'It's Such A Great Game For Your Brain:' Mini Mahjer Simplifies Mahjong For Kids And Families

It's a game that's been around for centuries and is all the rage now in the U.S., a lot of people love playing Mahjong. Now your kids can learn their own version of the game. Marian Brisch is the cofounder of Mini Mahjer, and she stopped by the studio to talk more about it.

LeAnne: This seems so exciting and fun for adults who've been playing for a long time if they want their kids or grandkids to start playing. How did you guys come up with this idea?

Marian: So Kristen and I, have both been Mahjong instructors in Dallas for the last three years, and we've taught thousands of adults how to play. We started calling the kids mini-mahjers because they wanted to learn. They want to do what their moms and dads are doing. So, we tried to start teaching them, and we found out it's a little complicated for kids. We just thought we needed a simplified version and that's what we did. We created Mini Mahjer.

LeAnne: How does this differ from the real Mahjong?

Marian: Our biggest invention is the mini Mahjong card. When you play traditional American Mahjong, the combination card is the hardest part, because there are 73 options. Now, we simplified it by making the combinations shorter. Instead of it being 14 tiles long, it's only eight tiles for a combination, 10 tiles if you're playing intermediate, or 12 tiles for your combination if you're playing advanced. Instead of having 73 options, you now just have 25. It's a lot easier for kids to select what line they should go for.

LeAnne: What ages is this designed for?

Marian: It's great for ages six and up, but we've taught younger than that. Kids recognize patterns, and it's so good for their brains, and they pick it up like that.

LeAnne: You mentioned, you have the beginner, the intermediate, advanced. Even within the game set, there are various levels.

Marian: Exactly, and that it's meant to grow with you and with your family. One of my favorite parts about the game is I can play with my 6-year-old. My 6-year-old can play on the beginner section, and then my 10-year-old can play on the advanced section. I still get to play on my normal national Mahjong league card. Maybe my husband is playing on the beginner. The concept is for families to be able to play Mahjong together.

LeAnne: What does this teach? I heard an interview recently with Julia Roberts, she commented, it's like, you take chaos and bring it into order.

Marian: Yes, exactly. It's good for anyone. It's great for memory and attention. I mean, it's truly such a good game for your brain. I think all moms are looking for something without phones and iPads, and this is just truly meant to bring more people around a Mahjong table because some really fun things happen when you're all playing a game like this.

LeAnne: Is it always for four people? Can it be for two or three?

Marian: You can play with two. You can play with three. Max is four.

LeAnne: Then the sets you can buy the entire set, cards, the whole nine yards.

Marian: Exactly, it comes in a box, we said instead of a mat, we did a game board to make it kid-friendly. It comes with a full set of 152 tiles. They're just a little bit thinner than normal tiles, which is great for kid hands. They're super fun designs, for example, our winds and paper airplanes.

LeAnne: So, if people play Mahjong, this is going to look very familiar to them. You have the Joker. You have the blank tiles. I've played this like four times total, and it does take time until you kind of get into a rhythm, recognizing patterns and sequences.

Marian: This is great for adults, too. We've taught many adults on this as well. It's a great entry into the game. The purpose of it is to start at beginner, move to intermediate, go to advanced, and then graduate to the National Mahjong League card. You still have your full set of tiles, so it grows with you.

For more information, you can go to MiniMahjer.com.