About American Mahjong Coach
A note from the player who made this site: how it is made, and where its rules come from.
Who made it
I play American mah jongg, and I make American Mahjong Coach for people who start the game. I am a software developer in the Netherlands, and I work alone. New players ask the same questions again and again, and most practice tools give an answer with no reason. American Mahjong Coach gives the reason.
How the rule text is made
- Each rule on this site comes from published sources on the rules of the National Mah Jongg League. The list is below.
- The sources include the League's bulletin of January 2026, and writers who cite the League's rulebook with page numbers.
- Each fact has its sources in my notes. Most facts have two or more sources that agree.
- Where sources disagree, the page says so.
- Strategy stands apart from rules. A box with the words "Advice, not a rule" holds strategy.
- All text on the site is fixed. The same question always gets the same answer.
How the drills work
- The drills use the hands of the 2026 card, one hand at a time. You can also choose Practice Card No. 1, an own card with 20 hands.
- "Nearest hand" means the hand that needs the fewest tiles. The answer shows the tiles that you have and the tiles that you need.
- The pass advice in the Charleston drill follows what teachers write: keep the tiles of your best hands, keep a pair, and do not pass three tiles that fit together.
- A set of 50 test racks with known answers runs before each release.
Report an error or ask a question
Did you see an error, or do you have a question? Write it here. I read each message. You need no account. Give your email address only if you want an answer.
I correct an error as fast as I can, and I say on the page what changed.
Sources
| Source | What I used |
|---|---|
| National Mah Jongg League | The website and the bulletin of January 2026. The only League text that I read myself. |
| Tom Sloper, Sloperama | FAQ 19 on the American rules, with page numbers of the League rulebook. Also his strategy FAQ and his columns. |
| Mahj Life (Michele Frizzell) | Articles on rule cases and on how to pick a hand. |
| I Love Mahj | The beginner guide and the strategy guide. |
| Mahjong 4 Friends | Guides on tiles, the Charleston and strategy. |
| The Mahjong Line | How to play, and the questions page. |
| Lara's Mahjong Edit | Tiles, joker rules, the Charleston. |
| Modern Mahjong | Posts on League rules. |
| School of Mahjong and Mahj Events | Charleston rules and flower rules. |
| Oh My Mahjong, MKE Mahjong, Southern Sparrow, The Mah Jongg Insider | Tile guides, lesson order and strategy advice. |
I copied no text from these sources. The words on this site are my own. Thank you to the people who wrote these pages.
The card
American Mahjong Coach is an independent product. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the National Mah Jongg League. The site shows no picture of the card and no list of its hands. To play American mah jongg you need the current card. Buy it from the League.
Your data
- No login and no ads.
- Your drill results and your daily streak stay on your device.
- The site counts visits, page views, drill answers and button presses. A count is a number for a day. It holds no name, no address and no id. The site sets no cookie.
- If you sign up for news, your email address goes on a list at Resend, an email service. I use it only for American Mahjong Coach news. Each email has an unsubscribe link.
- If you send a message with the form above, the site stores the message, the page and the address that you typed.
The price button
The home page has a button for a "full coach" with a price. No full coach exists yet, and nobody can pay. The button counts interest. All drills on the site are free.