Mahjong

Our take

Mahjong is the game where the gap between a cheap set and a good one is the widest of anything we stock. A supermarket set gives you thin tiles in a cardboard box, and the tiles are the whole game: you handle all 144 of them every single hand, you build walls out of them, and you listen to them. Thin tiles slide, tip over mid-wall and sound like nothing. That is the difference people cannot see in a photograph and notice within one session.

Both sets here come with four wooden playing racks and counting sticks in the case, which almost nothing at the cheap end of the market does, and it is the thing that makes a set usable for four people on a normal table rather than a scramble. The honest catch is that the two sets are not a simple better-and-worse pair. The Executive Edition has the better case, larger at 62cm, in two-tone walnut with leather panels and a recessed carry handle. The Deluxe has more tiles: 166 including four blanks and two jokers, against 144 in the Executive. If you play variants that use jokers, the cheaper set is the one you want, and I would rather tell you that than sell you up.

Kurt Ebrado, Customer Experience & Resident Player, Sterling Chess

Which mahjong set should you buy?

There are two sets in this range and the choice is not about quality tier. Both are Dal Rossi, both arrive complete, and both include the racks. They differ in two ways that matter.

• Dal Rossi Deluxe Mahjong Set: a 52cm mahogany-finish wooden attache case holding 166 tiles, which is 144 plus four blanks and two jokers. Tiles are 3cm by 2cm and the whole set weighs 6.2kg, and it suits standard Asian and Hong Kong-style play. This is the more flexible set across mahjong variants because of the jokers and blanks.
• Dal Rossi Executive Edition Mahjong Set: a 62cm case in two-tone walnut with leather panels and a recessed carry handle, holding 144 tiles. The better object of the two, and the easier one to carry, but a straight 144 tile set without the extra blanks and jokers.

Put simply: buy the Executive Edition if the case matters to you and you play a straight 144 tile game. Buy the Deluxe if you want the spare tiles, or if you are not yet sure which variant your group will settle on. If you play a format that needs tiles beyond the standard 144, check the requirements of that format against each set before you order, and ask us if you are unsure.

Why is a mahjong set so expensive?

A mahjong set is not one object, it is around 150 small ones plus the box that has to organise them. That is where the cost sits. Cheap sets economise on tile thickness and on the case, because both are invisible in a product photo and obvious in the hand. A thin tile does not stand in a wall, does not stack, and does not make the sound the game is supposed to make.

Moving up the range buys you tiles with enough depth and weight to stand and stack, a rigid case with fitted trays so every tile has a home, and the accessories that a four player game actually needs rather than a bag of tiles and nothing else. The step from a supermarket set to either of these is not a small refinement. It is the difference between a set you use twice and a set that comes out every week for twenty years.

What comes with a mahjong set

This is where the mass market sets fall down, and it is worth checking before you buy anything anywhere. A mahjong set that is genuinely ready to play needs the tiles, something for each of the four players to hold their hand on, and a way of keeping score.

Both Dal Rossi sets in this range ship with four wooden playing racks and counting sticks alongside the tiles, all stored in the case. Nothing further is needed to sit four people down and play on the day the set arrives. We also stock replacement Dal Rossi wooden racks separately for players whose existing set did not come with them, though both sets on this page already include a full four.

Which mahjong set is best for a beginner?

The Deluxe, for two reasons that have nothing to do with price. The blanks are useful while you are learning, because a lost or damaged tile does not take the set out of service. And the extra jokers mean the set is not locked to one variant before you have worked out which one your group prefers, which is a decision most new players make months in rather than on day one.

Learning the game itself is more approachable than its reputation suggests. The scoring is the part that takes time, not the play. Our guide on how to play mahjong covers the tile suits, building the wall, pungs and chows, and how a hand is actually won, and it is written for someone who has never seen a set opened.

More games from Sterling Chess

Mahjong sits in our wider traditional games range alongside backgammon and checkers. Both mahjong sets here are made by Dal Rossi Italy, who also make most of our backgammon range and a good part of our board and set catalogue, and their full range sits in the Dal Rossi collection. If you are furnishing a games shelf rather than buying a single set, our chess sets range is the other half of that shelf.

Frequently asked questions

How many tiles are in a mahjong set?

A standard set is 144 tiles: the three suits, the winds and dragons, and the flowers and seasons. Some variants add blanks as spares and jokers as wild tiles. The Executive Edition here holds 144. The Deluxe holds 166, which is the standard 144 plus four blanks and two jokers.

Do these mahjong sets include racks?

Yes, four wooden playing racks with both sets, along with counting sticks, stored in the case. This is the single most common omission in cheaper sets and the reason a lot of buyers end up shopping twice.

Are the tiles marked with numerals or in Chinese only?

Tile markings vary by set and the clearest answer is the photographs on each product page, which show the tile faces at full size. If you need Western numerals on the suit tiles and want it confirmed before you order, call or email us and we will check the set in front of us and tell you.

Does it matter which mahjong set you buy?

For how the game plays, the tile count and the variant you play matter. For whether you enjoy it, tile quality and the case matter more than anything else, because you handle every tile in the set every hand. Where it genuinely does not matter is decoration. A more ornate case does not make a better game.

Can I buy replacement mahjong tiles or racks?

We stock Dal Rossi wooden mahjong racks separately, sold as a set of four with a felt storage bag, for players whose set did not include them. We do not sell loose replacement tiles, which is part of why the Deluxe including four blanks is worth knowing about.

What is the difference between Chinese, Hong Kong and American mahjong?

They share the tiles and differ in scoring and in which tiles are in play. Hong Kong scoring is the most widely played and the simplest to pick up. American play uses jokers and an annual card of legal hands. Chinese variants differ region by region. Check the tile requirements of your preferred format against the set before ordering if you already play to a specific ruleset.

Do you ship mahjong sets Australia wide?

Yes. Both sets are held as Australian stock and ship domestically with local support. These are heavy sets in rigid cases and they are packed accordingly. Everything is backed by Sterling Chess with 100 day free returns.

Backed by Sterling Chess

Both mahjong sets on this page have been opened, laid out and played on before they went into the catalogue, and we buy direct from Dal Rossi rather than through grey channels. That is how we can tell you that the dearer set has fewer tiles, and why we will point you at the cheaper set when it is the right one.

Mahjong is the category where people most often want to talk it through first, particularly around variants and tile counts, and that is a conversation worth having before you order rather than after. Call us on (03) 7037 0931 or email support@sterlingchess.com.au. Orders ship from Australian stock, and everything is covered by 100 day free returns. There is more on how we work on our why buy from us page.