Mahjong is easy to learn, but hard to master.
But in Lexington County, mahjong is much more than a game. It’s been a way for dozens of people to connect with one another. You can join a group playing just about every week, thanks to a group of women who began organizing mahjong games about three years ago. You can find them in area country clubs, coffee shops, or even a brewery.
Filomena Heaton is one of the organizers and teaches new players. “I was looking for something to help with my mind,” Heaton, who works in human resources, recalled how her curiosity in 2024 took her to play mahjong online, which usually can be done solo. Later, she got instruction from Mary Ellen Barnwell in Columbia and eventually became an organizer of a weekly game. She also helped begin a league that runs for six weeks. “It’s a great time to meet other people, develop your skills, and sharpen your skills all at the same time. We welcome all levels,” Heaton said.
There is a stake in playing — often the winners pay a fee to get into a game or league and win prizes, but increasingly the games are set as fundraisers for local charities, like one organized to support Alzheimer’s research, or another being created to raise money for scholarships for University of South Carolina students.
It’s a game that is played everywhere and yet difficult to understand. How do you play mahjong? Simply, it’s a matter of finding matching tiles out of 144 used in the game, with the aim to discard some and pick others to get all your tiles into four sets and one pair of identical tiles. It is similar to rummy and requires three to four players. Mahjong originated over 300 years ago in China, is played worldwide, and appeared in such movies as “Crazy Rich Asians” and the comedy series “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”
Mahjong sets usually have Chinese characters, and new sets come out every year with different designs, coveted much like Pokémon cards. There are various rules, but the Lexington County group follows regulations by the National Mah Jongg League. “I will say you need patience to learn,” Heaton said. “There are a lot of rules, so I think it takes a little bit of learning. But once you grasp the concept and you are familiar with the card (the scorecard listing winning combinations), I think it’s pretty easy to master.”
People are initially intimidated when they hear all the rules — and there are lots of them — but you can learn the basics in an evening. Then it takes practice, but to Heaton and others, it’s not about the game, but the people they play with. “While you’re playing, you’re socializing and you know you’re forming your relationships,” she said. In June, 36 players showed up for a social. “For me, it’s the people, and it’s the community of people that I have met through playing mahjong,” Heaton continued.
For Marni Latterman, mahjong was a family tradition back in Pittsburgh. She remembers watching her mother play with a group back in the 1970s. “I can still remember the names of her friends that she played with,” she said. When Marni moved to Lexington County a year ago, she got a housewarming gift from her parents: her own mahjong set. When she started looking for connections in the community, she found it at the mahjong table. By spring, she was participating in a league and helping to organize a network of at least 90 people through an app, which facilitates open play — much like a pick-up game — any weeknight.
They’ve staged games at an interior design gallery, Craft and Draft in Irmo, and Loveland Coffee, along at members’ homes. “I have met so many people doing this. It’s phenomenal,” Latterman said. “I did not realize how much of a bond I would create with these women.”
Want to join?
The Carolina Mahjong Social League is gearing up for events in the fall. Beginners can join a game in which they will be instructed on the rules. Follow them on Instagram, click in the bio for information about how to join the club.
Upcoming events
Aug. 14: Fall league begins
Sept. 7: Mahjong for scholarships
March 4-6, 2026, Virgin Voyage cruise