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Guide

How to play mahjong with two (or three) players

Mahjong is built for four, but most people who own a set have evenings with only two or three at the table. Every major style has a workable two-player answer, and American mahjong has an official one called Siamese. This guide gives the rules for each, what to leave out, and which set you need.

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First, which "mahjong" you mean

If you searched for a two-player mahjong and found a tile-matching game, that is mahjong solitaire, a computer puzzle that borrows the tiles and nothing else. This guide is about the real four-player game played with a physical set, and how to make it work for two.

Chinese and Hong Kong mahjong for two: the simple method

Nothing in the rules of Chinese mahjong breaks with two players; it just plays faster and more openly. Sit opposite each other, shuffle the full 144 tiles, and build two walls instead of four, or skip the walls and draw from a face-down pool, which is what most two-player games end up doing.

  • Deal 13 tiles each, with the dealer taking a 14th and discarding first.
  • Turns alternate. On your turn you either draw from the wall or claim the discard your opponent just made.
  • Chow, pung and kong all work. In a four-player game you can only chow from the player on your left; with two, your opponent is the player on your left, so every discard is available for a chow.
  • Flowers and seasons are optional. Many pairs take all eight out, which shortens the game and removes the bonus-tile luck.
  • Play until one player goes out or the wall runs dry. A dead wall of 14 tiles is still a good idea so games do not stall into a draw.
  • Scoring: use whatever you normally use. Only the discarder pays on a discard win, and the opponent pays once on a self-draw, so the amounts are smaller than at a full table.

Why two-player Chinese feels different

With half the players, each of you sees twice as many of the tiles, so defence matters more and big hands come together faster. Discards are also more dangerous: every tile you throw can be taken by the only other player. Experienced pairs often agree a minimum hand value of three fan or more so that the game is not won on the first cheap pung.

American mahjong for two: Siamese Mah Jongg

The National Mah Jongg League publishes an official two-player variant called Siamese Mah Jongg. Each player runs two hands at once, on two racks, and the aim is to make mahjong on both. It uses a standard American set and the current NMJL card; a separate Siamese card with extra hands is also sold.

  • Each player sets two racks in front of them and builds a wall against each, 19 stacks long and two high. A dedicated double-length Siamese rack exists but is not required.
  • Deal 27 tiles to each player, 13 for one rack and 14 for the other, and arrange them however you like. The player with 14 discards first.
  • There is no Charleston. Play begins straight after the deal.
  • Tiles, including jokers, may be moved freely between your own two racks until a hand is declared. Exposed sets stay on the rack they were called for; a hand whose exposures do not match any card hand is dead.
  • Calls for pung, kong and quint and the mahjong tile work as in the four-player game, taken from the opponent’s discard for either rack.
  • When you make mahjong on one rack, expose it and keep playing the other. Jokers in the declared hand are locked and can no longer be exchanged.
  • The game ends when one player has mahjong on both racks. Many pairs instead score each mahjong at card value, with a jokerless hand paying double, and play to a points total.

A quicker American option: plain two-handed

If Siamese is more than you want, play the ordinary game with the two empty seats ignored: one rack each, skip the Charleston or play only the first three passes, and play the card as normal. It is thinner than Siamese because the two of you draw through a 152-tile wall very slowly, so most pairs who try both stay with Siamese.

Riichi mahjong for two

Japanese mahjong has no official two-player form, but two-player Riichi is common in video games and translates to the table. Keep the 136-tile set, deal 13 each, alternate turns and allow chii from your only opponent. Riichi, dora and yaku work unchanged. For a shorter game remove one full suit, usually the characters, leaving 100 tiles. Scoring is one-on-one: the loser pays the whole hand value, so use a shorter match, such as a single east round.

Mahjong for 3 players

  • Chinese and Hong Kong: play normally with the fourth seat empty. The wall in front of the empty seat is still built and drawn from. Chow only from the player on your left, as usual.
  • Riichi: three-player Riichi, called sanma, is a recognised variant with its own conventions. Remove the 2 to 8 of characters, leaving 108 tiles, disallow chii, and treat the north wind as a bonus tile that can be set aside for a dora. It is fast and popular in Japan.
  • American: the NMJL allows three-player games with the card unchanged. The deal is the same, and most groups drop the across pass of the Charleston since there is no one across. Three-player American does not need the Siamese rules.

What set you need

  • Chinese or Riichi for two: any standard set. A 144-tile Chinese set covers both, since Riichi simply leaves the flowers out.
  • Siamese: a standard American set with four racks, two per player, and a current NMJL card. The jokers and racks are what make the set American; a Chinese set does not include them.
  • Space: with only two walls or a draw pool, a two-player game fits on a small table, so a 30-inch mat is enough even for a size 38 set.

Frequently asked questions

Can you play mahjong with 2 players?

Yes. Chinese and Riichi mahjong play with two by alternating turns and allowing chow from your single opponent. American mahjong has an official two-player variant, Siamese Mah Jongg, in which each player plays two hands on two racks.

What is Siamese mahjong?

Siamese Mah Jongg is the National Mah Jongg League’s two-player game. Each player gets 27 tiles across two racks, there is no Charleston, tiles can move between your own racks until a hand is declared, and the game ends when one player makes mahjong on both racks.

Can you play mahjong with 3 players?

Yes. Chinese and American mahjong play with three by leaving a seat empty. Riichi has a dedicated three-player version, sanma, which removes the 2 to 8 of characters and disallows chii.

Do I need a special set for two-player mahjong?

No. Any full set works. Siamese needs the four racks that come with an American set, two for each player.

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