Mahjong is Cleveland's Game of the Moment

Tucked in the corner of Mahjong Maison in Woodmere is a bulky table reminiscent of a poker board. Owner Amy Myers presses down on a black dial situated in the middle, which rises and creates a chute. She pushes some mahjong tiles into the opening, and the dial lowers itself down again. Amid a bit of rumbling, a new line of game pieces appears on each side of the table.

Though this electronic contraption gravitated a following on social media for its novelty, mahjong’s virality was fueled by its simpler nature: the fluid gameplay, the artsy tiles and their satisfying clicking sounds. Through a draw-and-discard method, players aim to be first to get their hand of 14 tiles into matching groups. 

Mahjong’s climb started slowly in 2018, when Crazy Rich Asians featured a pivotal scene with main character Rachel Chu playing a tense game against her fiance’s mother. Celebrities and enthusiasts continued to keep that spirit alive ahead of a resurgence this year.

“Meghan Markle’s playing it,” says Melissa Raines, co-founder of Two Bird Bam Studio in Lake County, “and Hoda (Kotb) and Jenna (Bush Hager), Billy Crystal and Sarah Jessica Parker.”

Mahjong originated in China around the 1850s, often played for money and negotiation purposes. Businessman Joseph P. Babcock is noted as the game’s earliest purveyor in America, when he started selling mahjong sets in stores in the 1920s. By 1937, a wave of women had embraced the game in the U.S., leading one group of Jewish ladies in New York to create the National Maj Jongg League, which standardized gameplay through a card detailing preapproved winning tile combinations that’s refreshed annually to keep competition interesting.

Myers shows off this card’s cryptic content, which is more like a pamphlet with rows of number sequences listed in distinct colors. She first learned mahjong in 2007 but picked up her pace during the pandemic. In 2024, she became an empty nester and started hosting private lessons at clients’ houses to fill her time. She decided to open her mahjong studio, Mahjong Maison, in January 2026.

“I had beginners who wanted to play regularly,” Myers explains. “So I started thinking about having a space where I could offer that. I’ve been pleasantly surprised every week that people are still out there wanting to learn.”

Mahjong Maison is the only brick-and-mortar teaching studio in Cleveland; Two Bird Bam Studio teaches out of houses and businesses across Lake and Geauga counties. Also an empty nester, Raines and her friend Heather Kilfoyle started Two Bird Bam Studio in January as a side hustle.

Mahjong Maison and Two Bird Bam Studio have two beginner lessons available via reservation, which help folks understand instructions and take time to practice. Both also host events for players to network and connect.

“I learned mahjong from a friend,” Myers says, “playing on her grandmother’s set. Then my mother-in-law was super excited because I was learning, so we would play. And I’ve taught my son and daughters how to play. It really is about bringing generations together, and people who wouldn’t normally sit around the same table.”

“What I’m most proud of is cultivating a community,” Raines says, “and letting people do something good for their mind.”

A recent study from The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease finds that mahjong’s strategy, pattern recognition and attention to detail can sharpen cognitive function as people age. Socially, for young adults taking up the game, it’s a way to stay present.

“You cannot play mahjong and be on your phone,” Myers says. “It’s a way for us to consciously break free from that.”

“The ‘grandma hobbies’ are coming back,” Raines quips. “There’s a lot of nostalgia. And with all the craziness in the world, it just feels loving and comforting.”

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