What is the Charleston in American mahjong?

The short answer

Before ordinary four-player play, players exchange tiles in a first sequence: right, across and left. Any player may stop before the second sequence; if everyone continues, it goes left, across and right. Blind and courtesy passes have their own rules. JONGG’s Quick Duel has no Charleston.

Rehearse the direction, then choose the tiles

Learn the Charleston in two parts: where the tiles go, then which three may leave. Set four empty racks around a table. From your own seat, point right, across and left in that order, moving three practice tiles each time.

Reset, choose three tiles from a small rack and explain your choice. Keep every joker. This rehearses a legal first pass; it does not teach the whole sequence or promise the best strategy.

Read the table from your seat

Sit at the bottom of this picture and follow the numbered arrows.

The passes, in order

Every Charleston pass is exactly three tiles. The separate courtesy exchange can be zero to three. Jokers never go in either.

First Charleston: pass to the right, then across, then to the left.

The vote: if every player says yes, a second Charleston goes left, across, then right. One no skips it.

Any player may stop the second Charleston before anyone looks at the second-left pass. Once it begins, finish all three passes.

Blind passes: on the last pass of each Charleston, you may hand on up to three of the tiles you just received without looking at them.

The courtesy pass: you and the player across each offer zero to three tiles, and you both pass the smaller number. Then the dealer starts play.

Practice this in JONGG

Choose a legal first pass with a few tiles, or keep the Charleston guide open beside a real game.

• Try a Charleston pass
• Open the Charleston guide