The Clicking Tiles of Mahjong

Mahjong is typically played with a set of 144 tiles.

Two to four players sit around the table for each game.

Each player holds one of four wind positions during play.

Name means sparrow from shuffling sounds. The tiles clack like birds.

The earliest surviving tile sets date to around 1870.

Abercrombie and Fitch sold the first American sets starting in 1920.

Ezra Fitch sent emissaries to buy mahjong sets.

Joseph Park Babcock simplified the rules so Americans could learn faster.

Japan had approximately 7.6 million players as of 2008.

An estimated 8,900 parlors did 300 billion yen in sales.

China published new official rules in 1998 to promote wholesome play.

The rulebook contains 81 combinations based on classic scoring patterns.

One hundred players joined the first global tournament in 2002.

Researchers have trained machines using neural networks to compete with top players.

Doctors developed mahjong therapy for cognitive memory difficulties.