What is International Mahjong®?

International Mahjong (“IMJ”) is a mahjong game that is uniquely designed based on the Cantonese Mahjong, but further developed from it. Cantonese Mahjong, also known as “Hong Kong Mahjong” in or around 1960′s or “Hong Kong Old Style” as quoted nowadays by most people other than Chinese, are widely played by people in Hong Kong, China and in most parts of the world where the game mahjong is of interest.

The concept of transforming Cantonese Mahjong into International Mahjong was first created in 1990. It intended to introduce the Chinese game of mahjong to the world in a new form, with a rule set that was as complete and as close to the Cantonese Mahjong as possible. The rule set was further developed in 1991 and 1992, during which period the term INTERNATIONAL MAHJONG had become a registered trademark and copyright of the written rules entitled INTERNATIONAL MAHJONG RULES (“IMJ Rules”) was registered. IMJ Rules has since been further modified and modifications are properly maintained and managed. The current version of IMJ Rules is available at the “Rules” section.

Both INTERNATIONAL MAHJONG® and IMJ® are registered trademarks in Canada.

The purposes of this site

In the past, almost all publications on mahjong games did not provide a complete set of written rules; people therefore have to learn the game by propagation and this has led to the creation of many variants of mahjong all over the world. This in effect has hindered mahjong from being developed as a worldwide game, a game that can be played by people around the world in mutual understanding. The variants of mahjong also create barriers that effectively scare new players from joining the games.

International Mahjong is designed to eliminate such difficulties and barriers. Along with the comprehensive rule set, International Mahjong can be further developed to become a worldwide game of mahjong, allowing players worldwide to compete with one another and personal achievements be properly measured and established, all by one rule set, and records of the same be centrally maintained and internationally recognized. As a step stone, this website is maintained for the purposes of introducing and promoting this pioneer concept to the world.

This site is operated and maintained by the private sector.

How you could participate

Play with a goal to meet the world! Start playing mahjong by the IMJ Rules and be part of the community. To adapt to the IMJ Rules or to learn to play International Mahjong new, please begin with these sections of this site:

• Rules: A comprehensive set of International Mahjong Rules can be viewed from here - So comprehensive it is designed and intended to cover every move of the gameplay. [LINK]
• Scoring: On this page you'll find a full list of all valid grade elements in International Mahjong, together with ample of sample hands and comments on all individual grade elements - An ideal source of studying the rules with examples of winning hands. [LINK]
• EasyPlay: This EasyPlay is written with the new comers in mind. It will introduce the general, but essential, information you would need to know about the game in full. It is intended to help you to be well equipped for the game from day one. [LINK]

For contact information please visit this page: “Contact”.