Most of us are unsure of which tiles to let go of in the Charleston. Players who have developed this skill are the ones winning more hands.
With the deal shown below, which three tiles would you pass?
Think about what you’d be willing to hand over to the player on your right.
This week’s choices come from Mah Jongg instructors from the American Mah Jongg Association directory. Who do you agree with?
scroll down to see how the Insiders responded.
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🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️ A ⭕️ 1 Crak, 2 Bam, 9 Crak (1215 Votes)
🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨 B ⭕️ 1 Crak, 1 Dot, 9 Crak (1423 Votes)
🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨 C ⭕️ 1 Crak, 8 Dot, North (1520 Votes)
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 D ⭕️ Something different (1523 Votes)
Explanation:
This week had no single correct answer. The three passes below came from instructors in the American Mah Jongg Association directory, and Insiders voted for whichever reasoning matched their own hand.
⭕️ Option A: 1 Crak, 2 Bam, 9 Crak
Phyllis Drucker and Jennifer Hohman both landed here.
Phyllis Drucker
“This pass lets go of three relatively isolated tiles while preserving several promising directions, and it doesn’t give much to an opponent.
The 1 and 9 Crak could support a 13579 direction for the receiving player, but the two tiles don’t form a particularly tight combination on their own.
Passing these three tiles preserves several Consecutive Run possibilities, as well as directions using the 5s.”
Jennifer Hohman
“1 Crak: that Crak doesn’t have a back, or a front. Nothing close to it in numerical order, and not enough of them to go to Any Like Numbers. 2 Bam isn’t a slam for anything, just kind of out there. Close to the 5s, but too many gaps in between. 9 Crak is just an oddball.”
⭕️ Option B: 1 Crak, 1 Dot, 9 Crak
Nicki Johnson, is looking at 2468, Consecutive Run, and Singles and Pairs.
Nicki Johnson
“I’m trying to challenge myself to be bolder this year when I don’t have any Jokers in the initial deal. I’m really trying to take a look at Singles and Pairs more and maximize the Charleston for possibilities there.
Passing the ones and nines would allow me to keep the door open for the 2468 Line in Singles and Pairs, as well as leaving lots of possibilities in the traditional 2468 and Consecutive Run Sections. It might not work out, but it’s a fun little experiment.”
⭕️ Option C: 1 Crak, 8 Dot, North
Iris Pressman, is looking at a Consecutive Run.
Iris Pressman
“I am thinking about going for Consecutive Run, therefore eliminating the lowest and highest numbers.”
⭕️ Option D: Something different
The top vote-getter this week wasn’t one of the three instructor passes above. It was Insiders going their own way with the hand.
⬇️ Find Your Section First, and Your Pass Gets Easy ⬇️
You can’t control the tiles you pick, but you can control the decisions you make with them, and the Charleston is where those decisions start.
The Charleston Decision Pyramid turns the pass into a few plain questions. Sort your tiles by number and start at the top, where it asks whether you’re holding four Dragons, then work your way down until you hit a yes. That yes names your Section of the 2026 Card, and the tiles that don’t fit it are your pass.
The Pyramid prints full size to keep beside your rack, and it comes with five videos that play real hands through the whole Charleston. It’s included with Association membership, and so is the Winning Hand App, where the Charleston mode deals you a fresh hand whenever you want.
$39 a year. About $3 a month.
