Hi Mahjongg friends,
Well… things have gotten busy around here! 😂
What began with a few Tucson tables, beginner lessons, and an idea about making American Mahjongg easier to learn has been growing in directions I never quite expected.
More people are learning. More tables are forming. New teaching opportunities are opening up. Players are beginning to help one another. New venues and games are being discovered. And Mahjongg Craze is starting to become something bigger than the classes I personally teach.
There is a LOT to catch up on, so grab your coffee, straighten your rack, and let me show you what’s been happening. 🀄❤️
Look at Us Grow! 🌵🀄
Our Meetup community has now grown to 38 members!
And that number doesn’t include everyone learning and playing through our clubhouse groups, home parties and private lessons — or the larger University of Arizona and corporate groups coming up.
So… we’re definitely getting bigger than the Meetup number suggests. 😄
Our players are also spreading across Tucson — East, Central, North, Northwest, West and beyond — which is exactly what we need if we’re ever going to reach the bigger Mahjongg Craze dream:
A Mahjongg game somewhere in town, any day, any time.
And people are finding us in some pretty interesting ways.
Meetup is still our biggest doorway, but new players have also discovered Mahjongg Craze through Google and our business listing, referrals and word of mouth, Facebook, the website — and even ChatGPT. 🤖🀄
Yes. Someone actually told us ChatGPT sent her here.
That was a fun day. 😂
First Things First: Our Member Intake Got Smarter
If you filled out the original Mahjongg Craze member form, you may be thinking:
“Amy… didn’t I already give you this information?” 😄
You did!
But the community has grown enough that I now need a much clearer picture of everyone if I’m going to successfully connect the right people with the right tables.
The updated Member Intake gives me your current email address and helps me understand not just where you live or when you might play, but how far you’re willing to travel, your current Mahjongg experience, the kinds of games and learning opportunities you’re looking for, and what would help you feel more connected to the Mahjongg community.
It also gives you a chance to update anything that has changed since you first found us.
So even if you filled out the original form, please complete the new version. This is the member information I’ll be using going forward as we build games and connections around Tucson.
It should only take a couple of minutes — and this time the information is going to do a lot more work for us. 🀄
Our East-Side Tables Have Found Their Rhythm 🎉
Our regular east-side clubhouse Mahjongg mornings have evolved quite a bit as everyone has learned and grown.
Wednesdays, 9:00–10:00 a.m. — Lessons by Appointment
This hour is reserved for scheduled instruction before the tables begin.
If you’re brand new, need focused help, or would simply like dedicated teaching time, you can book an appointment and we’ll work together before open play starts.
Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. — True Beginner Guided Play
This is open play designed for true beginners who are still learning how all the pieces fit together.
You get to play the real game while having support right beside you when you need it.
And yes — the ladies have somehow turned our Mahjongg mornings into a little potluck. 😂
Bringing something to share is always welcome, but absolutely not required.
Thursdays, 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. — Beginner Open Play
Thursday has become something especially fun to watch.
These players are increasingly able to run the table themselves. I’m available when clarification or teaching support is needed, but the goal is independence — not having a teacher hovering over every decision.
Recently I stopped in to check on them and discovered that my students had basically become the teachers.
They helped one another, worked through the game together, and only needed me for a few clarifications.
That made me ridiculously happy. ❤️
Because the goal of teaching Mahjongg isn’t to make someone dependent on a teacher.
It’s to help them become confident enough to sit down at a table and play.
What Happened to Saturdays?
There is no longer a standing Saturday class.
If you’d like additional instruction, one-on-one teaching, or another day/time, lessons can now be booked by appointment.
If you want Mahjongg started in YOUR community, ask!
If there are people in your neighborhood, clubhouse, workplace, community group, or part of town who want to learn or play, let me know. We can explore bringing a Mahjongg Craze learning or play opportunity to you instead of expecting everyone to come to the same table.
Evening Mahjongg Is Coming 🌙🀄
I’ve heard those of you who work during the day!
There is growing interest in evening Mahjongg, and new evening opportunities are in development.
