American Mahjong Royalty

Gladys Grad

Mah Jongg Madness

The tournament circuit

The woman who wrote the tournament rules down.

For many players, a Mah Jongg Madness tournament was the first time they played against strangers and tested their kitchen table skills against the wider world. Gladys Grad is the name Prim put on that stage in Letter 5: a woman who ran events with fierce attention to rules and fairness, and with the belief that this game deserved structure and prestige.

Prim came back to her in Letter 23 with an even better story. The tournament rules players quote were worked out at sea, across nearly twenty five years of League tournament cruises that began in 1986. In 2005 Gladys Grad, by then the owner of Mah Jongg Madness, simplified and codified them into the Standardized National Mah Jongg Tournament Rules, based on those cruise tournaments. In 2021 the tournament division was acquired by Mah Jongg Fever.

Written from what the letter said. Read both letters for the whole of it.

The Keepers of the Record

More of the royalty

Elaine SandbergThe teacher who wrote the book your mother probably owns. Ruth UngerThe steward who kept the card worthy of our trust. Gregg SwainThe man who reads tiles like other people read books.

See everyone the letter has featured