CENTRAL SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — Mahjong, a traditional Chese tile-based game, is building a fast-growing following in Central Springs — and for many players, what happens around the table goes far beyond the game itself.
Front Range Mahjong, a local organization, hosts open play events that have expanded dramatically since they first launched. Owner Courtney Schrier says she remembers the group's very first open play event.
"We had 4 tables at Kinship Landing, and now we have, we have 11, so it's grown so much in the last year," Courtney Schrier said, "I think mahjong is just a great way to get off your phone and talk to people, and it's a very tactile game, and I think that's something that's really cool about it."
News5 reporter Liv Wood has more on the impact Mahjong is having in the Central Springs community in the video below:
The organization plays at many locations all around Colorado Springs including The Brit Pub, Kinship Landing, Bristol Brewing Company, and Carboy Winery to name a few.
They have intro classes, tournament practice, and open play sessions for all skill levels. They provide all the equipment — including tiles, racks, mats, and beginner guides — so people can focus on playing and connecting with others.
The game itself, which involves swapping tiles to achieve the right pattern, has a little bit of everything, according to player Sandy Halby.
"It's a little bit of chance, a little bit of gambling, a little bit of almost poker-like experience," Halby said.
But for many players, it's the social connections the game creates that matter most.
"It just brings all these people together. You get to meet new people," Halby said.
Fellow player Pamela Walsh says there is something especially rewarding about watching a newcomer catch on.
"You can see somebody at the beginning being so confused thinking, 'how am I ever gonna do this?' and then that moment where it clicks for them and then they're like they are off and running," Walsh said.
For Walsh, mahjong offers a kind of connection that can't be found just anywhere.
"It's just a way to connect with other people that is... very magical in my opinion, and I've met some wonderful people that I never would have met any other way," Walsh said.
The game's popularity is growing so quickly that Walsh says supplies are struggling to keep up.
"It has experienced a resurgence in popularity. It's really hard to get tiles now," Walsh said.
Halby says the friendships formed over mahjong can last a lifetime.
"It's great for your social interaction and I love the game and I love the friends that I've made through the game," Halby said.
And for those who make it to a winning round, there's one moment that never gets old.
"There's nothing like that first time you get to say 'mahjong!'" Walsh said.
