Costly: that tile fits the exposure across the table
The same few mistakes, over and over. Now you can see them.
After a few hands, NowMahj starts to spot your patterns: pairs breaking early, hot tiles held too long, chasing a hand the wall can't finish. It counts them per chance ("Caught 2 of 9 times"), never as a scary total, and turns each into your focus for next time.
My patterns
Sample
Pairs breaking early
You split a pair you needed later.
Caught 2 of 9 times
Hot tiles held too long
You kept a tile that matched an exposure across the table.
Caught 3 of 9 times
Chasing a hand the wall can't finish
You kept going after a hand the wall can't finish.
Caught 1 of 9 times
Today's focus
Watch the discards. Don't feed the player who's close to Mahjong.
1See your mistakes
Every move graded, after every move and after the hand
Each Charleston pass and discard is rated Best, Good, OK or Costly after every move. The grade comes from simulating how the hand plays out from that spot, and the bands are set wider than simulation noise, so a grade means something. After the hand, the review shows your grade tally and the one decision that swung the hand.
After every move · illustration
On the rack
Costly
After the hand
Illustration
BestGoodOKCostly
The decision that swung it
The discard that fit the exposure across the table.
What 3,000 simulated games turned up
Unsafe endgame throws
2,207 late-game spots where the intermediate-level bot threw a risky tile while a safer one sat in its rack.
Feeding a call
About 1 in 17 of those flagged risky throws was called by an opponent (133 of 2,218).
Holding a hot tile
When a tile matched an opponent's exposure, the bots kept it in roughly 4 of 5 flagged spots.
Where it slips
About 1 in 5 discards by the intermediate- and advanced-level bots graded Costly once 20 or fewer tiles were left, versus about 1 in 100 or fewer earlier.
In 3,000 simulated games. Bot play, used to tune the engine, not records of real players.
Beta
Pass without giving your hand away
The tiles you pass in the Charleston show the table what you're building. A pair you break, or the suit you dump, tells people where your hand is going. NowMahj teaches you to pass without giving your hand away.
In 3,000 simulated games, the intermediate-level bot let a still-working pair go in about 1 in 5 flagged middlegame spots (38 of 179).
Memory tip Pairs are the hard part. Break them last.
Costly: half your pair
2Learn why
A coach that explains every grade
After every move, the grade comes with one plain sentence on why, plus a memory tip you'll remember at the table. Learn Why also lets you look back at hands you've played and see the move that swung the hand. Insights, tips and tricks build on what you've actually played, so you learn the reasoning, not just the rule. Understanding is where confidence comes from.
Coach
That 5-dot matches the exposure across the table.
Tip When the wall runs short, count before you chase.
Reasons in plain words
One sentence on why that pass or discard earned its grade.
Memory tips
When the wall runs short, count before you chase.
Insights from your own hands
The note follows what you played, so the next game starts warmer.
Beta
Know when to stop chasing
The coach tells you when your hand can't finish ("You need 4 more tiles and there are only 3 draws left") and grades the switch to defence. A correct defensive throw is never graded Costly for leaving the attack.
In 3,000 simulated games, when the advanced-level bot's hand was nearly dead and an opponent looked close, it still threw the less-safe tile in 588 of 630 flagged spots (93%).
Across the table
You need 4 more tiles and there are only 3 draws left.
Coming soon
Want a real teacher? Bring your game history.
Connect with independent mahjong teachers who partner with NowMahj. With your OK, you share your NowMahj game history and patterns, so the session starts on the habits that matter most to you. Teachers run their own sessions; NowMahj isn't a live club.
Independent teacher
Coming soon
They run the session. NowMahj only carries the history you agree to share.
It covers the rules, but it's built to sharpen players who already play.
How is a move graded?
Each pass and discard is simulated from that spot and rated Best, Good, OK, or Costly. The bands are set wider than simulation noise, so a grade means something.
Is the teacher a NowMahj employee?
No. Teachers are independent partners. You choose what to share. That share flow is coming soon.
Does it use the official card?
No. Bring your own. NowMahj doesn't reproduce card hands. The official card is at nationalmahjonggleague.org.
Do I need an account?
Not to try a hand. Guest play is open.
When is play with friends coming?
Coming soon. No date yet.
What's the difference between the Daily Challenge and my personal challenges?
The Daily is one short hand everyone gets the same day. Personal challenges, in beta, are built from your own game history and mistake patterns.
See your mistakes. Learn why. Practice until it sticks.