44 North Shore Towers Courier n March 2016 CARD-READING More Than Just a Guess by STEVE BECKER THE SYMBOLS OF THE TILES Part of the enjoyment of Mah Jongg is the sensory aesthetic of the set—the color, feel and the different depictions of the Suits, Dragon and Flower tiles. But newer sets are pretty standard in their depictions of the one Bam, Dragon and Flower tiles. For example, in older sets from the 40’s, 50’s, 60’ s, etc. the one Bam tile has a great variety of representations. Some are various poses of peacocks, some are a soaring sparrow or it is perched on a bamboo twig, some are of the bamboo flower, etc. Some sets use the Chinese symbol for Red and Green Dragon, some use different looking Dragons. And Flower tiles have the greatest number of variations in these sets. In spite of the variations of these tiles, the meaning behind them remains the same as it was since the beginning of the game. The symbolism is a reflection of the values predominant in Chinese culture and well as in the That’s a very large number and so it has come to represent the “10,000” virtues of man: honesty, fidelity, loyalty, etc. American Mah Jongg is often referred to as the Character Suit. The Bam Suit is a salute to the most versatile plant in China—Bamboo. It’s used for building, furniture, food, clothing, and a myriad of other things, including Mah Jongg sets. And because bamboo is a staple of Chinese life, it symbolizes service, strength, versatility and usefulness. Dots, called balls or circles in Chinese sets, are reminiscent of coins, or money——associated with business, commerce, wealth and riches. As a matter of fact, the one Dot is a representation of a precious pearl. As you know, most modern sets have Flower tiles that come in two distinct categories. There are the “Flowers” and there are “people” tiles. The Flower tiles reflect the Spring Plum Blossom, the Summer Orchid, the Autumn Chrysanthemum and the Winter Bamboo. But the People tiles reflect the occupations and/ or trade of ordinary people—farmers, fishermen, scribes, philosophers. But in older sets, the representations of Flowers vary with the whims of the designer. The people part of these tiles can be the Emperors, concubines, animals such as roosters, cats, rats (or mice), fish and all manner of objects. And each older set has its own variations of these tiles. The Flower portion of sets also vary. Many Flower tiles are called Vase Flowers because they are set in vases. Some designers created delicate and wispy Flowers, some straight-forward, uncomplicated versions. Again, each designer used his own creative and artistic talents to produce these “variations on a theme.” But whatever the version of tiles in your set, knowing they represent the values and ideals of the world in which we all participate, can only add to its pleasure. culture and values of all of us. For example, the red symbol on the Crak Suit literally means 10,000. Hence, the Crak Suit in AMERICAN Reprinted courtesy of the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles and Elaine Sandberg. Elaine is a mah-jongg instructor, who has taught the game for Holland American Cruise Lines and at American Jewish University, and the author of “A Beginner’s Guide to American Mah Jongg: How to Play the Game and Win” (Tuttle, $14.95). Contract Bridge The expert declarer often “guesses” right in what most players would deem difficult circumstances, and you might wonder how he does it. However, the truth is that many so-called successful guesses are based on careful reasoning. Take this case where South is in six diamonds and West leads a spade. Declarer wins with dummy’s king and plays the queen of trumps, East following with the nine. South must now “guess” whether to finesse or play his ace in the hope that West has the singleton king. In the actual case, the contract stands or falls on this decision, since a subsequent club finesse will lose to East. The ace is the right play, but the fact that it catches West’s king is more than just a lucky guess. Declarer starts by assuming that East cannot have the K-10-9 of trumps, since with that holding East would cover the queen with the king to guarantee himself a trump trick. It follows that West must have either the singleton king, singleton ten or doubleton K-10. Declarer covers all three possibilities by playing the ace. If West has the K-10, South cannot control the outcome whether he plays the ace or the deuce, so this case can be dismissed. If West has the singleton king, the ace is obviously the winning play. But what if West holds the singleton ten? In that event, South still makes the contract by playing the ace. After West produces the ten, South cashes the A-Q of spades, discarding two hearts from dummy, and then the A-K of hearts. A trump lead then forces East to win with the king and return a club or yield a ruff-and-discard. Either way, South makes the slam without risking the club finesse. (c) 2015 King Features Synd., Inc. til next time... may the tiles be with you!
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