Spotlight On Organizations: Mahjong Club

By Helen Mubarak

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Although Arnold Lillich learned to play mahjong as a child, he understood that the majority of students at the University of Kansas were unfamiliar with the Chinese game, which is similar to poker. He wanted to create a club in order to meet others interested in mahjong and to teach the game to beginners.

It was not until Lillich, Twin Lakes, Colo., junior, met Ethan Skinner, Brisbee, Ariz., junior, that the club was founded.

“Ethan and I each thought of starting the club independently before we ever even knew each other,” Lillich, the club president, said. “A mutual friend put he and I together.”

Although many versions of mahjong exist, members of the club focus on the Chinese and Japanese styles, Lillich said. Mahjong is played with tiles and although it usually involves gambling, members of the club play for fun rather than money.

During club meetings, the officers concentrate on helping beginners understand the game structure. They also demonstrate unusual hands such as 13 Orphans.

“It is easy enough to understand the basics of mahjong, and there is quite a bit of luck involved, which makes things easy for beginners,” said Skinner, the vice president of the club. “Once you get more into it though, it gets very complex, and skill and speed become more of a factor.”

Skinner said the club is a good way to meet people from many different cultural backgrounds.

“There is always a lot of socializing going on during the games unless it is a particularly serious match,” said Skinner, who learned to play mahjong during a visit to China.

Lillich said he hopes to teach more students to play the game so a tournament will be feasible. Eric Benavidez, Topeka graduate student, is one of the people whom Lillich taught to play mahjong.

Now the club’s secretary and treasurer, Benavidez is particularly interested in the game’s use of tiles.

“Tiles set mahjong apart from simply being a poker-like game,” Benavidez said. “I love the fact that it’s just not possible to get bored playing mahjong.”

The tiles usually display artwork and can be made of bone, ivory, jade, wood and bakelite. The sets vary from $10 acrylic versions to hand-carved versions costing thousands of dollars. Because of the beauty of the sets’ artwork and the history of the game, Benavidez said the club was a way for students to expose themselves to a new cultural experience.

The Mahjong Club meets Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. in the dining area of the 3rd level of the Kansas Union. Those interested in the club should e-mail mahjong@ku.edu.

—Edited by Jared Duncan

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