Welcome to the United States Professional Mahjong League

By USPML

Riichi Open Play event scheduled for August 22

Our August Riichi Open Play event will be on Sunday, August 22!

This event is geared towards players who are already familiar enough with Riichi Mahjong to sit down at a table and start playing without any instruction. Anyone who has already attended an Open Play event is welcome (and encouraged!) to return.  Beginners who know the rules and/or have attended one of our Learn-to-Play workshops are also welcome to come and play and gain more experience.

• For scheduling information, check the Calendar entry
• To RSVP or ask questions about the event, check the Forum thread

By charlyn

Learn to Play Riichi Mahjong Workshop scheduled for August 15

The United States Professional Mahjong League (USPML) is holding a special free Learn-to-Play mahjong workshop on Sunday August 15 in NYC.

Strategy + Luck, Fun + Challenge… Come and learn the exciting game of Riichi Mahjong!

More about Riichi Mahjong:
Riichi (pronounced like "reach") Mahjong is an exciting game for four players. In many ways it is similar to card games like rummy or poker, but it is played with a set of tiles instead of a deck of cards. This game is very popular in Japan, and is rapidly gaining popularity in the United States. Envision a game with its roots in gambling, played by the Yakuza… but with a strong skill component that makes it suitable for competitive play too. Riichi Mahjong retains the excitement of a gambling-style game, but also emphasizes strategy. It is a game with a lot of depth and richness, but most of all, it's really fun!

More about the workshop:
No prior experience is necessary - we will teach you all you need to know and everything is in English. The format of the workshop is very interactive, so you will get to have fun and play while you learn! We'll seat you at a table with just two other students and your instructor; this semi-private lesson format means plenty of individual attention. There will be a break halfway through, and we'll provide snacks and beverages. Convenient location in Manhattan, near Penn Station and many subway lines.

Event Info:
Sunday August 15
3 PM - 7 PM

Simple Studios
134 W. 29th Street (b/t 6th and 7th)
2nd Floor
New York, NY 10001
Map to Location


There are a limited number of seats for this workshop. RSVP required, and please commit to attend the whole workshop if you RSVP yes.
To RSVP or ask questions, email event organizer Charlyn directly at charlyn@uspml.com
Confirmation will be sent to RSVP'ed attendees.

Note: we're going to be changing our lesson format soon, so this is likely your last chance to attend this format - the free four-hour "crash course". The "crash course" works especially well if you're already interested in Riichi or if you know another type of mahjong, so if that's you, then I hope to see you there!

By David Bresnick

EC Riichi 2010 Tournament Report

When I was first invited to participate in the 2010 EC Riichi Tournament, I felt a mixture of honor and trepidation.  Obviously I was delighted to participate, but I had no idea what to expect!  This trip was a lot of firsts for me - my first time visiting Europe, my first serious tournament, and my first time meeting most of the EMA players and others I'd be encountering.  Needless to say, I was pretty nervous about traveling to an unfamiliar country and introducing myself!  Fortunately it turned out to be a great time.

Thomas Riedel and I arrived in Hanover on Thursday afternoon, and proceeded to immediately succumb to the ravages of jetlag.  Happily, we were awake and ambulatory by Friday afternoon, which was when the lecture by Benjamin Boas and Takunori Kajimoto was scheduled.  This seminar was our first event of the tournament and, in retrospect, we were very lucky to have attended.  Being able to go over play concepts and introduce ourselves to the other players made for a much more comfortable experience and let us get a handle on what we'd be doing for the rest of the weekend.

More details after the break!