Susan “Shayna” Scribner is a self-described mahjaholic. 

Translation: She could play the game of mah jongg morning, noon and night and not get tired of it.

“I have my mother’s mah jongg set, but she didn’t teach me to play,” says Scribner, who lives in Creve Coeur and is a member of Sisterhood at Nusach Hari B’nai Zion. “I always wanted to learn and asked a friend to teach me about six years ago. I love it and became addicted to the game the day she taught me.”

Scribner is overseeing the Jewish Light’s Miles & Miles of Tiles Mah Jongg Tournament, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 21, at the Sheraton Clayton Plaza Hotel. The Light hopes the tournament will be the largest of its kind in St. Louis and become an annual event. (See infobox for details.)

We caught up with Scribner recently to ask her about the tournament and mah jongg play in general. 

Can a casual or beginner player enter the Jewish Light mah jongg tournament or is it just for competitive players?

The mah jongg tournament the Light is sponsoring is meant to attract all levels of mahj players – beginners, intermediate and advanced. In fact, for this tournament, we are offering two tracks of play, one for fun and one for competition. The fun level is designed for players who are more at an entry level and may be intimidated to play more competitively. But both tracks of play will be a lot of fun.

Is there a way a person should prepare for a mah jongg tournament?

Prepare for a great day of fun. For people not used to playing mah jongg for an entire day, I promise you the day will go very quickly. We’ll play four rounds of four games each. Each one-hour round will zip by so quickly.

Is there a difference between Chinese and American mah jongg and, if so, which will be played at the Jewish Light tournament?

Yes, there is a difference. The Chinese game is not the game we’re playing. We’re playing the rules of the National Mah Jongg League. Generally, the Chinese version does not require tiles or cards. Also, what we’re playing is not like the online game called mah jongg, which is actually mah jongg solitaire. 

The rules of the National Mah Jongg League will be applied for those players in the competition track. For the fun track, they will be more loosely adapted. 

There will be three winners for each track. The three for the competitive track will win cash prizes. The three in the fun track will be awarded noncash prizes.

What makes a mah jongg tournament fun?

People who love the game and are mahjaholics cannot have a day of mah jongg that is not fun. Mah jongg is a game that calls on strategy, luck and skill. It is also a time for social interaction, conversation and camaraderie. And mah jongg is a game of civility and harmony. It’s based on rules that have purpose and meaning, as most things from the Asian culture do.  

When I think of mah jongg, I think of a bunch of older women playing the game. Is that still the case? Who plays mah jongg today?

Many of us baby boomers can remember our moms playing mah jongg and hearing the clacking of the tiles when we came home from school. In fact, some of us even have our mothers’ old sets. Like many things, what’s old is new again. The beauty and the strategy of mah jongg are attracting younger players today who get great enjoyment from the fun and excitement of the game.