Author - Jenn Barr

Gaming Mahjong

A king is crowned

This article first appeared in the Sep/Oct 2014 issue of World Gaming magazine. Japan’s Hiroshi Yamai emerged victorious as the World Richii Mahjong Championships enjoyed its highly successful debut in France. The first ever World Riichi...

Gaming Mahjong

In search of a champion

This article first appeared in the Jul/Aug 2014 issue of World Gaming magazine. The famous game of mahjong will break new ground in 2014 with the first ever World Championship using Japanese-style Riichi rules to be held in France. Who will come out...

Gaming Mahjong

Mahjong without borders

This article first appeared in the Mar/Apr 2014 issue of World Gaming magazine. It hasn’t always been easy spreading the good word of mahjong outside Asian borders and into the West – but perhaps we only have ourselves to blame for that...

Gaming Mahjong

Beat the “cheat”

This article first appeared in the Sep/Oct 2013 issue of World Gaming magazine. Like any competitive game, mahjong can bring out both the best and the worst in people and if you’re a regular at the tables you will no doubt come across players...

Gaming Mahjong

Mahjong: pros and pride

This article first appeared in the May/Jun 2013 issue of World Gaming magazine. Still a well-kept secret from the west, gaming arcades remain a popular place across much of Asia for lovers of mahjong to whittle away the hours and even test their...

Gaming Mahjong

Automatic tables rule

This article first appeared in the Mar/Apr 2013 issue of World Gaming magazine. Our mahjong guru Jenn Barr writes about the pros and cons of automatic shuffling tables – but struggles with the cons!  Take it from me – automatic shuffling...

Gaming Mahjong

Mahjong around the world: The Netherlands

This article first appeared in the Jan/Feb 2013 issue of World Gaming magazine. Continuing our international mahjong series, this issue WGM looks at how the Netherlands has been instrumental in the increasing popularity of European mahjong...

Gaming Mahjong

Mahjong around the world: Taiwan

This article first appeared in the Sep/Oct 2012 issue of World Gaming magazine. Continuing our international mahjong series, this issue WGM explores “plus three” – the unique styling prevalent in Taiwan which uses an extra three...

Gaming Mahjong

Mahjong around the world: Japan

This article first appeared in the Jul/Aug 2012 issue of World Gaming magazine. This issue we’re introducing a new series to showcase your favorite game and how it’s seen in other countries around the world, starting with Japan. Each...

Gaming Mahjong

Mahjong: who needs four players?

This article first appeared in the May/Jun 2012 issue of World Gaming magazine. Most people believe mahjong is a four-player game. If you don’t have four people then you can’t play, right? Wrong! Mahjong can be adapted for two, three or...

Gaming Mahjong

Mahjong around the world: Seattle

This article first appeared in the Mar/Apr 2012 issue of World Gaming magazine. We are now well into the new year and, looking back, I couldn’t have chosen a better way to end 2011. As a native of the US now living in Asia, I tend to find...

Gaming Mahjong

Get yourself ready

This article first appeared in the Jan/Feb 2012 issue of World Gaming magazine. World Gaming magazine’s mahjong pro, Jenn Barr, takes us back to the basics of the game to explain how to think in terms of how far our hand is from ready. Many...

Gaming Mahjong

The magic in the tiles

This article first appeared in the Sep/Oct 2011 issue of World Gaming magazine. Professional mahjong player Jenn Barr from Reach Mahjong explains the incredible range of mahjong tiles that are available in the market place. I remember the first...

Gaming Mahjong

Mahjong tournaments: not there yet

This article first appeared in the Jul/Aug 2011 issue of World Gaming magazine. Despite their popularity no one seems to have quite perfected a well-structured mahjong tournament. These tournaments present unique challenges not found in poker or two...

Gaming Mahjong

You can't win them all

This article first appeared in the Mar/Apr 2011 issue of World Gaming magazine. Remember when you used to play on your grandfather’s lap? How long did it take you to notice he was watching the other players’ hands as well as his own...

Gaming Mahjong

You can’t win them all

This article first appeared in the Mar/Apr 2011 issue of World Gaming magazine. Remember when you used to play on your grandfather’s lap? How long did it take you to notice he was watching the other players’ hands as well as his own...

Gaming Mahjong

Mahjong on the move

This article first appeared in the Jan/Feb 2011 issue of World Gaming Magazine. The game of mahjong is without doubt Chinese in origin. Wherever mahjong has found a home the look of the tiles are the same, but there are major variations in the way...

Gaming Mahjong

Your humble columnists at the WSOM

This article first appeared in the Nov/Dec 2010 issue of World Gaming magazine. Walking in to the 2010 World Series of Mahjong felt different than it did in 2007 and 2008. The venue was different, the buy-in was different and the format was...

Gaming Mahjong

World series of mahjong takes over the Venetian

This article first appeared in the Sep/Oct 2010 issue of World Gaming magazine. If you were lucky enough to be at the Venetian in late August you might have witnessed a wonderful part of Asian culture making history as the 2010 World Series of...

Gaming Mahjong

World series of mahjong preview

This article first appeared in the Jul/Aug 2010 issue of World Gaming magazine. The official World Series of Mahjong is back this year and Macau is ready to catapult this event into a major international festival. On January 20th, 2010, World...

Gaming Mahjong

Our mahjong beginnings

This article first appeared in the May/Jun 2010 issue of World Gaming magazine. Mahjong is more than just a game. For most families in China it is a way to connect all generations. In Japan it is a way to bond with your coworkers or even clients...

Gaming Mahjong

Peace in the tiles

This article first appeared in the Mar/Apr 2010 issue of World Gaming magazine. Learning Mahjong is a journey. One thing I will always remember from the days when I had just started playing is that one of my friends told me that the Peace hand would...

Gaming Mahjong

The ins and outs of mahjong

This article first appeared in the Chinese New Year 2010 special issue of World Gaming magazine. Thanks for joining us again. This issue we’ll be treating you with tips to maximize your wins both in frequency and points. Here are the Ins and...

Gaming Mahjong

Which mahjong do you play?

This article first appeared in the Nov 2009 (pre-launch) and Jan/Feb 2010 issues of World Gaming magazine. In this column we’ll be helping you with your Mahjong game, so you win more often. But before we move on to that, what are you actually...