Charleston Mahjong: Passing Sequence, Rules & Hand Evaluation

The definitive guide to the iconic American Mahjong tile exchange: memory mnemonic, blind passes, calling STOP, and mathematical hand ranking.

The Official 6-Step Charleston Sequence

The Charleston is governed by the classic mnemonic rule: "Right, Across, Left — Left, Across, Right — Courtesy Across".

First Charleston (Compulsory for All 4 Players)

  1. Pass 1 (Right): Each player passes 3 tiles to the player on their Right. (Blind pass is NOT permitted).
  2. Pass 2 (Across): Each player passes 3 tiles to the player sitting Opposite/Across.
  3. Pass 3 (First Left): Each player passes 3 tiles to their Left. (Blind pass of 1, 2, or 3 tiles IS permitted).

Second Charleston (Optional — Any Player May Call "STOP")

Before the 4th pass begins, any single player who has 10+ matching tiles or insufficient throwaways may declare "STOP". If any player stops the game, the Second Charleston is immediately cancelled and players advance straight to the Courtesy Pass. If all four agree to continue:

  1. Pass 4 (Second Left): Pass 3 tiles to the Left (No blind pass allowed).
  2. Pass 5 (Second Across): Pass 3 tiles Across.
  3. Pass 6 (Last Right): Pass 3 tiles to the Right (Blind pass permitted).

The Courtesy Pass (Final Mutual Agreement)

Players sitting across from one another may agree to pass 0, 1, 2, or 3 tiles. The player requesting the fewer number of tiles dictates the count. If one player requests 0, no tiles are passed.

The Blind Pass: How to Execute Safely

A Blind Pass allows a player with fewer than 3 unwanted tiles on the final pass of a round (Pass 3 or Pass 6) to take 1, 2, or 3 incoming tiles without looking at them and immediately slide them into their outgoing pass pile. You must never look at the blind tiles before passing them on!

Charleston Golden Rules: Pair Anchors & Defensive Withholding

  • Never Break a Natural Pair: Jokers cannot replace pairs. Protect your pairs during round 1 to preserve hand flexibility.
  • Pass Unmatched Winds & Dragons Early: Single winds are safest to pass during Pass 1 and 2 when everyone is exploring hands.
  • Avoid Passing Synergies: Never pass two identical tiles (e.g. two 7-Craks) or 3-in-a-row suited runs (e.g. 3-4-5 Bams) to the same player in a single pass.