Mahjong, also spelled mah-jong or mah-jongg is a game of Chinese origin. Dating to over two thousand years ago, Mahjong is said to have originated in the court of the King of Wu. This was roughly the time that Confucius existed, which was some five hundred years before the Christian era. Within this court, there lived a beauty in seclusion. To keep herself from utter boredom, she invented a game of her own. She began to carve domino-shaped pieces of ivory and bamboo. When she was finished, she invited three of her maids to play her newly invented game.
For centuries, mahjong remained exclusive of the royal class. It was against the law for commoners to play. The penalty for commoners who dared to play mahjong was decapitation. However, around 500 A.D., the penalty was lifted, which enabled everyone who desired to play mahjong to do so. Lifting the ban on the commoner’s right to play mahjong enabled the game to spread to various countries around the world, including England and Australia. Its invasion into the United States did not occur until 1920.
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