The periwinkle tiles are back in stock

We ran three Charleston classes in four days last week, one on my own and one alongside Alicia Wilhelmy and Jillian Krohne. The same thing came up in every single room.

Ask a table which Charleston pass matters most and nearly everyone says the across pass. You go across three times, so it feels like the big one.

It is the left pass.

Here is why. Your three across passes are spread out, and a lot happens in between them. Your two lefts are back to back. That is six tiles handed to the same person in a row, and they never come back to you. Six tiles can be half a hand.

The mistake is easy to make without noticing it. If you are collecting evens and you simply pass along whatever is not even, you have just handed the player on your left six odd tiles in a row. You may have built her game for her.

So make your left passes as unalike as you can. Pick tiles that are far apart from each other instead of cleanly sweeping out one family. You do not need to remember every tile you sent, either. The shape is enough. "I gave them scattered odds and a wind" is plenty to pass something different next time.

The second left is where people accidentally repeat themselves, so two ways to remember, both physical:

One warning on the face down trick - a lot of pretty sets have backs that are not symmetrical, so a flipped tile is visible to the whole table. Turn two or three around and an observant player can start working out what you are holding. Know which kind of set you are playing with before you use it.

Speaking of backs. You have seen these on my feed, they sold out, and they are available again.

What you actually get. 160 tiles (36 dots, 36 bams, 36 craks, 12 dragons, 16 winds, 8 flowers, 10 jokers, and 6 blank spares), a matching tile bag, dice, a wind indicator (we do not need it for American mahjong, but it is handy if you play other styles), and four tile guides. You know how I feel about tile guides. Every set should come with four.

Why I would look at these. They are two layers of acrylic rather than one piece of molded plastic, so the design sits inside the tile instead of printed on top of it. They are 1.4 inches tall, taller than most American sets you have handled, but noticeably thinner. Nice weight, not heavy at all, which is also what would make this a good travel set. Bigger face, less squinting. If you have quietly started holding your rack a little closer than you used to, that matters a lot more than the color does.

The honest part. They are $199.99, and Amazon is quoting delivery around September 21 to October 3. This is a treat yourself purchase, not a have it by Saturday one.

Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.

Oh My Mahjong just dropped the Chantilly mat, and the two of them together are gorgeous.

It is a lace inspired pattern in powder blue, soft sage and muted blush. 33 by 33 inches, neoprene with a stitched border, and the layout is printed right on it. It arrives rolled in a storage tube instead of folded, which is the detail I actually care about. $90.

LARASMAHJONGEDIT gets you 10% off.

One heads up before you order: the mats contain latex. If that is an issue for you or for anyone who sits at your table, sit this one out.

Affiliate link, at no extra cost to you.

Today's is the one I would point you at after everything up top. Alicia's solitaire is a solo Charleston drill, which is how you build passing habits without needing a table.

All three include the recording, so register even if the time does not work.