother's table and players who are still new to it.

Thursday nights in Shadyside

At Calvary Episcopal Church in Shadyside, Stacey Hausman runs American Mahjong every Thursday evening, and The Tartan reports that the group has met for the past four years. That is a long run for a weekly game, and it began well before the current wave of interest reached Pittsburgh.

Matthew Golub told the paper he has come to those sessions for two years, and that he grew up playing with his Jewish grandmother. That detail matters. The National Mah Jongg League, which the paper notes was formed in 1937 by a group of Jewish American women, still publishes the card these players use, and many families have passed the game down the same way.

Taylor Clark, a newer face at Calvary, gave The Tartan a line that sums up a good open game: she has hardly played with the same people twice. A rotating table is how a newcomer becomes a regular, and how a regular ends up knowing half the room.

“I don't think I've played with the same people twice yet.”Taylor Clark, to The Tartan

A Strip District club and a list of free tables

Amber Jackson founded Strip Mahj, a social club that hosts events at bars and restaurants in Pittsburgh's Strip District. The Tartan calls it one of the largest mahjong communities in the city. Jackson told the paper she also wants to make room for players of other styles, which speaks to how many traditions now share the city's tables.

For anyone looking for a seat, the paper points to Yinz Mahj, a website that lists more than a dozen locations around Pittsburgh with free weekly sessions at libraries, churches, parks, synagogues and local businesses. The Tartan also spoke with historian Annelise Heinz, who has written a book on the game's history and its rise in American culture.

The game itself has deep Chinese roots, and The Tartan's story touches on several of the forms played in the city today. The American game, with its annual card, its Jokers and the Charleston, is the one at Calvary on Thursday nights.

Prim's view

This is Prim's opinion. The best sign of a healthy mahjong city is not a single glamorous parlor. It is a long list of ordinary rooms, a church hall here and a library table there, each with someone like Stacey Hausman who has set out the racks every Thursday for four years. Pittsburgh appears to have exactly that.

Prim was also charmed to see college reporters covering the game. When the student paper takes an interest, the next generation of players is not far behind. If you are in Pittsburgh and have been meaning to learn, Prim suggests starting with the free listings on Yinz Mahj, finding the table nearest your home, and going back the following week. The second visit is the one that makes you a player.