Welcome back to Tile Talk Tuesday!
I've been playing this card since spring, and somewhere in there my strategy quietly turned into habit. Same sections my eye goes to first. Same hand I reach for because it worked in July.
Habit and strategy aren't the same thing, and this is the point in the card year where the two drift apart on all of us. That's what the whole fall lineup is about, and there are four new ones to tell you about.
First, though, a line I think gets read too narrowly.
Teaching Corner
On 13579 #4, the pair doesn't have to be the 1
The line prints as 1 1 3 5 7 9 with two kongs beside it. Because the 1 is the tile shown doubled, that's the version that sticks in your head.
The parenthetical is doing more work than that. It reads Pair Any Odd No., Kongs Match Pair.
So any odd number in that run can be the pair, and whatever you pair, the two kongs have to follow.
Pair the 5 and you get:
1 3 5 5 7 9 plus 5555 plus 5555
Three suits. The run in one suit, then a kong of 5s in a second and a kong of 5s in a third. X 25.
That one rule is why this line carries 15 variations instead of 3. And the kongs-match-the-pair structure shows up exactly twice on the whole 2026 card: here, and on 369 #5.
I walked the whole thing through with real tiles last week, so watch it here if you'd rather see it than read it.
Four new classes for the fall
Here they are in date order. Every one includes the recording, so sign up even if the time doesn't work for you.
When You Get Stuck. Thursday September 17, 7:00 PM ET. 60 min, $75. Every player gets stuck. You're six tiles in and it isn't coming together, or you're split between two lines and counting again won't settle it. We're walking through seven ways a hand stalls and what to do about each one, and you'll leave with a one-page stuck menu to keep next to your rack.
Back to Basics, with Jillian Krohne of Mahj-el Tov. Monday September 21, 7:00 PM ET. 90 min, $75. The strategic fundamentals, on the card you've been playing all year. Reading the card instead of memorizing it, choosing a hand with a real backup, passing with intention, and pivoting on an actual trigger instead of a feeling.
The Charleston in Competitive Play, with Michelle Tinney of Cypress Mahjong. Sunday October 4, 4:00 PM ET. 60 min, $75. At your Tuesday game, taking your time in the Charleston costs you nothing. At a tournament table it costs you the clock. Michelle wins in leagues and tournaments, including playing for money, and this is where she'll tell you most of it gets decided.
Advanced Strategy with Exercises, with Jillian. Monday October 5, 7:00 PM ET. 90 min, $75. Part two, and this one is all hands on deck. We work real racks together. You make the call, then we walk through the reasoning out loud. It follows Back to Basics and it stands on its own if that date doesn't work.
The green set I've had out all week
These are the Majolicia four-layer tiles in green, and they're the ones on my own table mid-Charleston in the photo I've been posting.
What you get. 160 acrylic engraved tiles, a tile bag, and accessories, so it's a whole set rather than a starting point you have to finish buying.
Why I keep noticing them. The four-layer edge. You can see the stripe from across the table, which makes them genuinely easy to sort at the end of a game. The green reads softer in person than it does on screen.
I paired it with the new Maridjong collab mat with Abigail Reller and I’m in love! Mat is linked here and you can use LARASMAHJONGEDIT for 10% off.
Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.
Challenge Corner
No puzzle this week, just something I'm genuinely curious about. Tap your answer and I'll share where we all landed next Tuesday.
Have you won on 13579 #4 this year?
One more place this work continues
If you want to keep working at your game between classes, that's what Confidence Club is for. Live Q&A where I work through your actual hands, a monthly challenge, and the replay library from every paid class I teach, including all four above. $19.99 a month, cancel anytime. One replay pays for the month.
Where to Find Me
Instagram: @larasmahjongedit
Facebook group: Lara's Mahjong Edit
Live classes: the full calendar
P.S. Trish Jones is teaching Start Your Own League tomorrow night, Wednesday September 9 at 7:00 PM ET. Ninety minutes, $79, and you leave with her full 19-piece host kit. If you've ever wished your table played every week instead of whenever everyone's free, this is the one.
Talk soon,
Lara