The competitive circuits I knew in the 90s were serious — wonderful, yes, but serious. You flew in, you played, you went home. Nobody lingered. Nobody really talked. You'd meet a woman from Scottsdale at your table for four hands and never see her again. That felt like a missed opportunity.

Destination Mah Jongg started in 2018 as an experiment: what if a tournament was also a trip? What if there was real time between rounds for a long lunch, a walk on the beach, a conversation about your daughter's wedding? What if the prize wasn't just points — what if it was 3 days somewhere beautiful, with a room full of women who love the same game you do?

"What if the prize wasn't just points — what if it was 3 days somewhere beautiful, with a room full of women who love the same game?"

Eight years later, our players have become our closest friends. Some of them have been to eleven of our events. They travel together between tournaments. They send each other birthday cards. They call me when they need a partner for a local game back home.

That's what this is. A traveling clubhouse, and a very serious game of tiles, and — if you want it — a new set of friends.