Mah-Jongg

The "Bird of 100 intelligences"--that's what mah-jong means in Chinese, and if you want to find out why so many millions of people have become enchanted by the game for so many thousands of years, this colorful guide is the next best thing to having the mythical creature perched on your shoulder telling you its secrets. It's a quick game to learn and fast-paced to play. You get a quick introduction to the tiles and sticks, including the Circles (or dots), Characters (or cracks), Winds, and Honors. The basic moves are clearly explained and shown, with practice games that take you step-by-step through the opening moves, the middle strategies, combinations, and sequences, and the endgame. Special tips and shortcuts show you how to assemble your tiles into winning complete sets, with moves that would take years to learn by trial and error. You also learn 24 different variations and versions with colorful names like the Twins of Heaven, the Twins of Hell, the Green Hand, the Nine Lanterns, the Dragon, and three Japanese-style games. (Best of all, you'll learn that strange "bird's 100 intelligences" along the way.) Sterling 64 pages (all in 2-color), 6 5/8 x 8 3/4.