Mahjong Charleston trainer
Right, across, left. Then maybe left, across, right. Click through it once and you'll never ask again.
you pass you receive
Charleston strategy: what to pass, what to keep
The rules tell you which way to pass. They don't tell you what. That's where most hands are won or lost before the first discard.
Before the first pass, pick two or three hands
Look at your 13 tiles and find the two or three hands on the card they already lean toward. Count how many tiles each hand needs that you don't have. Everything that fits none of them is passing material.
Keep pairs, pass loners
A pair is two-thirds of a pung, and jokers can finish it. A single tile needs two more of the same, or jokers, to be worth anything in most hands. When you're torn, keep the pair.
Don't pass what you'd want back
If a tile fits a hand you might switch to, it isn't dead weight yet. Pass the tiles that would be useless in every hand you're considering.
Use the blind pass to protect your hand
On the last pass of each Charleston, you can send along tiles you haven't looked at instead of breaking up your own groups. If everything you hold is useful, blind pass. If you've got junk to dump, pass the junk and see what comes in.
Stopping the second Charleston
Any player can stop it. If your hand is shaping up and you'd only be passing away good tiles, stop it. If your hand is a mess, you want it.
Watch what you're given
Tiles passed to you tell you what your neighbors don't want. If you're getting Dots from the left, the player on your left probably isn't building in Dots.
And never pass a joker. It isn't allowed, and you wouldn't want to anyway.
The Charleston on one line
First Charleston (required): right, across, left. Second Charleston (optional, everyone must agree): left, across, right. Courtesy pass (optional): 0 to 3 tiles with the player across. 3 tiles on every Charleston pass, and never a joker.
Strategy in one sentence: pass tiles that don't fit any of your two or three target hands, and keep pairs. Pairs turn into pungs; singles usually don't.
New to the whole game? Start with how to play American mahjong. Want it on paper? Print the Charleston cheat sheet.
Questions
What is the Charleston in mahjong?
A tile-passing round before play in American mahjong. Everyone passes 3 unwanted tiles right, then across, then left. A second round in reverse is optional, followed by an optional courtesy pass.
Is the second Charleston required?
No. It only happens if all four players agree; any player can stop it.
What is a blind pass?
On the last pass of each Charleston, you can pass along 1 to 3 of the tiles you're receiving without looking at them, so you don't have to break up your own hand.
Do you have to pass 3 tiles every time?
Yes, on every regular pass. Only the courtesy pass lets you choose 0 to 3, and you both pass the lower of the two numbers you name.