Last year, three friends and avid-mahjong players came up with a plan to host the Island’s first official mahjong tournament. On Saturday, their idea materialized when 60 players (59 women and 1 man) gathered at the Grange Hall in West Tisbury.
Erica Dinerman, Susan Trani and Barbara Reynolds wanted to host a tournament that brought together local mahjong players from around the Island who may not have had the chance to meet.
“There are all the little pockets of mahjong, but there hasn’t been much of a chance to all get together,” Ms. Reynolds said.
Weekly mahjong sessions have been taking place all over the Island both in summer and the off-season. Libraries teach beginner lessons and host drop-in sessions for players of all levels. Tiles and Tea, a sold-out mahjong event in July, raised $10,000 for Martha’s Vineyard Community Services.
For this event, the trio partnered with the Martha’s Vineyard Center for Living, an organization that supports Islanders living with dementia and their caregivers. Ms. Reynolds is a board member for the center, which made the connection a natural fit.
Katie Vieira, executive assistant of the Center for Living, was excited to be a part of the Island’s growing mahjong scene, despite knowing little about the game herself.
“When they came to us, we felt absolutely honored,” Ms. Vieira said. “We don’t play mahjong, we don’t know much about it, but we do know how to throw a party.”
All proceeds from the event — including entry fees and raffle tickets — benefited the Center for Living.
Saturday’s tournament consisted of three rounds, each lasting about an hour. Players competed in four games per round, with two in the morning and one after lunch. Between rounds, attendees switched tables to play with new groups.
Play began at 10 a.m. with participants eager to take their seats. The tournament was at capacity with a waitlist, but in the end, everyone on the waitlist was able to secure a spot.
“There was one woman on the waitlist who said ‘I’m just going to come at 9:40, and if you need me I’ll hop in,’” Ms. Vieira said. “We had a super last minute cancellation and she got to play.”
The tournament’s atmosphere was both welcoming and competitive. Ms. Reynolds said maintaining this balance was one of the goals of the event.
“We worked to create an environment where if you really want to win, you can play and win, but if you just want to play for fun, you can also just do that,” Ms. Reynolds said.
Ms. Reynolds was particularly proud of the event’s community-building aspect and the opportunity for participants to meet new people.
“It’s different from a lot of fundraisers we go to,” she said. “Some people know each other, and some are just meeting for the first time.”
As the last round came to a close, the Center for Living presented Ms. Reynolds, Ms. Dinerman and Ms. Trani with a gift of mahjong-themed Christmas tree ornaments in recognition of their hard work pulling the event together.
The afternoon ended with players mingling with friends new and old as they awaited the raffle drawings and the announcement of the tournament winners. Around the room, women exchanged phone numbers and made plans to play together again.
The first place winner was Vicki Bologna, who said she has been playing Mahjong for 25 years, but has never played in a tournament before. When her name was announced, her friends let out a huge cheer.
“It’s one of our own!” they shouted.
For Ms. Bologna, the day was more about more than just her win.
“It’s a great cause, and a lot of my friends were here,” Ms. Bologna said. “It made me so happy.”