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I first heard of Mahjong when I was a kid living on the beach in Florida, back in the 1970's. It was something completely different than anything I had seen before. It was, nonetheless, a favourite of the retirees who occupied the area's condominiums, and that left me with the mistaken idea that it was a game for "old people," and in that particular perception I was not alone.
Frankly, people of all ages can play Mahjong, and get great satisfaction out of it. Having a sharp mind and powers of deduction can help an awful lot. The big problem for some people (and this is a group of which I have been a member) involves the proper spelling of the game itself.
For example, you may have seen it represented in two words, as "Mah Jong" or "Mah Jongg," or even as the hyphenated Mah-Jongg. In other words, the spirit is right, but the expression is just off the mark. The right way to spell it is "Mahjong."
Perhaps there is more confusion as to which version of the game is being played, because although most activity centres on a couple of different types, there are about two dozen versions to choose from. To be perfectly honest, I don't know which version the senior citizens in the condos were playing, because "Miami Beach Classic" is not one of the choices on the list.
The point, however, is that they were enjoying themselves, and so will you. It doesn't matter whether you spell it "Mah Jongg," "Mah-Jongg" or "Mahjong." if you learn how to play this game the right way you're going to get the most out of it!
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