The goal is to make Mahjongg Craze useful to more than weekday-morning players — because a community with “a game somewhere in town, any day, any time” definitely needs evenings too.
Watch Meetup, Telegram and Mahjongg Craze News for upcoming evening options.
American Mahjongg Learning Is Getting BIG
Apparently Tucson has a lot of people who want to learn American Mahjongg.
Mahjongg Craze is preparing for larger teaching groups this fall, including 20+ learners through the University of Arizona’s OLLI program and another group of approximately 20 through Arizona Trucking.
That means bigger groups, more equipment, more teaching materials — and a LOT more Mahjongg inventory.
40 more NMJL cards + 15 Mahjongg sets
And two of those sets have already sold.
Apparently I am slowly turning into a small Mahjongg warehouse. 😂
I’m not complaining.
This is exactly the kind of problem I hoped Mahjongg Craze would eventually have.
Did You Know? 🤔🀄
A surprising number of new players first discovered “mahjong” through those tile-matching games on their phone or tablet.
You know the ones:
Find two matching tiles → make them disappear → repeat.
They use Mahjong imagery, but they are definitely not the same game we’re playing around the table.
American Mahjongg is a four-player game involving strategy, decision-making, changing hands, Charleston passes, jokers, calling tiles — and perhaps the most important ingredient:
Three other humans. 😂
So if someone invited you to play Mahjongg and your first thought was:
“Oh! I play that on my phone!”
You are absolutely not alone.
The app may have introduced you to the tiles.
Now we get to introduce you to the game. ❤️
The Community Is Becoming Bigger Than One Teacher
This may be the development I’m most excited about.
Mahjongg Craze was never supposed to depend on me sitting at every table forever.
The larger vision is a community where people can learn, find games, help newer players, discover teachers and venues, host tables, and eventually create welcoming Mahjongg communities in their own parts of town.
And we’re beginning to build the structure to make that possible.
Teachers, Community Hosts & Independent Mahjongg Partners
There are now several ways someone may eventually become part of the growing Mahjongg Craze network.
An MC Certified Teacher will learn and meet the standards of the Mahjongg Craze teaching method.
An MC Certified Community Host will learn how to create an MC-standard environment for players — welcoming newcomers, supporting appropriate play, providing the right setup and resources, communicating clearly, and knowing when teaching support is needed.
And teachers or hosts who prefer to remain completely independent can still potentially connect their classes, games, or venues through the broader Mahjongg Craze community without representing themselves as MC Certified.
Mahjongg Craze does not need to own every Mahjongg game in Tucson.
Quite the opposite.
I want to help people discover the wonderful teachers, hosts, venues and games that already exist — while also building a clearly identifiable MC Certified network for those who want to be part of it.
If you already teach or host, have experience doing either in the past, or are simply curious about helping Mahjongg grow in your area, I’d love to hear from you.
Explore Teacher & Community Host Opportunities
There is no commitment just for exploring the possibilities.
Meetup Is Getting an Update, Too! 📱
If you haven’t visited the Mahjongg Craze Meetup page lately, take another look.
Meetup is being updated with new event images, clearer descriptions and better information about what kind of Mahjongg experience each event offers.
As Mahjongg Craze grows, different tools are beginning to serve different purposes.
Meetup remains an important place to discover scheduled games and events.
The website is becoming our broader home base.
Telegram gives us faster community and pop-up updates.
And when what you really need is dedicated teaching, you can request time directly through my scheduling calendar.
The systems are growing along with the community — slowly but surely! 😄
Finding More Places to Play 📍
The dream is still:
A Mahjongg game somewhere in town, any day, any time.
But I’m realizing that reaching that dream doesn’t mean creating an MC event every day of the week.
There are already independent games, recreation centers, libraries, teachers, community groups, cafés and other places where Mahjongg happens.
Mahjongg Craze can help make those opportunities easier to find and understand.
- Is it beginner-friendly?
- Is it independent open play?
- Is there teaching available?
- Is it an MC Certified Community Host event?
- What level of player should attend?
- Does the venue charge a fee?
- Do you need to RSVP?
