Raleigh sets up a $20 American Mahjong tournament sorted by skill

Raleigh Parks and Recreation has put American Mahjong on its tournament calendar. According to the city's event page, an American Mahjong Tournament will be played on Saturday, October 24, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Five Points Center for Active Adults, 2000 Noble Road in Raleigh. The entry cost is $20, and the tournament is open to players 18 and older.

The city describes it as a friendly tournament for players at different levels of experience, whether they want to build confidence at the table or sharpen their strategy. The listing promises prizes, and the right to brag about them.

How the day is built

Per the listing, play runs in two rounds of four games, and each round lasts 90 minutes. At the break between rounds, players change tables, but they move within their own skill level. Each player meets new opponents for the second round while staying among players at a similar stage. The city says play is organized by skill level, with set tables and clear scoring.

The page also says the event is designed to welcome newcomers, and that guidance will be available from the first round to the last.

Two requirements come with the entry. Every player must be 18 or older, and every player must bring her own current National Mah Jongg League card.

“Clear instructions and support will be provided throughout the day.”The City of Raleigh's event page for the American Mahjong Tournament

The house it plays in

The Five Points Center for Active Adults is a City of Raleigh facility on a 4.86 acre site at 2000 Noble Road, next to the Wake County Human Services Building on Whitaker Mill Road, according to the center's page. It is run by the city's Active Adult Program and, in the page's words, is available to individuals "50 years and better." Its regular hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The center's page describes a building made for gathering. It lists a ballroom that holds 225 people when the full room is open, along with classrooms, a dance studio, an art room, a fitness room, a billiard room and an open library stocked with books and puzzles. On weekdays, Meals on Wheels of Wake County serves lunch there for seniors 60 and older, and a specialist from Resources for Seniors, Inc. is on site to help with questions about housing, transportation and legal aid.

The tournament sets its own age floor at 18, lower than the center's usual 50, so the tournament is open to younger players as well as the center's usual visitors.

How to take part

The city's listing directs players to register through its RecLink system, searching the keyword "Mahjong" to find the event. As of this writing, the price is $20 for the day. Questions go to 919-996-4730, the number the city lists on both pages.

Plan to arrive before the 10 a.m. start, with your card in your bag, and to stay until play wraps at 3 p.m.

Prim's view

I have a soft spot for a tournament that sorts its tables by experience. The first time you play against a clock, the tiles seem to weigh twice as much, and it helps enormously to look across the table and see someone who is also counting her Jokers a second time. Raleigh's format gives a newer player eight games in one day, two sets of fresh faces, and no reason to feel outmatched.

One small note from me about that card. The League publishes a new card every year, and everyone at a table plays the same one, which is why a tournament asks you to bring the current card and not last year's, however fond of it you are. Check your bag the night before.

Then go. Twenty dollars, a full day of play, and a room full of new partners is a lovely way to spend a Saturday in October, and you will come home with at least one story about the hand that got away.