Those details can make the difference between someone confidently walking into a game and someone deciding to stay home because they aren’t sure what to expect.
That’s becoming a very important part of what we’re building.
A Bigger Mahjongg Craze Event Is Coming! 🎉
And speaking of meeting more of the community…
We’re beginning to plan a larger Mahjongg Craze community event with room for up to:
12 tables × 4 players = 48 seats!
The idea is to bring people from different parts of the Mahjongg Craze community together in one place — to play, meet one another and perhaps finally put some faces to names we’ve been seeing online.
Details are still being worked out, but this one is coming.
When registration opens, watch Meetup, Telegram and Mahjongg Craze News for the announcement.
The Website Is Getting a MAJOR Rebuild 🏡🌵
If you’ve visited MahjonggCraze.com lately, the current website is still there and working — but something much bigger is being built behind the scenes.
The new website is being designed as the real home of Mahjongg Craze: a place where people will eventually be able to learn, find games and venues, discover teachers and hosts, explore communities, access resources, shop, and keep up with everything happening around the Mahjongg world we’re building.
And no, it is not simply going to be a prettier version of the current website.
Because apparently I’m incapable of doing anything halfway. 😂
It has become quite a project.
But I think you’re going to understand why when you see it.
New and improved MahjonggCraze.com coming soon. 👀
Mahjongg Craze News Has a New Home 📰
One part of the website that has already received a major update is our Mahjongg Craze News area.
Instead of having one button that always points to the most recent newsletter, we now have a real News hub.
There you’ll find quick Mahjongg Craze news and community updates, the newest full newsletter, an archive of previous newsletters, and a place to subscribe for future editions.
That means I can share smaller announcements when they happen instead of saving everything for one enormous newsletter like… well… this one. 😂
Read Mahjongg Craze News & Subscribe
Want Faster Community Updates? 💬
For more immediate game and community information, we also have a Mahjongg Craze Telegram Community.
Telegram is where I can quickly share pop-up games, table openings, last-minute opportunities, schedule changes and other timely Mahjongg happenings.
Important: You’ll need to download Telegram and set up your free account before the invitation link can add you to our group.
If you already use Telegram, great — the link should take you right in!
Instagram Is Coming Soon! 📸🀄
Mahjongg Craze is also getting an Instagram home.
This will be a place for some of the lighter, more visual parts of the community: table photos, teaching moments, event peeks, new-player celebrations, Mahjongg finds, community happenings — and undoubtedly a few things that make me laugh.
Coming soon. 📸
I’ll share the account as soon as it’s ready.
A Lot Is Happening — And We’re Still Just Getting Started
- Larger classes are coming
- Permanent weekly tables are growing stronger
- Evening games are on the way
- New players are arriving
- Teachers and hosts are beginning to emerge
- Venues are still to be discovered
- A new website is being built
- A 48-seat community event is taking shape
- Pop-up games, parties and eventually tournaments are ahead
And somewhere in all of this, I apparently have Mahjongg sets and stacks of NMJL cards moving through my house. 😂
But underneath all that growth, the purpose of Mahjongg Craze remains very simple:
Help people learn.
Help people find one another.
Help people feel welcome at the table.
That part isn’t changing. ❤️
What You Can Do Next
Update your Member Intake:
Update Your Member Intake
Read Mahjongg Craze News & subscribe:
Mahjongg Craze News
Join the Telegram Community:
Join the Telegram Community
Explore Teacher & Community Host opportunities:
Teacher & Community Host Application
Request a Mahj Lesson Time:
Book a 30-minute scheduling conversation with Amy
Visit the website:
mahjonggcraze.com
And most importantly:
Keep playing. Keep learning. Invite someone to a table. Help the person beside you when you can. Tell me about a great venue. Introduce me to a teacher or host I should know.
And if your neighborhood or community needs Mahjongg?
Tell me. Let’s see if we can start something there. ❤️
Every person who does one of those things is helping build this community.
Thank you for being part of it.
See you at the table,
Amy
Mahjongg Craze
mahjonggcraze.com
Meetup.com/mahjongg-craze